- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Music director
- K. V. Mahadevan
- Movie name
- Padikkadha Medhai
- Movie release year
- 1960
- Lyrics added on
- 7 Oct 2019
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
'Orae Oru Oorilae' from the movie 'Padikkadha Medhai' (1960) uses the structure of a simple bedtime story or nursery fable to convey a deep moral truth about human relationships and ingratitude. The lyrics tell the story of a king (representing a devoted parent) and queen who raise nine children. Despite receiving education and care, every single child turns out to be disrespectful, cruel, obstinate, or subservient to their spouses while neglecting their own parents. Finding no genuine love or respect from his biological offspring, the king raises a loyal dog with love and devotion. The dog repays him with true affection, loyalty, and gratitude. Lyricist Kannadasan uses this story to deliver a sharp commentary on societal hypocrisy, highlighting that true kinship is defined by loyalty and gratitude rather than blood ties—concluding that a grateful animal is far superior to an ungrateful child.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Allegory / Moral Fable
“Orae oru oorilae orae oru raajaa... Orae oru raani petraal onbadhu pillai”
The entire song uses a simple fairy-tale framing ('Once upon a time there was a king...') as an allegory to critique filial ingratitude and human character flaws.
Tamil Idiom (Pazhamozhi / Marabuthodar)
“Pidicha muyal athanaikkum moondru kaalendraan”
Uses the famous Tamil proverb about insisting a caught rabbit has three legs, symbolizing extreme stubbornness, foolish obstinacy, and refusing to accept truth.
Simile (Upamai)
“Adhai pillaikku mel kangalai pol kaathu valarthaar”
Compares the intense care given to raising the dog to protecting one's own eyes ('kangalai pol').
Muran (Contrast / Irony)
“Thambi nandri ketta maganai vida naaigal meldaa”
Contrasts an ungrateful human son with a loyal dog, pointing out the irony that an animal possesses higher moral virtue than human offspring.
Did you know?
Trivia
'Padikkadha Medhai' (1960), directed by A. Bhimsingh and starring Sivaji Ganesan, is famous for its emotional family drama centered around loyalty, poverty, and human character. The song is composed by K. V. Mahadevan and sung by T. M. Soundararajan along with P. Susheela. Kannadasan's lyrics in this song showcase his unique mastery in distilling complex philosophy into deceptively simple, childlike storytelling language.
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