- Lyricist
- Pattukkottai Kalyanasundram
- Singer
- P. Susheela
- Music director
- T. Chalapathi Rao
- Movie name
- Punar Jenmam
- Movie release year
- 1961
- Lyrics added on
- 26 Feb 2025
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song presents a profound philosophical reflection on human life, moral choices, and self-reformation. Set against the backdrop of time rolling relentlessly forward and life melting away, the narrator poses existential choices to the listener: light versus darkness, and virtue versus poison. It highlights the futility of living a life bound to an uncorrected, unreformable physical body and self-destructive habits.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Antithesis / Binary Contrast
“Oli venduma irul vendumaa”
Contrasting light (oli) with darkness (irul), and good character (gunam) with poison (visham) to pose existential moral choices.
Edhukai (Second Letter Rhyme)
“Urundodum naalil / Karainthodum vaazhvil”
The second letter consonant 'ra/rai' in 'Urundodum' and 'Karainthodum' creates a traditional Tamil poetic rhythmic harmony.
Rhetorical Question
“Thirundhaadha dhegam irundhenna laabam”
Questions asked to prompt self-reflection rather than expect a direct answer.
Metaphor
“Karainthodum vaazhvil”
Life is depicted as something melting or dissolving away ('karainthodum vaazhvil').
Did you know?
Trivia
Written by the visionary rationalist poet Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram, this song reflects his signature style of addressing moral self-improvement and social consciousness through simple yet deeply resonant Tamil lyrics. The film 'Punar Jenmam' (1961) starred Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini, with music composed by T. Chalapathi Rao.
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