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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Pengal Veettin Kangal

From Pengal Veettin Kangal · 1990

Lyricist
Vaali
Singer
P. Susheela
Music director
Sankar Ganesh
Details
Pengal Veettin Kangal1990

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Pengal veetin kangalWomen are the eyes of a home,
Andha kangal kalangumaShould those eyes be filled with tears?
Pengal veetin kangalWomen are the eyes of a home,
Andha kangal kalangumaShould those eyes be filled with tears?
Pen sindhum kanneer veedu thaangumaCan a household bear the tears shed by a woman?
Indha naadu thaangumaCan this nation bear it?
Female
Pengal veetin kangalWomen are the eyes of a home,
Andha kangal kalangumaShould those eyes be filled with tears?
Pen sindhum kanneer veedu thaangumaCan a household bear the tears shed by a woman?
Indha naadu thaangumaCan this nation bear it?
Female
Sondhakaal kondu nillungalStand on your own feet,
Endru thaaimai sonnaalumEven if motherhood advises so,
Pandhakaal thandha paasangal nenjilThe affection born under the marriage pandal
Paadum ennaalumWill sing in the heart forever.
Female
Thappukkal yaaro seidhaalumEven if someone else commits a mistake,
Thandanai pen mel undaagumThe punishment falls upon the woman.
Kaalam varum pinnaalaeTime will change later on,
Vaazhvu tharum thannalaeLife will automatically grant prosperity.
Female
Pengal veetin kangalWomen are the eyes of a home,
Andha kangal kalangumaShould those eyes be filled with tears?
Pen sindhum kanneer veedu thaangumaCan a household bear the tears shed by a woman?
Indha naadu thaangumaCan this nation bear it?
Female
Penn endraal verumThat women are merely
Bommaigal endru pesi vandhaargalDolls, so they used to say.
Ennam pol indha mannin melAccording to their whims upon this earth,
Munbu veesi vandhaargalThey used to toss them around in the past.
Female
Kaalangal ippo veraachuTimes have changed now,
Aanukku pennmai nigaraachuWomanhood has become equal to manhood.
Kaaranangal illadhuWithout valid reasons,
Kaalil vizha koodathuOne should not fall at anyone's feet.
Female
Pengal veetin kangalWomen are the eyes of a home,
Andha kangal kalangumaShould those eyes be filled with tears?
Pen sindhum kanneer veedu thaangumaCan a household bear the tears shed by a woman?
Indha naadu thaangumaCan this nation bear it?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This social and progressive song highlights the pivotal role of women in family and society, framing them metaphorically as the 'eyes' of the household. It questions the systemic suffering and injustice women endure, emphasizing that neither a home nor a nation can truly flourish if its women are driven to tears.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Pengal veetin kangal

Compares women to the 'eyes of a home' (Pengal veetin kangal), emphasizing that they provide light, guidance, and vision to a family.

Rhetorical Question

Pen sindhum kanneer veedu thaanguma / Indha naadu thaanguma

Uses dramatic questions to challenge societal injustice and spark emotional awareness about women's grief.

Edhugai (Second letter rhyming)

Thappukkal yaaro seidhaalum / Thandanai pen mel undaagum

The second letter consonant sound rhyming in consecutive lines (Thappukkal / Thandanai and Kaalam / Vaazhvu).

Antithesis / Social Contrast

Aanukku pennmai nigaraachu

Contrasts the past era where women were reduced to simple playthings with the modern era where women stand equal to men.

Did you know?

Trivia

Penned by the legendary lyricist Vaali, the song serves as a powerful feminist reflection typical of late 20th-century Tamil cinema, advocating self-reliance (Sondhakaal) and female equality in opposition to patriarchal traditions.

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