- Lyricist
- Na. Kamarasan
- Singer
- P. Jayachandran
- Music director
- Raghuraj Chakravarthy
- Movie name
- Panchavarnam
- Movie release year
- 1982
- Lyrics added on
- 7 Aug 2022
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
'Pottu Melae Pottu Vachchu' is a lively rural folk song from the 1982 Tamil film Panchavarnam. In the song, the protagonist affectionately teases a village girl walking across a open barren field with a basket of cucumbers. Through playful folk idioms and rustic imagery, he admires her beauty, her distinct bindi, and her bright attire while expressing his growing affection for her. The lyrics use vivid agrarian surrealism, imagining birds engaging in farming activities like plowing and leveling fields. The protagonist invites her to share her cucumbers and meet near the nearby tamarind tree and cornfield, pouring out his romantic intent as his heart melts for her.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Monai (Initial Alliteration)
“Pottu melae pottu vachchu / Pottalilae pora pullae”
Repetition of the initial consonant sound 'P' across consecutive words and lines creating rhythm.
Personification / Imagery
“Ullaan uzhavalikka oorkkuruvi naaththarikka”
Attributing agricultural human tasks like plowing and planting seedlings to birds (Ullaan and Oorkkuruvi).
Eydhai / End Rhyme
“Vella vella selakkaari / Vellarikkaai koodaikkaari”
Matching end rhymes using the suffix '-kaari' across back-to-back lines.
Anaphora
“Pottu melae pottu vachchu”
Repetition of phrases at the beginning of adjacent lines for poetic emphasis and musical cadence.
Did you know?
Trivia
Composed by Raghuraj Chakravarthy with lyrics by Na. Kamarasan, this song stands out for its authentic usage of Tamil rural folklore motifs. Lyricist Na. Kamarasan was well-known for introducing modern surrealism and deep-rooted native imagery into Tamil film lyricism.
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