- Lyricist
- Vairamuthu
- Singer
- Krishnaraj
- Music director
- Deva
- Movie name
- Porkkaalam
- Movie release year
- 1997
- Lyrics added on
- 2 Jan 2019
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This celebratory folk-pop song from the 1997 Tamil movie 'Porkkaalam' celebrates the master craftsmanship of a sculptor creating a doll of extraordinary beauty. Lyricist Vairamuthu ingeniously uses a geography-based poetic motif, attributing each feature and body part of the doll/woman to rich soil gathered from different iconic towns and riverbanks across Tamil Nadu—such as Tanjore for clay, Tamirabarani for water, Munnar for the nose, Srirangam for fingers, and the Moon for the forehead. Ultimately, the artisan breathes his own soul into the sculpture to bring her eyes to life, symbolizing the ultimate dedication of a creator to his art.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Place-Name Wordplay / Geographic Metaphor (Slesha / Place Puns)
“Mookku senja mannu / Adhu moonaaru”
Vairamuthu cleverly links body parts to towns in Tamil Nadu whose names pun on or evoke physical traits, such as 'Thenoor' (honey town) for sweet lips, 'Sangagiri' (conch/shell hill) for a shell-like neck, and 'Karisalpatti' (black soil land) for black hair.
Adukku Thodar (Repetition for Emphasis)
“Serthu serthu senjadhindha bomma”
Words like 'serthu serthu' (joining together) and 'suththi suththi' (turning around repeatedly) are repeated consecutively to enhance rhythmic cadence and emphasize painstaking effort.
Hyperbole (Atisayokti)
“Nelaavil manneduthu / Neththi senjen paarunga”
The lyricist uses extreme exaggeration by claiming the sculptor gathered soil from the moon to craft her glowing forehead, and surrendered his own soul to grant vision to her eyes.
Monal / Rhyme Scheme (Edhugai & Moonaa)
“Thanjaavooru mannu eduthu / Thaamarabarani thanniya vittu”
Consistent second-letter rhyming (Edhugai) across couplets, e.g., 'Thanjaavooru' and 'Thaamarabarani' sharing the 'i'/'aa' consonant-vowel flow.
Did you know?
Trivia
Composed by Deva for Cheran's critically acclaimed drama 'Porkkaalam' (1997), this song won widespread praise for Vairamuthu's poetic creativity in mapping Tamil Nadu geography to human anatomy. Singer Krishnaraj won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for his energetic performance of this folk classic.
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