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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Thandhayaipppol

From Thaaikkuppin Thaaram · 1956

Lyricist
Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
K. V. Mahadevan
Details
Thaaikkuppin Thaaram1956

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Thandhaiyai pol ulagilaeIs there a god in this world like a father?
Dheivam undo…Is there a god?
Oru maganukku sarvamum avarendraalIf he is everything to a son,
Vindhai undo…Is it a wonder?
Male
Thandhaiyai pol ulagilaeIs there a god in this world like a father?
Dheivam undo…Is there a god?
Oru maganukku sarvamum avarendraalIf he is everything to a son,
Vindhai undo…Is it a wonder?
Sarvamum avarendraal vindhai undo…If he is everything, is it a wonder?
Male
Annaiyum pidhaavumMother and father
Munnari dheivamAre the foremost known deities;
Awwaiyin pon mozhi veenaaIs Avvai's golden proverb in vain?
Male
Annaiyum pidhaavumMother and father
Munnari dheivamAre the foremost known deities;
Awwaiyin pon mozhi veenaaIs Avvai's golden proverb in vain?
Aandavan polae needhiyai pugandraalIf one speaks righteousness like God Himself,
Anubhavamae idhu thaanaaIs this the ultimate experience one receives?
Male
Annaiyum pidhaavumMother and father
Munnari dheivamAre the foremost known deities;
Awwaiyin pon mozhi veenaaIs Avvai's golden proverb in vain?
Aandavan polae needhiyai pugandraalIf one speaks righteousness like God Himself,
Anubhavamae idhu thaanaaIs this the ultimate experience one receives?
Male
{Unnaamal urangaamal{ Without eating, without sleeping,
Uyirodu mandraadiPleading and struggling while alive,
En vaazhvin inbamae edhir paarthaWho only anticipated happiness in my life,
Thandhai engae } (2)Where is that father? } (2)
En thandhai engaeWhere is my father?
Male
Kannimai polae ennai valarthaarHe raised me like an eyelid protecting the eye;
Kadamaiyai naan maravaenaaWill I ever forget my duty?
Kannimai polae ennai valarthaarHe raised me like an eyelid protecting the eye;
Kadamaiyai naan maravaenaaWill I ever forget my duty?
Male
Kaarirul polae paazhaana sidhaiyilIn a ruined funeral pyre dark as pitch darkness,
Kanalaanaar vidhi thaanaaHe turned to embers; is this fate?
Kaarirul polae paazhaana sidhaiyilIn a ruined funeral pyre dark as pitch darkness,
Kanalaanaar vidhi thaanaaHe turned to embers; is this fate?
Thandhai kanalaanaar vidhi thaanaaDid father turn to embers, is this fate?
Male
Annaiyum pidhaavumMother and father
Munnari dheivamAre the foremost known deities;
Awwaiyin pon mozhi veenaaIs Avvai's golden proverb in vain?
Awwaiyin pon mozhi veenaa…Is Avvai's golden proverb in vain...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant song expresses deep filial grief and devotion toward a departed father. The protagonist questions destiny, lamenting how a father who sacrificed food and sleep to raise his child with extreme care—like an eyelid safeguarding the eye—met an untimely end on a funeral pyre. The song references the timeless ancient Tamil proverb by poetess Avvaiyar, 'Annaiyum Pitavum Munnari Deivam' (Mother and father are the first known gods), bitterly questioning whether such sacred moral truths hold true when tragic fate strikes an righteous man.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Upamai)

Kannimai polae ennai valarthaar

Compares the father's protective nurturing of the child to an eyelid protecting the eye ('Kannimai polae').

Simile (Upamai)

Kaarirul polae paazhaana sidhaiyil

Compares the bleakness of the funeral pyre to pitch darkness ('Kaarirul polae').

Literary Allusion

Awwaiyin pon mozhi veenaa

Directly references the ethical maxim 'Annaiyum Pitavum Munnari Deivam' from Avvaiyar's Konrai Vendhan.

Initial Alliteration (Monai)

Annaiyum pidhaavum / Aandavan polae / Anubhavamae idhu thaanaa

Repetition of the initial vowel sound 'A' ('Annaiyum', 'Aandavan', 'Anubhavamae').

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Trivia

'Thaaikkuppin Thaaram' (1956) was the debut film production of Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Devar under the banner Devar Films, starring M. G. Ramachandran. The soundtrack was composed by K. V. Mahadevan, with lyrics written by Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass.

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