- Lyricist
- Vaali
- Singers
- Kovai Soundararajan, L. R. Anjali
- Music director
- Shankar Ganesh
- Movie name
- Puthiya Manithan
- Movie release year
- 1974
- Lyrics added on
- 26 Jan 2024
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This playful, competitive duet from the 1974 Tamil movie 'Puthiya Manithan' centers on a lively bicycle race between young men and young women. The male and female leads exchange witty banter and tease each other about their gender roles, strength, and endurance. The male singer mocks the female contestants by suggesting that domestic duties like cooking and grinding spices will render them too weak for cycling. In response, the female singer invokes Tamil cultural pride by referencing brave women of history who chased tigers away with winnowing fans, warning the men that their arrogance will lead to defeat.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyme)
“Suttri varum sakkarathai / Nee vetri enum ellai”
Matching second consonants in successive lines (e.g., 'Suttri' and 'Nee vetri', 'Ammi' and 'Ammammadi').
Monaai (Alliteration)
“Vanjiyarukka illa vaalibarukka”
Repetition of initial consonant sounds across words in the same line ('Vanjiyarukka' and 'Vaalibarukka').
Cultural Allusion
“Puliyai murathaal thurathinava”
Refers to the ancient Sangam literary motif of a Tamil woman driving away a tiger with a winnowing fan ('Muram'), emphasizing female bravery.
Did you know?
Trivia
Composed by the renowned duo Shankar-Ganesh, this track showcases Kovai Soundararajan and L. R. Anjali in a fast-paced 'potti paattu' (competition song). The lyricist Vaali cleverly weaves modern colloquial English terms like 'handbaar', 'weekaai', and 'sight adikkaama' into traditional Tamil verse structure, reflecting the emerging urban pop culture of 1970s Tamil cinema.
Keep listening
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