Panneer Pushpangale
From Aval Appadithan · 1978
- Lyricist
- Gangai Amaran
- Singer
- Kamal Haasan
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Details
- Aval Appadithan1978
Lyrics & meaning
| ♫ Tanglish lyrics | ↻ English translation |
|---|---|
| Male | |
| Aahaaa…..aaaa……aaa… | Aahaaa.....aaaa......aaa… |
| Male | |
| {Panneer pushpangalae | Oh fragrant flowers, |
| Raagam paadu | Sing a melody, |
| Unnai polae enthan | Just like you, my |
| Ullam aaduthu… | Heart sways with joy... |
| Pudhu thaalam thottu oh.. | Touching a new rhythm, oh.. |
| Pudhu raagamittu} (2) | Composing a new tune. |
| Male | |
| Aan konda thaagam | Is the female race meant only to be |
| Theerkindra dhegam | A physical body that quenches |
| Pen endra orr inamo | The thirst harbored by men? |
| Ithu yaar paavam | Whose sin is this? |
| Male | |
| Aan seitha sattam | The rules crafted by men, |
| Avar potta vattam | The boundaries set by them, |
| Atharkendru penn inamo | Is womanhood meant only to serve that? |
| Ithu yaar saabam | Whose curse is this? |
| Male | |
| Nyaayangalo pothuvaanathu | Justice ought to be universal, |
| Puriyaamal ponathu..uuuu..uuu | Yet it remains misunderstood... |
| Male | |
| Panneer pushpangalae | Oh fragrant flowers, |
| Raagam paadu | Sing a melody, |
| Unnai polae enthan | Just like you, my |
| Ullam aaduthu… | Heart sways with joy... |
| Pudhu thaalam thottu oh.. | Touching a new rhythm, oh.. |
| Pudhu raagamittu | Composing a new tune. |
| Male | |
| Paanjali vaazhntha | The sorrowful life |
| Parithaaba vaazvai | That Draupadi lived, |
| Paraata yaarumillai | There is no one to appreciate |
| Nijavaazhkayilae | In real life. |
| Male | |
| Palaperai cherum | Yet Lord Krishna, who belonged to many, |
| Paranthaaman thannai | Is heard being praised in song |
| Puhazh paada ketta thundu | And worshipped with glory |
| Intha boomiyilae..ae…. | On this very earth.. |
| Male | |
| Nyaayangalo pothuvaanathu | Justice ought to be universal, |
| Puriyaamal ponathu..uuu..uuu | Yet it remains misunderstood... |
| Male | |
| Panneer pushpangalae | Oh fragrant flowers, |
| Raagam paadu | Sing a melody, |
| Unnai polae enthan | Just like you, my |
| Ullam aaduthu… | Heart sways with joy... |
| Pudhu thaalam thottu oh.. | Touching a new rhythm, oh.. |
| Pudhu raagamittu | Composing a new tune. |
ஆஹா
ஆஆ ஆஆ
Aahaaa.....aaaa......aaa…
{ பன்னீர் புஷ்பங்களே
ராகம் பாடு உன்னைப்போலே
எந்தன் உள்ளம் ஆடுது
புது தாளம் தொட்டு ஓ
புது ராகமிட்டு } (2)
Oh fragrant flowers,
Sing a melody,
Just like you, my
Heart sways with joy...
Touching a new rhythm, oh..
Composing a new tune.
ஆண் கொண்ட
தாகம் தீர்க்கின்ற தேகம்
பெண்ணென்ற ஓரினமோ
இது யார் பாவம்
Is the female race meant only to be
A physical body that quenches
The thirst harbored by men?
Whose sin is this?
ஆண் செய்த
சட்டம் அவர் போட்ட
வட்டம் அதற்கென்று
பெண்ணினமோ இது
யார் சாபம்
The rules crafted by men,
The boundaries set by them,
Is womanhood meant only to serve that?
Whose curse is this?
நியாயங்களோ
பொதுவானது
புரியாமல் போனது
Justice ought to be universal,
Yet it remains misunderstood...
பன்னீர் புஷ்பங்களே
ராகம் பாடு உன்னைப்போலே
எந்தன் உள்ளம் ஆடுது
புது தாளம் தொட்டு ஓ
புது ராகமிட்டு
Oh fragrant flowers,
Sing a melody,
Just like you, my
Heart sways with joy...
Touching a new rhythm, oh..
Composing a new tune.
பாஞ்சாலி வாழ்ந்த
பரிதாப வாழ்வை
பாராட்ட யாருமில்லை
நிஜ வாழ்க்கையிலே
The sorrowful life
That Draupadi lived,
There is no one to appreciate
In real life.
