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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Vanthenda Paalkaran

From Annamalai · 1992

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Music director
Deva
Details
Annamalai1992

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics↻ English translation
Male
Hoi..vandhendaa paalkaaran adadaaHey, the milkman has arrived, ah!
Pasumaatta paththi paadaporenI am going to sing about the cow.
Pudhu paattu katti aadaporenI am going to compose a new song and dance.
Male
Vandhendaa paalkaaran adadaaThe milkman has arrived, ah!
Pasumaatta paththi paadaporenI am going to sing about the cow.
Pudhu paattu katti aadaporenI am going to compose a new song and dance.
Male
Pullu koduththa paalu kodukkumIf you feed it grass, it gives milk.
Unnaala mudiyaadhu thambi adaYou cannot do that, my brother!
Paadhi pulla porakkuthappaaHalf the children born today,
Pasumbaala thaai paala nambiRely on cow's milk believing it to be mother's milk.
Male
Hoi..vandhendaa paalkaaran adadaaHey, the milkman has arrived, ah!
Pasumaatta paththi paadaporenI am going to sing about the cow.
Pudhu paattu katti aadaporenI am going to compose a new song and dance.
Male
{Than raththathil oru paadhi{Separating half of its own blood
Paalaga pirippadhuInto milk,
Pasuvoda velaiyappaaIs the duty of the cow, my friend.
Adhu piriththaalum paaloduEven if it separates that,
Thanneerai kalappadhuMixing water into the milk
Manidhanin moolaiyappa} (2)Is the trickery of the human mind!}
Male
Saanam vizundha uram paaruLook at cow dung, it becomes rich fertilizer.
Yeruvai yericha thiruneeruBurning dried dung yields sacred ash.
Unakku yenna varalaaruWhat is your history?
Unmai sonna thagaraaruSpeaking the truth only brings trouble!
Male
Nee maadu polaYou do not work hard
UzhaikkaliyaeLike a cow does;
Nee manushanai yechchuInstead, you cheat human beings
PozhaikkiriyaeTo make a living!}
Male
Vandhendaa paalkaaran adadaaThe milkman has arrived, ah!
Pasumaatta paththi paadaporenI am going to sing about the cow.
Pudhu paattu katti aadaporenI am going to compose a new song and dance.
Chorus
Thandhana thandhana thandhana naaThandhana thandhana thandhana naa
Thandhana thandhana thandhana naaThandhana thandhana thandhana naa
Thandhana naa thana thandhana naa.. thanaThandhana naa thana thandhana naa.. thana
Thandhana thandhana thandhana naaThandhana thandhana thandhana naa
Thandhana thandhana thandhana …Thandhana thandhana thandhana …
Male
{Ada meen seththa karuvaadu{A dead fish becomes dried fish,
Nee seththa verumkooduWhen you die, you are just an empty body,
Kannadasan sonnadhungaThat is what Kannadasan said!
Pasu irundhaalum paalaagumA cow gives milk while alive,
Seththaalum tholaagumAnd gives leather after death;
Naan kandu sonnadhunga} (2)That is what I observed and say!}
Male
Annal gaandhi kudichadellaamWhat Mahatma Gandhi drank
Aayul valarkkum aattu paalungaWas life-extending goat milk.
Annamalai naan kuduppathellamWhat I, Annamalai, deliver to you
Anbu valarkkum maattu paalungaIs love-fostering cow milk!
Male
Annai vaari kuduthadhuWhat mother generously gave
Thaai paaluIs mother's milk.
Ennai vaazha vaiththadhuWhat made me live and sustained me
Thamizh paaluIs Tamil language milk!
Male
Vandhendaa paalkaaran adadaaThe milkman has arrived, ah!
Pasumaatta paththi paadaporenI am going to sing about the cow.
Pudhu paattu katti aadaporenI am going to compose a new song and dance.
Male
Pullu kodutha paalu kodukkumIf you feed it grass, it gives milk.
Unnaala mudiyaadhu thambiYou cannot do that, my brother.
Ha..ada paadhi pulla porakkuthappaaHa.. half the children born today,
Pasumbaala thaai paala nambiRely on cow's milk believing it to be mother's milk.
Male
Vandhendaa paalkaaran adadaaThe milkman has arrived, ah!
Pasumaatta paththi paadaporenI am going to sing about the cow.
Pudhu paattu katti aadaporenI am going to compose a new song and dance.
Male
Aah aa…ha..ho ho hoAah aa…ha..ho ho ho
Aah aa…ha..aah aa…ha…Aah aa…ha..aah aa…ha…
Yeh hay hay….yeh hay hay….Yeh hay hay….yeh hay hay….
Aah aa…ha… aah aa…ha…Aah aa…ha… aah aa…ha…
Aah aa…ha…Aah aa…ha…

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Vandhendaa Paalkaaran is the iconic hero-introduction song from the 1992 blockbuster film Annamalai, featuring Rajinikanth as an honest, hard-working milkman named Annamalai. Composed by Deva and written by lyricist Vairamuthu, the song serves as a cheerful yet morally grounded anthem celebrating working-class dignity, selflessness, and truthfulness. Through simple yet sharp analogies, Annamalai contrasts the selfless nature of the cow—which turns grass into milk and dung into fertilizer/sacred ash—with the deceptive ways of humans who dilute milk and cheat others. The lyrics blend philosophical life lessons with references to poet Kannadasan, Mahatma Gandhi, and motherly affection, ultimately extolling the Tamil language as the milk that nourished the hero's soul.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyming)

“Annamalai naan kuduppathellam / Annai vaari kuduthadhu / Ennai vaazha vaiththadhu”

The second consonant sound 'n' repeats across consecutive lines ('Annamalai', 'Annai', 'Ennai'), creating rhythm.

Monaai (First-letter Alliteration)

“Annal gaandhi kudichadellaam / Aayul valarkkum aattu paalunga / Annamalai naan kuduppathellam / Anbu valarkkum maattu paalunga”

The initial letter 'A' is repeated across successive lines to form initial alliteration.

Metaphor / Allegory

“Ennai vaazha vaiththadhu Thamizh paalu”

Comparing the Tamil language to nourishing milk ('Thamizh paalu') that sustains life.

Intertextuality

“Ada meen seththa karuvaadu / Nee seththa verumkoodu / Kannadasan sonnadhunga”

Directly referencing legendary Tamil lyricist Kannadasan and his famous existential philosophical themes.

Did you know?

Trivia

This track was a landmark song in Tamil cinema that set the standard template for Rajinikanth's hero introduction songs throughout the 1990s. Sung by the veteran S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and composed by Deva, the song became a massive commercial hit and established a long-running, successful musical partnership between Deva and Rajinikanth.

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