- Lyricist
- Vaali
- Singer
- K. J. Yesudas
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Periya Kudumbam
- Movie release year
- 1995
- Lyrics added on
- 16 Jan 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This poignant song from 'Periya Kudumbam' (1995) addresses the tragic neglect of a mother by her sons who become driven by greed, property division, and petty squabbles. It contrasts the mother's selfless sacrifices—nourishing them with her own blood, carrying them, feeding them, and sustaining the family like a banana tree—with the cold indifference of her children who divide her property and abandon her to die brokenhearted.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uvamaani)
“Vaazha vecha vaazha maram”
Compares the mother to a 'vaazha maram' (banana tree), which selflessly yields everything to nurture its offspring.
Iyaibu (End Rhyme)
“Thottilil pottava thaalaatti / Tholgalil vaithava seeraatti / Ovvoru velaiyum sorootti”
A sequence of lines ending with identical rhythmic suffixes ('-aatti' / '-ootti') creating a rhythmic, solemn cadence.
Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyme)
“Thottilil pottava thaalaatti / Tholgalil vaithava seeraatti”
Matching second consonants ('th' sound) across adjacent lines to structure the stanza rhythmically.
Rhetorical Question
“Sothaiyum pangu vechu / Pethedutha poruppum theerndhadhadaa”
Vaali uses sharp rhetorical questions to provoke moral reflection and guilt in the listeners.
Did you know?
Trivia
The film 'Periya Kudumbam' (1995), directed by K. S. Ravikumar and starring Prabhu, features a soundtrack composed by Ilaiyaraaja. Lyricist Vaali penned this grief-stricken funeral song to capture the central dramatic turning point of the movie, highlighting the breakdown of joint family values in rural Tamil Nadu.
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