- Lyricist
- Pattukkottai Kalyanasundram
- Singers
- Trichy Loganathan, Chorus
- Music director
- M. B. Sreenivas
- Movie name
- Paadhai Theriyudhu Paar
- Movie release year
- 1960
- Lyrics added on
- 13 Oct 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
Unmai Oru Naal Veliyaagum is a classic philosophical song written by Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram for the 1960 Tamil film Paadhai Theriyudhu Paar. The song carries a strong message of socio-political awakening, asserting that truth and justice are immutable forces that can never be permanently suppressed. Through vivid real-world allegories—such as a rooster crowing at dawn regardless of obstacles, or the inescapable fragrance of a screw-pine flower—it illustrates how lies and conspiracy are ultimately futile against the revelation of truth. Furthermore, the song praises the transformative power of wisdom and warns that even the most peaceful, loving minds will display unstoppable fury when pushed to their limits by deceit and injustice.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uruvagamm)
“Porumai oru naal puliyaagum”
Compares human patience breaking into righteous anger to a quiet person turning into a fierce tiger.
Analogy / Allegory
“Kaalam therinthu koovum sevalai Kavizhthu pottaalum niruthaathu”
Uses the rooster crowing at the right time regardless of weights placed on it as an allegory for the unstoppable nature of truth.
Monaai (Initial Rhyme / Assonance)
“Anbu nenjilae aathiram vandhaal Aandavan kooda anjiduvaan”
Repetition of initial vowel sounds 'Anbu' and 'Aandavan' for rhythmic emphasis.
Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navortchi)
“Aandavan kooda anjiduvaan”
Exaggerates that even God will fear the wrath of a usually loving heart aroused by injustice.
Did you know?
Trivia
Paadhai Theriyudhu Paar (1960) marked the debut of renowned music director M. B. Sreenivasan in Tamil cinema. The lyricist Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram, famously known as 'Makkal Kavignar' (The People's Poet), was celebrated for weaving Marxist and egalitarian ideology into simple, memorable Tamil songs.
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