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Avar Enakke Sontham album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Oru Veedu Iru Ullam

From Avar Enakke Sontham · 1977

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Avar Enakke Sontham
Movie release year
1977
Lyrics added on
28 Oct 2018

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Oru veedu iru ullam
Oru kovil iru dheivam
Iru kangal ondraaga
Iru kaatchi thaniyaaga
Kannae kaakkum
Dheivam kallaanaal
Anbae paarkkum
Dheivam naan undu
Kannae kaakkum
Dheivam kallaanaal
Anbae paarkkum
Dheivam naan undu
Oru veedu iru ullam
Oru kovil iru dheivam
Iru kangal ondraaga
Iru kaatchi thaniyaaga
Thaai illaa saei ondru
Thaai kettadhu
Saei illaa thaai ondru
Saei kaettadhu
Thaai undu saei undu
Gunam illaiyae gunam illaiyae
Thaai illaa saei ondru
Thaai kettadhu
Saei illaa thaai ondru
Saei kaettadhu
Thaai undu saei undu
Gunam illaiyae gunam illaiyae
Thaalaattavum seeraattavum
Thamizh andri verannai
Namakkillaiyae namakkillaiyae
Oru veedu iru ullam
Oru kovil iru dheivam
Iru kangal ondraaga
Iru kaatchi thaniyaaga
Padhinoru mani aanaal
Sirippom kannae
Panirendru mani aanaal
Azhuvom kannae
Nam veettu time table
Adhu thaan kannae
Adhu thaan kannae
Padhinoru mani aanaal
Sirippom kannae
Panirendru mani aanaal
Azhuvom kannae
Nam veettu time table
Adhu thaan kannae
Adhu thaan kannae
Ilai pottadhum pasithaaganum
Ellaamae neraththil
Nadandhaaganum nadandhaaganum
Oru veedu iru ullam
Oru kovil iru dheivam
Iru kangal ondraaga
Iru kaatchi thaniyaaga
One house, two hearts,
One temple, two gods,
Two eyes are side by side,
Yet seeing two different sights.
My dear, if the god
Who should protect us turns to stone,
To look after you with love,
I am here as your living god.
My dear, if the god
Who should protect us turns to stone,
To look after you with love,
I am here as your living god.
One house, two hearts,
One temple, two gods,
Two eyes are side by side,
Yet seeing two different sights.
A motherless child
Longed for a mother;
A childless mother
Longed for a child.
Here, both mother and child exist,
Yet there is no kindness, no love at all!
A motherless child
Longed for a mother;
A childless mother
Longed for a child.
Here, both mother and child exist,
Yet there is no kindness, no love at all!
To sing us a lullaby and shower us with affection,
Other than Mother Tamil,
We have no other mother, no other mother!
One house, two hearts,
One temple, two gods,
Two eyes are side by side,
Yet seeing two different sights.
When it strikes eleven,
We laugh, my dear;
When it strikes twelve,
We weep, my dear.
In this home of ours,
That is the timetable, my dear,
That is our timetable!
When it strikes eleven,
We laugh, my dear;
When it strikes twelve,
We weep, my dear.
In this home of ours,
That is the timetable, my dear,
That is our timetable!
Serving a meal, feeling hungry and thirsty—
Everything has to happen
Strictly by the clock, strictly by the clock!
One house, two hearts,
One temple, two gods,
Two eyes are side by side,
Yet seeing two different sights.
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

The song 'Oru Veedu Iru Ullam' explores the complex emotional dynamics of a household where people live together yet experience internal distance. It captures the paradox of shared space and separate emotional worlds—comparing a home to a temple containing two deities, or two eyes that look at the same direction yet process distinct sights. Kannadasan poetically addresses themes of longing, maternal affection, and emotional discord, noting how relationships can exist formally without genuine warmth ('Thaai undu saei undu, gunam illaiyae'). Through relatable metaphors like a fixed home 'timetable' where laughter at 11 o'clock turns to tears by 12, the song reflects the unpredictable highs and lows of family life, offering solace in the sweet comfort of language and love.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

“Oru kovil iru dheivam”

Compares a single household to a sacred temple housing two distinct deities, emphasizing both sanctity and duality.

Muran (Antithesis)

“Padhinoru mani aanaal sirippom ... Panirendru mani aanaal azhuvom”

Contrasts happiness (laughing at 11) with sorrow (weeping at 12) side by side to illustrate shifting emotional states.

Ethugai (Second letter assonance)

“Padhinoru / Panirendru”

The second consonant sound ('dhi' / 'ni' phonetically aligning in Tamil verse cadence) creates rhythmic harmony.

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

“Sirippom kannae / Azhuvom kannae”

The repetition of 'kannae' at the end of consecutive lines creates a poetic, affectionate rhythm.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by Ilaiyaraaja early in his legendary career for the 1977 movie 'Avar Enakke Sontham', this song features lyrics by Kaviarasu Kannadasan. The film stars Jaishankar and Fatafat Jayalaxmi, and the song is widely celebrated for its philosophical depth blended with simple, everyday household imagery.

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