- Lyricist
- Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass
- Singers
- S. C. Krishnan, Jikki
- Music director
- Pondiyala Srinivasan
- Movie name
- Naan Valartha Thangai
- Movie release year
- 1958
- Lyrics added on
- 7 Aug 2022
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This playful duet from the 1958 Tamil film 'Naan Valartha Thangai' depicts two lovers engaging in romantic banter. They compare their bonding to a grafted mango ('Ottu Mambalam'), symbolizing sweet togetherness. The couple expresses their joyful dream of roaming freely like birds, dancing without care, and taking their love towards matrimony.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Upamai (Simile)
“Ottu mambalathai polae”
Compares the sweet, inseparable union of two lovers' hearts to a grafted mango fruit ('Ottu mambalathai polae').
Upamai (Simile)
“Sittu polavae parandhu ooduvom”
Compares their joyful freedom and movement to sparrows flying in the sky ('Sittu polavae').
Edugai (Second-letter Rhyme)
“Mathiyaana velaiyil sellalaama / Maamarthu solaiyilae thullalaama”
The second letter 'th' rhymes between 'Mathiyaana' and 'Maamarthu'.
Personification / Nature Metaphor
“Kannaana maamaramae nee saatchi”
Addressing the mango tree as a living witness ('saatchi') to their wedding.
Did you know?
Trivia
Written by the famed lyricist Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass and set to music by Pondiyala Srinivasan, 'Ottu Mambalathai Polae' remains a classic early Tamil cinema folk-pop duet. The song relies heavily on rhythmic visual wordplay and traditional rural courting tropes.
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