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Isaimozhi
Mahanadhi album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Pongalo Pongal

From Mahanadhi · 1994

Lyricist
Vaali
Singers
K. S. Chithra, Chorus
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Mahanadhi
Movie release year
1994
Lyrics added on
1 Jun 2019

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Thai pongalum vandhadhu
Paalum pongudhu
Paattu solladiyo
Vanna mangaiyar aadidum
Mahaanadhiyai potri solladiyo
Indha ponni enbaval thennaattavarkku
Anbin annaiyadi
Ival thanneer endroru aadai kattidum
Dheiva mangaiyadi
Thai pongalum vandhadhu
Paalum pongudhu
Paattu solladiyo
Vanna mangaiyar aadidum
Mahaanadhiyai potri solladiyo
Muppaattan kaalam thottu
Muppogam yaaraala
Kal maedu thaandi varum
Kaaveri neeraala
Saethoda serndha vidha
Naathu vidaadhaa
Naathodu seidhi solla
Kaathu varaadhaa
Sevvaazha sengarumbu
Jaadhi malli thottam thaan
Ellaamae ingirukka
Yedhum illa vaattam thaan
Namma sorgam enbadhu
Mannil ulladhu
Vaanil illaiyadi
Namma inbam enbadhu kannil ulladhu
Kanavil illaiyadi
Thai pongalum vandhadhu
Paalum pongudhu
Paattu solladiyo
Vanna mangaiyar aadidum
Mahaanadhiyai potri solladiyo
Indha ponni enbaval thennaattavarkku
Anbin annaiyadi
Ival thanneer endroru aadai kattidum
Dheiva mangaiyadi
Thai Pongal has arrived,
The milk is boiling over,
Sing a song, girls!
Where lively women dance,
Sing praises of the great river!
River Ponni (Cauvery), to the people of the South,
Is a loving mother!
Wearing a garment of flowing water,
She is a divine goddess!
Thai Pongal has arrived,
The milk is boiling over,
Sing a song, girls!
Where lively women dance,
Sing praises of the great river!
Since the time of our ancestors,
Who gave us three harvests a year?
Flowing across the rocky mounds,
It is Cauvery's water!
Won't the seeds sown in the mud
Sprout into green seedlings?
To bring news to the seedlings,
Won't the breeze come blowing?
Red bananas, sweet sugarcane,
And gardens of fragrant jasmine,
When we have everything right here,
There is no sorrow at all!
Our heaven
Is right here on this earth,
Not up in the sky, friends!
Our happiness is right before our eyes,
Not hidden in dreams!
Thai Pongal has arrived,
The milk is boiling over,
Sing a song, girls!
Where lively women dance,
Sing praises of the great river!
River Ponni (Cauvery), to the people of the South,
Is a loving mother!
Wearing a garment of flowing water,
She is a divine goddess!
Female
Chorus
Female
Female
Chorus
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This vibrant song from the film Mahanadhi (1994) celebrates the auspicious harvest festival of Thai Pongal and pays homage to the River Kaveri (Ponni). The lyrics paint a rich picture of rural Tamil Nadu, praising the river as a divine, loving mother who nurtures the land to yield three bountiful harvests every year.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Personification

Ival thanneer endroru aadai kattidum

The River Kaveri is personified as a divine woman who wears water as a garment (aadai) and loves her children like a mother.

Metaphor

Namma sorgam enbadhu Mannil ulladhu

The lyrics metaphorically equate the earthly soil and idyllic village life to heaven itself, highlighting the theme of finding contentment in reality rather than distant dreams.

Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Saethoda serndha vidha / Naathu vidaadhaa

The second consonant sound 'th' repeats in 'Saethoda' and 'Naathu', creating a natural Tamil poetic rhythm.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by Ilaiyaraaja and written by Vaali, 'Thai Pongalum Vandhadhu' depicts an idyllic, prosperous village atmosphere in the film Mahanadhi, serving as a poignant contrast to the tragic events that unfold later in the story.

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