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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Vellarikka Kattukkulle

From Othaiyadi Paathaiyile · 1980

Lyricist
Gangai Amaran
Singer
Malaysia Vasudevan
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Movie name
Othaiyadi Paathaiyile
Movie release year
1980
Lyrics added on
23 Jul 2022

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
……………
Vellarikkaa kaattukkullae kulla nari oduthu haan
Kullanariya paaththuputtaa yogam vanthu seruthu haan
Vellarikkaa kaattukkullae kulla nari oduthu haan
Kullanariya paaththuputtaa yogam vanthu seruthu haan
……………..
Aarumthaan oduthu naanunthaan oduraen
Kaalamellaam en payanam nikkaathu
Kaattu mullum kaalulathaan thaikkaathu
Oththaiyadi paadhaiyithu pottavan kaanala
Pottavanum pottathukku peru vaichchu pogala
……………
Vellarikkaa kaattukkullae kulla nari oduthu haan
Kullanariya paaththuputtaa yogam vanthu seruthu haan
……………..
Sooriyanumthaan silanaal neram thavarum
Eppothum enneram thappaathu ramaiyyaa
Kaalamum maanamum pona varaathu
Oththaiyadi paadhaiyithu pottavan kaanala
Pottavanum pottathukku peru vaichchu pogala
……………
Vellarikkaa kaattukkullae kulla nari oduthu haan
Kullanariya paaththuputtaa yogam vanthu seruthu haan
Yaerotttum tholithu oorellaam thaanguthu
Padupadum koottaththukku subbaiah
Vaattamellaam theeruvathu eppaiyyaa
Pachcha nelly aththa maga polae ingu aaduthu
Naaththu vachcha namma vittu yaarukko poguthu
Oththaiyadi paadhaiyithu pottavan kaanala
Pottavanum pottathukku peru vaichchu pogala
……………
Vellarikkaa kaattukkullae kulla nari oduthu haan
Kullanariya paaththuputtaa yogam vanthu seruthu haan
……………
...
Inside the cucumber field, a jackal runs, haan!
If you spot the jackal, good luck comes to you, haan!
Inside the cucumber field, a jackal runs, haan!
If you spot the jackal, good luck comes to you, haan!
...
The river flows on, and I too keep moving.
My journey will never come to a stop.
Even wild thorns will not pierce my feet.
This is a narrow single-file pathway, but the one who carved it is nowhere to be seen.
And the person who made it did not leave behind a name for his creation.
...
Inside the cucumber field, a jackal runs, haan!
If you spot the jackal, good luck comes to you, haan!
...
Even the sun might miss its time on some days,
My timing will never fail at any moment, O Ramaiya!
Once time and honor are lost, they never return.
This is a narrow single-file pathway, but the one who carved it is nowhere to be seen.
And the person who made it did not leave behind a name for his creation.
...
Inside the cucumber field, a jackal runs, haan!
If you spot the jackal, good luck comes to you, haan!
The toil of ploughing sustains the entire village,
For the hard-working people, O Subbaiah,
When will all their suffering come to an end, sir?
The green paddy sways here like a cousin daughter,
Yet the crops we planted leave us and go to someone else!
This is a narrow single-file pathway, but the one who carved it is nowhere to be seen.
And the person who made it did not leave behind a name for his creation.
...
Inside the cucumber field, a jackal runs, haan!
If you spot the jackal, good luck comes to you, haan!
...
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This classic rustic Tamil song blends rural folk beliefs with deep philosophical musings on human life, labor, and destiny. The recurring refrain mentions a popular village superstition that spotting a jackal in a cucumber field brings good luck. Around this lighthearted folk motif, the protagonist reflects on his relentless journey through life, comparing himself to a flowing river that never stops moving.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Uvamai)

“Pachcha nelly aththa maga polae ingu aaduthu”

Comparing the swaying green paddy fields to a graceful cousin (aththa maga).

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

“Oththaiyadi paadhaiyithu pottavan kaanala”

Using the 'Oththaiyadi paadhai' (single-track path) as a metaphor for the unsung path of life paved by ancestors whose names are forgotten.

Monoreyme / Emonai (Rhyme)

“Vaattamellaam theeruvathu eppaiyyaa”

Use of end rhymes like 'kaattu mullum' / 'nikkaathu' / 'thaikkaathu' and 'ramaiyyaa' / 'subbaiah' / 'eppaiyyaa' characteristic of Tamil folk poetry.

Did you know?

Trivia

Sung with energetic folk vigor by Malaysia Vasudevan, this track stands out in 1980s Tamil cinema for its authentic rural orchestration composed by the composer duo Shankar-Ganesh and evocative rustic lyrics by Gangai Amaran.

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