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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Solladaa Vaai Thirandhu Ammaavendru

From Neela Vaanam · 1965

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
P. Susheela
Music director
M. S. Vishwanathan
Details
Neela Vaanam1965

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
{Sollada vai thiranthuSpeak, open your mouth,
AmmavendruCalling out 'Mother',
Thunbamae maranthu vittenI have forgotten all my sorrows
Unnaal indru} (2)Today because of you.
Solla solla thaai manamAs you say it, a mother's heart
Mella mella poi varumGently, slowly comes and goes.
Solla solla thaai manamAs you say it, a mother's heart
Mella mella poi varumGently, slowly comes and goes.
Deivamae thaayidamEven God to a mother
Thaer yeri odi varumComes riding a chariot swiftly.
Female
Sollada vai thiranthuSpeak, open your mouth,
AmmavendruCalling out 'Mother',
Thunbamae maranthu vittenI have forgotten all my sorrows
Unnaal indruToday because of you.
Female
Malar illaatha thottamaIs it a garden without flowers?
Kani illatha vazhaiyaIs it a banana tree without fruit?
Magan illatha annaiyaIs she a mother without a son?
Maganae nee illaiyaMy son, are you not here?
Female
Malar illaatha thottamaIs it a garden without flowers?
Kani illatha vazhaiyaIs it a banana tree without fruit?
Magan illatha annaiyaIs she a mother without a son?
Maganae nee illaiyaMy son, are you not here?
Female
Vanna vanna vaan mugamThe colorful sky-like face,
Enna enna thaen tharumWhat sweet honey it brings!
Vanna vanna vaan mugamThe colorful sky-like face,
Enna enna thaen tharumWhat sweet honey it brings!
Deivamae thaayidamEven God to a mother
Thaer yeri odi varumComes riding a chariot swiftly.
Female
Sollada vai thiranthuSpeak, open your mouth,
AmmavendruCalling out 'Mother',
Thunbamae maranthu vittenI have forgotten all my sorrows
Unnaal indruToday because of you.
Female
Ninaivil vandha nimmadhiThe peace that came in memories,
Neril vanthadhillaiyaHas it not arrived in reality?
Ninaivil vandha nimmadhiThe peace that came in memories,
Neril vanthadhillaiyaHas it not arrived in reality?
Female
Manadhil mattum annaiyaAm I a mother only in the heart?
Maganae nee illaiyaMy son, are you not real?
Manadhil mattum annaiyaAm I a mother only in the heart?
Maganae nee illaiyaMy son, are you not real?
Female
Illai illai nee enaTo hear that you do not exist,
Enna enna vedhanaiOh, what agonizing pain it is!
Annaiyin vazhvum neeWill a mother's very life
Illamal poi vidumoFade away without you?
Female
Sollada vai thiranthuSpeak, open your mouth,
AmmavendruCalling out 'Mother',
Sollada vai thiranthuSpeak, open your mouth,
AmmavendruCalling out 'Mother'.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant song depicts a mother's deep longing and unconditional love for her child. She pleads with her child to utter the word 'Mother', as hearing it instantly erases all her suffering and fills her heart with divine joy. Through vivid imagery, she compares a childless mother to a garden devoid of flowers or a fruit tree without fruit, emphasizing how central the child is to her existence. The lyrics explore the anguish of distance or loss, questioning whether her maternal bond exists only in memories and imagination. She expresses that without her son, a mother's life loses its purpose and vitality, capturing the raw emotional gravity of maternal devotion characteristic of Kannadasan's lyricism.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Adukku Thodar (Repetition for emphasis)

Solla solla thaai manam / Mella mella poi varum

Words like 'Solla solla' (as you say), 'Mella mella' (gently), 'Vanna vanna' (colorful), and 'Enna enna' (what all) are repeated back-to-back to add rhythm, emphasis, and emotional intensity.

Analogy / Metaphor (Uwamai)

Malar illaatha thottama / Kani illatha vazhaiya

The lyrics draw a poignant metaphor between a mother without her son and a flowerless garden or a fruit-less plantain tree, highlighting her feeling of incompleteness.

Edukai (Second letter rhyming)

Ninaivil vandha nimmadhi / Neril vanthadhillaiya

Traditional Tamil poetic meter technique where the second consonant matches across adjacent lines ('Sollada' / 'Thunbamae', 'Ninaivil' / 'Neril').

Did you know?

Trivia

The 1965 film 'Neela Vaanam' starred Sivaji Ganesan and Devika. The film's soundtrack was composed by the iconic duo Viswanathan–Ramamurthy, featuring deeply emotional maternal compositions penned by Kaviarasu Kannadasan.

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