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Panneer Pushpangal album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Vengaya Sambarum

From Panneer Pushpangal · 1981

Lyricist
Gangai Amaran
Singers
Deepan Chakravarthy, S. N. Surendar, T. K. S. Kalaivanan
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Panneer Pushpangal
Movie release year
1981
Lyrics added on
14 May 2019

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Vengaaya saambaarum
Vegaadha sorum
Vengaaya saambaarum
Vegaadha sorum
Kedaikkura edam enga messu
Chorus :Kedaikkura edam enga messu
Nalla nalla soru thinnu
Naalum aachu
Enna solla naakku ippo
Seththu pochu
Padhinoru rubaaiyum
Ellaagi pochu
Aa ha enga messu
Chorus :Ah oh
Male :Aa ha enga messu
Hostel-u room munnaa
Fan irundhaa
Chorus :Ah ho
Male :Suththa villa
Chorus :Haiya oh
Male :Light irundhaa
Chorus :Ah ho
Male :Switchu illa
Chorus :Haiya oh
Hostel-u roomunnaa
Fan irundhaa suththa villa
Light irundhaa switchu illa
Switch irundhaa currenttu varala
Bathroomukku kadhavummilla
Kadhavirundhaa thanni varala
Thanni irundhaa bucket illa
Pump irundhaa thanni varala
Kettaa badhilum illa
Laa laa laa laa yeah
Hey.. hey… hey… hey…. hey…
Hey… hey… hey….
Chorus :Ah ho
Kettaa badhilum illa
Keppaaru yaarumilla
Hari hari naaraayanaa
Hari naaraayanaa
Karunai kan paarumaiyaa
Kaappaatha vaarumaiyaa
Dhinasari kedaippadhum
Vengaaya saambaarum
Vegaadha sorum
Kedaikkura edam enga messu
Kedaikkura edam enga messu
Sutta kathirikkaa
Chorus :Ah ha
Male :Aaruna koottum
Chorus :Ah ho
Male :Azhuguna gosum
Dhenasari pottu
Sutta kathirikkaa aaruna koottum
Azhuguna gosum dhenasari pottu
Sa ri ga ma pa dha ni sa
Praanana yedukkuraan
Sa ri ga ma pa dha ni sa
Sa ni dha pa ma ga ri sa
Sa ri ga ma
Chorus :Pa dha ni sa
Male :Sa ni dha pa
Chorus :Ma ga ri sa sa ri ga ma
Pa dha ni sa
Oora orava vittu
Ingae vandhu saerndhom
Enna paavamaa yaar dhaan keppaaro
Ezhu mala vaasaa
Venkata ramanaa govindhaa govindhaa
Kettaayaa enga paattugal ellaam
Kurai theerththidavaa raamaa
Chorus :Aamaa
Male :Quick kaa vaa ragu raamaa
Chorus :Aamaa
Male :Students-u hostel-u
Problem theerththida
Seekkiram vaa inga raamaa
{Raama raamaa
Chorus :Raama raamaa
Male :Raama raamaa
Chorus :Raama raamaa
Male :Raama raamaa
Chorus :Raama raamaa} (2)
RaghuMale :Present sir
Male :BabuMale :Ullaen aiyaa
Male :GaneshMale :Haan ji
Male :NaaraayanaaMale :Undaen aiyaa
Male :Shut up and silence
Onion sambar
And half-cooked rice,
Onion sambar
And half-cooked rice,
That is all you get at our mess!
Chorus: That is all you get at our mess!
It has been so many days
Since we ate a decent meal,
What can we say? Our tongues
Have lost all taste by now!
Even our eleven rupees
Have vanished into thin air!
Ah-ha, our mess!
Chorus: Ah-oh!
Male: Ah-ha, our mess!
In our hostel room,
If there is a fan,
Chorus: Ah-ho!
Male: It does not spin!
Chorus: Aiyo!
Male: If there is a light,
Chorus: Ah-ho!
Male: There is no switch!
Chorus: Aiyo!
In our hostel room,
If there is a fan, it does not spin,
If there is a light, there is no switch,
If there is a switch, there is no power!
The bathroom has no door,
If there is a door, no water comes,
If there is water, there is no bucket,
If there is a pump, no water flows!
If we ask, there is no answer,
La la la la ye!
Hey... hey... hey... hey... hey...
Hey... hey... hey...
Chorus: Ah-ho!
If we ask, there is no answer,
There is no one to question them!
Hari Hari Narayana!
Hari Narayana!
Look upon us with merciful eyes, Lord,
Come and save us!
What we get every single day is:
Onion sambar
And half-cooked rice,
That is all you get at our mess!
That is all you get at our mess!
Roasted eggplant,
Chorus: Ah-ha!
Male: Left to cool, it becomes kootu (vegetable stew),
Chorus: Ah-ho!
Male: And rotten cabbage,
Served every single day!
Roasted eggplant becomes stew once cold,
And rotten cabbage served day after day!
Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa
He is sucking the life out of us!
Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa
Sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Ri Sa
Sa Ri Ga Ma
Chorus: Pa Dha Ni Sa
Male: Sa Ni Dha Pa
Chorus: Ma Ga Ri Sa Sa Ri Ga Ma
Pa Dha Ni Sa
Leaving our hometowns and families behind,
We ended up coming here!
What sin did we commit? Who will hear our plea?
O Lord of the Seven Hills!
Venkata Ramana, Govinda Govinda!
Did you hear all our songs?
Come and end our troubles, O Rama!
Chorus: Yes!
Male: Come quickly, Raghurama!
Chorus: Yes!
Male: To solve the problems
Of this students' hostel,
Come here quickly, Rama!
{Rama, Rama,
Chorus: Rama, Rama,
Male: Rama, Rama,
Chorus: Rama, Rama,
Male: Rama, Rama,
Chorus: Rama, Rama} (2)
Raghu: Present, sir!
Babu: Present, sir!
Ganesh: Haan ji (Present, sir)!
Narayana: I have eaten, sir!
Shut up and silence!
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Chorus
Male
Chorus
Male
Male
Male
Chorus
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This humorous hostel anthem from 'Panneer Pushpangal' (1981) depicts the classic woes and grievances of boarders living in a school or college hostel. The students sing about the terrible quality of food served at their mess—highlighted by watery onion sambar, uncooked rice, and rotten vegetable side dishes—and the abysmal maintenance of their rooms, where fans do not spin, lights lack switches, and bathrooms lack doors or water.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Vengaaya saambaarum / Vegaadha sorum

Matching second consonants across consecutive lines, such as 'Vengaaya' and 'Vegaadha'.

Monaai (Alliteration)

Karunai kan paarumaiyaa / Kaappaatha vaarumaiyaa

Repetition of initial consonant sounds like 'k' in 'Karunai' and 'Kaappaatha'.

Irony and Satire

Sa ri ga ma pa dha ni sa / Praanana yedukkuraan

Blending classical Carnatic solfege (swaras) and divine prayers with comical complaints about bad food and broken amenities.

Did you know?

Trivia

Though often attributed strictly to Ilaiyaraaja, the music for 'Panneer Pushpangal' was composed jointly by Ilaiyaraaja and Gangai Amaran (credited under the music duo name or individually across tracks). The song captures authentic 1980s South Indian school hostel culture and remains a cult favorite among nostalgia-loving students.

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