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Lyrics & meaning

Pullaiyaare Pullaiyaare

From Neram Vandhachu · 1982

Lyricist
Vaali
Singers
Malaysia Vasudevan, Vani Jairam, Chorus
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Movie name
Neram Vandhachu
Movie release year
1982
Lyrics added on
15 Jul 2022

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Pullaiyaarae pullaiyaarae mukkuruni pullaiyaarae
Pondaatti rendodu un thambi irukka
Nee kannaalam kattaatha kaaranamenna saami
Pullaiyaarae pullaiyaarae mukkuruni pullaiyaarae
Enakkoru kannaalam adhukku oru sampantham
Amaiyanum annaatchi unnaalae
Paniyaaramum kozhukkattaiyum
Pasiyaara naan aakki padaichchu vaippenyaa
Pullaiyaarae pullaiyaarae mukkuruni pullaiyaarae
Saami pullaiyaarae pullaiyaarae mukkuruni pullaiyaarae
Naalthorum enakku naan podum sarakku
Theeraamal oyaamal irukkum varaiyil eduththu vidu
Poomaari pogum somaari naanthaan
Aanaalum saami nee nenaichcha sugaththa enakku kodu
Pullaiyaarae pullaiyaarae mukkuruni pullaiyaarae
Saami pullaiyaarae pullaiyaarae mukkuruni pullaiyaarae
Sevalum illa kozhiyum illa rendungkettanthaan
Ippadi irukku en kadhai eppadi irukku un kadhai
Adadaa needhaan aambalaiyaachchae ellaa jodiyum
……………..
Naanthaan oru koondukkili thaangaathu naan pattappaadu
Naanthaan oru koondukkili thaangaathu naan pattappaadu
Ennappadi vannakkodi naanaada nee konjam vaazhththu
Oh Lord Ganesha, oh Lord Ganesha, the great Mukkuruni Pillaiyar!
While your younger brother lives with two wives,
Why did you stay unmarried, my Lord?
Oh Lord Ganesha, oh Lord Ganesha, the great Mukkuruni Pillaiyar!
A wedding for me, and the right match for it,
Must be arranged by your grace, elder brother!
Paniyaram (fried rice cakes) and kozhukattai (sweet dumplings),
I will cook and offer to satisfy your hunger, my Lord!
Oh Lord Ganesha, oh Lord Ganesha, the great Mukkuruni Pillaiyar!
Oh Lord Ganesha, oh Lord Ganesha, the great Mukkuruni Pillaiyar!
Every day, the drink that I pour for myself,
Keep it flowing endlessly without ever running dry!
I am just a good-for-nothing wanderer,
Yet, my Lord, if you make up your mind, bless me with good fortune!
Oh Lord Ganesha, oh Lord Ganesha, the great Mukkuruni Pillaiyar!
Oh Lord Ganesha, oh Lord Ganesha, the great Mukkuruni Pillaiyar!
Neither a rooster nor a hen, I am stuck somewhere in between,
This is my story, but how does your story go?
Ah, you are a true man after all, with all the pairs around you...
...
I am only a caged parrot; no one could bear the hardships I have suffered!
I am only a caged parrot; no one could bear the hardships I have suffered!
Bless me a little, so this colorful creeper can sway and dance!
Female
Female
Female
Chorus
Male
Chorus
Male
Chorus
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Pullaiyaarae Pullaiyaarae from the movie Neram Vandhachu (1982) is a playful folk-devotional track where characters address Lord Ganesha (Mukkuruni Pillaiyar) with witty banter and sincere pleas. The speaker playfully teases Ganesha about remaining unmarried while his younger brother Lord Murugan has two wives, offering delicacies like paniyaaram and kozhukkattai in exchange for finding a good spouse and ensuring a endless flow of life's spirits. The narrative blends comedic negotiation with underlying themes of personal hardship, metaphorically describing the speaker as a caged parrot yearning for divine blessings, relief from suffering, and the freedom to flourish like a fluttering banner.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Apostrophe / Direct Address

Pullaiyaarae pullaiyaarae mukkuruni pullaiyaarae

Directly addressing Lord Ganesha ('Pullaiyaarae', 'Annaatchi') with colloquial intimacy, treating the deity as an approachable, older companion.

Metaphor (Uvamaanam)

Naanthaan oru koondukkili thaangaathu naan pattappaadu

The speaker compares their trapped, restricted life state to a 'koondukkili' (caged parrot) suffering in captivity.

Ethukai (Second-letter Rhyming in Tamil Prosody)

Paniyaaramum kozhukkattaiyum / Pasiyaara naan aakki padaichchu vaippenyaa

The second letters of 'Paniyaaramum' and 'Pasiyaara' share the consonant 'si/ni' family harmony, creating traditional Tamil acoustic rhythm.

Simile / Imagery

Ennappadi vannakkodi naanaada nee konjam vaazhththu

The wish to dance freely like a colorful flag ('vannakkodi') represents joy and liberation.

Did you know?

Trivia

Mukkuruni Pillaiyar refers to a giant icon of Lord Ganesha, famously enshrined at the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, where a huge measure of rice flour ('mukkuruni') is used to make a giant Kozhukkattai offering during Vinayagar Chaturthi. Lyricist Vaali adeptly combines this deity's traditional lore with rural folk humor for the music score composed by Shankar-Ganesh.

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