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Isaimozhi
Azhagar Malai album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Ulagam Ippo

From Azhagar Malai · 2009

Lyricist
Pazhani Bharathi
Singer
Ilayaraja
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Azhagar Malai
Movie release year
2009
Lyrics added on
17 Jul 2020

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Hahahahaha…
Hahahahaha…
Ulagam ippo engo pogudhu
Enakkindha annai bhoomi podhum
Enakkindha annai bhoomi podhum
Ingu pirandhavarum engo pogiraar
Enakkendhan sondha naadu podhum
Enakkendhan sondha naadu podhum
Vagai thogaiyaai vaazhndhadhellaam
Vazhkai illaiyaa
Vazhivazhiyaai kaathadhelaam namadhu
Selvam illaiyaa
Maatram dhaan nalla maatramaa
Adhu namakku vaenumaa..
Ulagam ippo engo pogudhu
Enakkindha annai bhoomi podhum
Enakkindha annai bhoomi podhum
Rararaaraa raaa..
Rarararaaa…
Nadhigalinaal nilam
Sezhiththu kozhippadhil
Nenjam negizhgiraen
Vidhi vasaththaal naan
Sottrukkalaindhadhai
Ninaiththu paarkkiraen
Pattiniyum paamaranum
Bhaaradhathin selvam enbaen
Naadu vitta selvarellaam
Izhindhu nirkkum ezhai enbaen
Anniyaril selvam ellaam
Annai mannukkoru vilaiyaamo
Indha mannai vittuvittu engu povadhu…
Ulagam ippo engo pogudhu
Enakkindha annai bhoomi podhum
Enakkindha annai bhoomi podhum
Edhuvum ingae maari pogudhu
Ennai indha maatram enna seiyum
Ennai indha maatram enna seiyum
Thaayaval paasamum
Thandhayin nesamum
Vilaikku kidaikumaa
Uravinar sondhamum
Urugidum bandhamum
Veliyil kidaikumaa
Valluvanum bharathiyum
Vanangiya mann idhuvallava
Vaigaikkarai orathilae
Valarndha thamizh namadhallava
Vaarththaikullae adangidumaa
Munoorthum perumai ellaam
Ninaikaiyilae nenjamellam nirambi vazhiyudhae
Ulagam ippo engo pogudhu
Enakkindha annai bhoomi podhum
Enakkindha annai bhoomi podhum
Ingu pirandhavarum engo pogiraar
Enakkendhan sondha naadu podhum
Enakkendhan sondha naadu podhum
Vagai thogaiyaai vaazhndhadhellaam
Vazhkai illaiyaa
Vazhivazhiyaai kaathadhelaam namadhu
Selvam illaiyaa
Maatram dhaan nalla maatramaa
Adhu namakku vaenumaa..
Ulagam ippo engo pogudhu
Enakkindha annai bhoomi podhum
Enakkindha annai bhoomi podhum
Hahaha...
Hahaha...
The world is heading somewhere now,
but this motherland is enough for me.
This motherland is enough for me.
Even those born here are leaving for distant places,
but my own homeland is enough for me.
My own homeland is enough for me.
All the meaningful ways we lived,
wasn't that true life?
Everything we protected across generations,
isn't that our real wealth?
Is this change truly a good change?
Do we really need it?
The world is heading somewhere now,
but this motherland is enough for me.
This motherland is enough for me.
Ra ra ra ra ra...
Ra ra ra ra...
As the rivers make this land
rich and green,
my heart softens with joy.
Driven by fate,
how I once wandered for a morsel of food,
I look back and remember.
Even the hunger and the humble common folk,
I call the true wealth of our land.
All the rich who left their homeland,
I call them truly poor and fallen.
Can all the riches of foreign lands
ever equal the worth of our mother soil?
Leaving this soil, where could I possibly go?
The world is heading somewhere now,
but this motherland is enough for me.
This motherland is enough for me.
Everything here is changing,
but what can this change do to me?
What can this change do to me?
A mother's tender affection
and a father's caring love,
can they ever be bought for a price?
The warmth of our kin
and bonds that melt the heart,
can they ever be found out in the world?
Isn't this the very land
that Valluvar and Bharathi worshipped?
Along the banks of the Vaigai river,
isn't the Tamil that flourished ours?
Can mere words ever hold
all the greatness of our ancestors?
Just thinking of it makes my heart overflow.
The world is heading somewhere now,
but this motherland is enough for me.
This motherland is enough for me.
Even those born here are leaving for distant places,
but my own homeland is enough for me.
My own homeland is enough for me.
All the meaningful ways we lived,
wasn't that true life?
Everything we protected across generations,
isn't that our real wealth?
Is this change truly a good change?
Do we really need it?
The world is heading somewhere now,
but this motherland is enough for me.
This motherland is enough for me.
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song expresses profound patriotism, love for one's roots, and cultural pride in Tamil Nadu and India. The singer questions the modern rush toward westernization and brain drain, emphasizing that true happiness and wealth lie in staying connected to one's native soil, family relationships, and ancestral heritage. The song glorifies Tamil language and icons like Thiruvalluvar, Bharathiyar, and the sacred Vaigai river while challenging whether material wealth abroad can ever replace familial affection and cultural roots.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Monai (Alliteration)

Valluvanum bharathiyum / Vaigaikkarai orathilae / Vaarththaikullae adangidumaa

Repetition of the initial letter 'Va' in consecutive lines for poetic rhythm.

Rhetorical Question

Maatram dhaan nalla maatramaa / Adhu namakku vaenumaa..

Using questions to stimulate reflection on societal migration and value shift rather than seeking an answer.

Etukai (Assonance/Rhyme)

Valluvanum bharathiyum / Valarndha thamizh namadhallava

Matching second consonant sounds across lines ('ll' sound in Valluvanum and Valarndha).

Did you know?

Trivia

Azhagar Malai (2009) stars RK and Bhanu, with music composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The song highlights rural grounding and attachment to one's native roots, a central theme in many classic Ilaiyaraaja rural dramas.

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