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Lyrics & meaning

Solladi Barathamatha

From Jaathi Malli · 1993

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Music director
Maragadha Mani
Movie name
Jaathi Malli
Movie release year
1993
Lyrics added on
19 Apr 2020

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Solladi bhaaratha maadha
Nee suthanthiram petrathu theetha
Ithanai kuralgal azhugindra pothum
Irandu kaathum ketkaatha illai
Kaathae kidayatha
Solladi bhaaratha maadha
Nee suthanthiram petrathu theetha
Ratham indri suthanthiram petrom
Athuthaan engal varalaru
Suthanthiram vaangi ratham sinthinom
Solladi edhu nam kolaru
Vaanigam nadatha vandhavar
Andru arasiyal kondathu varalaru
Arasiyal nadatha vanthavar indru
Vaanigam seivathu kolaru
Maanila sandai mathangalin sandai
Inangalin sandai nadakkudhadi
Malligai poovukkum jaathiyai vaitha
Manidhanai thiruthum vazhiyennadi
Solladi bhaaratha maadha
Nee suthanthiram petrathu theetha
Gangai kaaveri nadhigalilae
Nam kaneer thuligalai oda vittom
Thurigai yendhiya kaigalilae
Indru thuppakkigalai yendhi vittom
Santhi santhi endra mannilae
Indru sadalangal melae nadanthu sendrom
Gaandhi annal silai udaithu
Adhil kaithadi mattum naam eduthu kondom
Kalaiyil isaiyil kanitha dhesam
Idiyil gadiyil karuguvathoo
Buthan pirantha punniya boomi
Ratha kaadaai maaruvathoo
Solladi bhaaratha maadha
Nee suthanthiram petrathu theetha
Solladi bhaaratha maadha
Nee suthanthiram petrathu theetha
Tell me, Mother India,
was it wrong for you to win freedom?
Even when so many voices are weeping,
can you not hear with your two ears,
or do you have no ears at all?
Tell me, Mother India,
was it wrong for you to win freedom?
We won our freedom without shedding blood,
that was our history.
Having won freedom, we shed blood now;
tell me, where did we go wrong?
Those who came here only to trade
took over our governance back then—that was history.
Those who entered politics to govern today
are running it like a business—that is our flaw.
Fights between states, fights between religions,
and clashes between communities keep raging.
Man has tagged even the innocent jasmine with a caste;
what way is there to reform him?
Tell me, Mother India,
was it wrong for you to win freedom?
Into the rivers Ganga and Kaveri,
we have let our tears flow.
In the hands that once held paintbrushes,
we now carry guns.
In this land that once chanted peace,
today we walk over dead bodies.
Breaking the statue of noble Gandhi,
we took only his walking stick to strike with.
A nation that blossomed in art and music,
is it now burning down in thunder and strife?
The sacred land where the Buddha was born,
is it turning into a forest of blood?
Tell me, Mother India,
was it wrong for you to win freedom?
Tell me, Mother India,
was it wrong for you to win freedom?
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Solladi Bhaaratha Maadha is a poignant socio-political song written by Vairamuthu for K. Balachander's 1993 film Jaathi Malli. The song acts as a painful lament directed toward Mother India, questioning whether achieving independence was ultimately a curse given the moral decay, political corruption, and widespread violence in modern society. Through sharp rhetorical questions, the lyricist contrasts India's glorious history of non-violent freedom movement with the contemporary reality of regionalism, casteism, religious intolerance, and bloodshed.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Personification / Rhetorical Question (Erotema)

“Solladi bhaaratha maadha / Nee suthanthiram petrathu theetha”

Addressing Mother India directly and asking whether obtaining freedom was a mistake highlights intense grief and social disappointment.

Antimetabole / Irony

“Ratham indri suthanthiram petrom... Suthanthiram vaangi ratham sinthinom”

Reversing the words 'ratham' (blood) and 'suthanthiram' (freedom) sharply contrasts the non-violent struggle of the past with present-day bloodshed.

Parallelism / Antithesis

“Vaanigam nadatha vandhavar... Arasiyal nadatha vanthavar indru Vaanigam seivathu kolaru”

Draws a stark irony between the British traders who became rulers in history and modern politicians who treat governance as mere business.

Imagery and Metaphor

“Thurigai yendhiya kaigalilae / Indru thuppakkigalai yendhi vittom”

Contrasts peaceful artistic expression (paintbrushes) with militant violence (guns) and peaceful land with walking on corpses.

Did you know?

Trivia

Jaathi Malli (1993), directed by legendary director K. Balachander, featured music composed by Maragathamani (M. M. Keeravani) and lyrics by Vairamuthu. The song powerfully captured the national mood during the early 1990s, addressing themes of communal riots and political unrest.

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