- Lyricist
- Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass
- Singer
- T. M. Soundararajan
- Music director
- K. V. Mahadevan
- Movie name
- Thaaikkuppin Thaaram
- Movie release year
- 1956
- Lyrics added on
- 12 Oct 2019
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
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').
Did you know?
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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