- Lyricist
- Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyaar
- Singer
- Malaysia Vasudevan
- Music director
- Gangai Amaran
- Movie name
- Ini Oru Sudhanthiram
- Movie release year
- 1987
- Lyrics added on
- 25 Nov 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This powerful anthem calls upon the oppressed, impoverished, and working class—the farmers and laborers who have sustained society since time immemorial—to rise up against tyranny and injustice. Trapped in the metaphorical prison of hunger and exploitation, the downtrodden are urged to unite as comrades, reclaim their dignity, and assert their rightful ownership over the land they cultivate. The song emphasizes equality and solidarity, proclaiming that all humans belong to a single global family and that the fruits of labor belong to those who work, challenging the oppressive ruling elites.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uruvagamm)
“Pattini kodunjiraikkul”
Compares hunger and extreme poverty to a cruel, inescapable prison ('kodunjirai').
Monaai (Initial Alliteration)
“Pattini kodunjiraikkul / Padharukindra manidhargaal”
Repetition of the initial consonant sound 'P' across consecutive words ('Pattini' / 'Padharukindra').
Anaphora / Refrain
“Veeru kondu thozharkaal”
Repetition of key imperative phrases like 'Veeru kondu thozharkaal' to build a rhythmic, anthem-like call to action.
Did you know?
Trivia
This lyric serves as the Tamil rendition of 'The Internationale', the world-famous socialist anthem originally written by Eugène Pottier. In Tamil cultural history, such adaptation lyrics blend the egalitarian vision of poet Subramanya Bharathiyar with global working-class struggle movements.
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