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Kalyana Kacheri album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Thanni Kudam

From Kalyana Kacheri · 1987

Lyricist
Gangai Amaran
Singer
Malaysia Vasudevan
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Kalyana Kacheri
Movie release year
1987
Lyrics added on
12 Jan 2019

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Thanni kudam thooki vandha
Samanja ponnu
Aththai magan suthi vara
Amanaja ponnu
Ettu mela ettu vechu poga
Sithaadaiyil sikki manam noga
Thanni kudam thooki vandha
Samanja ponnu
Aththai magan suthi vara
Amanaja ponnu
Yenadi kodathula
En usiru thalumbudhu
Kaaladi kolusu en
Per solli azhaikkuthu
Ennidam yenadi vambhu
Thaavani pottadhu thappu
Ennidam yenadi vambhu
Thaavani pottadhu thappu
Konangulam orathula
Kuththavechu kokku nikkum
Kondai vecha kenda meenu
Kaalukkulla vandhu sikkum
Meenae meendum thoondil podum
Thanni kudam thooki vandha
Samanja ponnu
Aththai magan suthi vara
Amanaja ponnu
Ettu mela ettu vechu poga
Sithaadaiyil sikki manam noga
Thanni kudam thooki vandha
Samanja ponnu
Aththai magan suthi vara
Amanaja ponnu
Kaalukkum kaadhukkum
Kannukkumaa aasa vechen
Uravukkum gunathukkum
Usirukkum aasa vechen
Paarvaiyil seri sollu pennae
Pazhakathil vasapadum pinnae
Paarvaiyil seri sollu pennae
Pazhakathil vasapadum pinnae
Nerangaalam paarpathillai
Vetkathukku vetkam illai
Vaaikka karaan thoppukulla
Vanthu vidu chinna pulla
Lesa paaru yaarum illa
Thanni kudam thooki vandha
Samanja ponnu
Aththai magan suthi vara
Amanaja ponnu
Ettu mela ettu vechu poga
Sithaadaiyil sikki manam noga
Thanni kudam thooki vandha
Samanja ponnu
Aththai magan suthi vara
Amanaja ponnu
Carrying a water pot on your hip,
a girl who has come of age,
with your cousin circling around you,
oh sweet, blossomed girl!
As you walk, placing step after step,
my heart aches, tangled in your skirt!
Carrying a water pot on your hip,
a girl who has come of age,
with your cousin circling around you,
oh sweet, blossomed girl!
Why is it that inside your pot,
my very life sloshes like water?
The anklet on your foot
calls out my name!
Why pick a fight with me, girl?
Wearing that half-sari is your fault!
Why pick a fight with me, girl?
Wearing that half-sari is your fault!
By the edge of the pond,
a crane sits and waits,
And a pretty little fish
comes right into its feet!
Yet the fish itself casts the hook again!
Carrying a water pot on your hip,
a girl who has come of age,
with your cousin circling around you,
oh sweet, blossomed girl!
As you walk, placing step after step,
my heart aches, tangled in your skirt!
Carrying a water pot on your hip,
a girl who has come of age,
with your cousin circling around you,
oh sweet, blossomed girl!
Was it just for your feet, your ears,
or your eyes that I fell in love?
It was for our bond and your sweet nature,
and for your very soul, that I fell in love!
Just say yes with a glance, girl,
and we will naturally grow closer later!
Just say yes with a glance, girl,
and we will naturally grow closer later!
Love doesn't look at the time or hour,
and even shyness has no shame here!
Into the grove by the canal bank,
come on over, young girl,
just take a look, there is no one around!
Carrying a water pot on your hip,
a girl who has come of age,
with your cousin circling around you,
oh sweet, blossomed girl!
As you walk, placing step after step,
my heart aches, tangled in your skirt!
Carrying a water pot on your hip,
a girl who has come of age,
with your cousin circling around you,
oh sweet, blossomed girl!
Male
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Thanni Kudam Thooki Vandha from Kalyana Kacheri (1987) is a vibrant, folk-inspired romantic song capturing the playful courtship between a young village man and his cousin (aththai magan and samanja ponnu). As the young woman walks home carrying a pot of water, her admirer gently teases her, declaring that his soul sloshes like the water inside her pot and that her anklets chime his name with every step. Using evocative rural imagery—like cranes watching for fish near village ponds and quiet meetings in canal groves—the lyrics express deep affection that transcends simple physical attraction, emphasizing respect for her nature and spirit. Written by Gangai Amaran, the track paints a nostalgic picture of rural romance and innocent banter.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Personification

“Kaaladi kolusu en Per solli azhaikkuthu”

The speaker endows the girl's anklets with human speech, describing them as calling out his name.

Metaphor (Uvamaani)

“Yenadi kodathula En usiru thalumbudhu”

The hero's soul sloshing with emotion is metaphorically compared to water sloshing in the pot.

Monai (Initial Alliteration)

“Kondai vecha kenda meenu Kaalukkulla vandhu sikkum”

Repetition of the initial 'Ko' sound creates a rhythmic cadence typical of Tamil folk poetry.

Edukai (Second-letter Rhyme)

“Ettu mela ettu vechu poga Sithaadaiyil sikki manam noga”

Rhyming of the second consonant 'tt' across consecutive lines (Ettu / Sithaadaiyil).

Did you know?

Trivia

Written by Gangai Amaran for the 1987 film Kalyana Kacheri, the song relies on traditional Tamil cross-cousin marriage customs (Aththai magan / uncle's son) and rural folklore tropes, a hallmark of Gangai Amaran's celebrated folk lyricism in 1980s Tamil cinema.

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