பலபேரைச் சேரும்
பரந்தாமன் தன்னை
புகழ் பாட கேட்டதுண்டு
இந்த பூமியிலே
Yet Lord Krishna, who belonged to many,
Is heard being praised in song
And worshipped with glory
On this very earth..
நியாயங்களோ
பொதுவானது
புரியாமல் போனது
Justice ought to be universal,
Yet it remains misunderstood...
பன்னீர் புஷ்பங்களே
ராகம் பாடு உன்னைப்போலே
எந்தன் உள்ளம் ஆடுது
புது தாளம் தொட்டு ஓ
புது ராகமிட்டு
Oh fragrant flowers,
Sing a melody,
Just like you, my
Heart sways with joy...
Touching a new rhythm, oh..
Composing a new tune.
Aahaaa…..aaaa……aaa…
Aahaaa.....aaaa......aaa…
{Panneer pushpangalae
Oh fragrant flowers,
Raagam paadu
Sing a melody,
Unnai polae enthan
Just like you, my
Ullam aaduthu…
Heart sways with joy...
Pudhu thaalam thottu oh..
Touching a new rhythm, oh..
Pudhu raagamittu} (2)
Composing a new tune.
Aan konda thaagam
Is the female race meant only to be
Theerkindra dhegam
A physical body that quenches
Pen endra orr inamo
The thirst harbored by men?
Ithu yaar paavam
Whose sin is this?
Aan seitha sattam
The rules crafted by men,
Avar potta vattam
The boundaries set by them,
Atharkendru penn inamo
Is womanhood meant only to serve that?
Ithu yaar saabam
Whose curse is this?
Nyaayangalo pothuvaanathu
Justice ought to be universal,
Puriyaamal ponathu..uuuu..uuu
Yet it remains misunderstood...
Panneer pushpangalae
Oh fragrant flowers,
Raagam paadu
Sing a melody,
Unnai polae enthan
Just like you, my
Ullam aaduthu…
Heart sways with joy...
Pudhu thaalam thottu oh..
Touching a new rhythm, oh..
Pudhu raagamittu
Composing a new tune.
Paanjali vaazhntha
The sorrowful life
Parithaaba vaazvai
That Draupadi lived,
Paraata yaarumillai
There is no one to appreciate
Nijavaazhkayilae
In real life.
Palaperai cherum
Yet Lord Krishna, who belonged to many,
Paranthaaman thannai
Is heard being praised in song
Puhazh paada ketta thundu
And worshipped with glory
Intha boomiyilae..ae….
On this very earth..
Nyaayangalo pothuvaanathu
Justice ought to be universal,
Puriyaamal ponathu..uuu..uuu
Yet it remains misunderstood...
Panneer pushpangalae
Oh fragrant flowers,
Raagam paadu
Sing a melody,
Unnai polae enthan
Just like you, my
Ullam aaduthu…
Heart sways with joy...
Pudhu thaalam thottu oh..
Touching a new rhythm, oh..
Pudhu raagamittu
Composing a new tune.
Beyond the translation
Song interpretation
Panneer Pushpangale from the movie Aval Appadithan (1978) is a landmark feminist commentary in Tamil cinema. The song questions the deep-rooted gender bias and societal hypocrisies imposed upon women. It asks why society reduces a woman's existence to merely satisfying male desires and adhering to boundaries created by patriarchal norms.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Personification / Metaphor
“Panneer pushpangalae Raagam paadu”
Addressing the flowers (Panneer Pushpangale) as conscious beings capable of singing melodies and drawing a parallel between the swaying flowers and the human heart.
Ethukai (Second-letter Rhyme)
“Aan seitha sattam / Avar potta vattam”
The second consonant 'tt' rhymes in 'sattam' and 'vattam', creating a rhythmic musical flow.
Monaai (Initial Alliteration)
“Paanjali vaazhntha / Parithaaba vaazvai / Paraata yaarumillai”
Repetition of the 'Pa' consonant across consecutive lines (Paanjali, Parithaaba, Paraata) to emphasize Draupadi's tragic existence.
Rhetorical Questioning
“Ithu yaar paavam / Ithu yaar saabam”
Asking provocative questions to challenge standard social morality regarding gender bias.
Did you know?
Trivia
Aval Appadithan (1978), directed by C. Rudhraiya, is regarded as one of Tamil cinema's earliest realistic, feminist cult classics. The song 'Panneer Pushpangale' was composed by Ilaiyaraaja and sung by Kamal Haasan himself, reflecting his character's progressive thoughts in the film.
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