- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- S. Janaki
- Music director
- Shyam
- Movie name
- Matravai Neril
- Movie release year
- 1980
- Lyrics added on
- 22 Oct 2023
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This classic song from Matravai Neril (1980) uses the divine devotion and romantic motif of Radha and Krishna to express profound love and emotional longing. The lyrics capture a woman's deep, unspoken feelings for her beloved, comparing her heart to a mute entity constrained by natural bashfulness and modesty. She yearns for him to understand her unexpressed desire and initiate the bond. As the song progresses into its second stanza, the arrival of spring symbolizes romantic awakening and rebirth. She reflects on the non-duality of spiritual love, emphasizing that true love dissolves individual identity ('This is not me, that is not you') until both lovers transcend separateness to become one merged entity.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uvamaani)
“Kanni ullam oomaiyandro”
Compares a maiden's bashful, unexpressed emotional heart to a mute person (oomai) who cannot speak.
Ethukai (Second-letter Rhyme)
“Mangai ullam unnai vellaatho / Gangai vellam thoodhu sollaatho”
The second consonant sound 'ng' (ங்) rhymes across the consecutive lines ('Mangai' and 'Gangai').
Rhetorical Question (Vinaa Maathiri)
“Vizhigalin anantham neeyallavaa”
Uses lyrical questions to assert deep truth and emotional expectation rather than seeking actual answers.
Concept of Non-Duality (Advaita / Monism Motif)
“Idhu naanalla…..athu neeyalla / Iruvarum oru nilaiyallavaa”
Expresses the ultimate romantic and divine philosophical idea where individual identities blur into oneness.
Did you know?
Trivia
Matravai Neril (1980) featured music by Shyam, a highly acclaimed music director who created classic melodies across Malayalam and Tamil cinema. Lyricist Kannadasan skillfully integrated traditional Bhakti themes (Radha-Krishna love) into a contemporary cinematic situation, rendered with classical finesse by S. Janaki.
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