- Lyricist
- Pattukkottai Kalyanasundram
- Singer
- Seerkazhi Govindarajan
- Music director
- Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
- Movie name
- Thanga Padhumai
- Movie release year
- 1959
- Lyrics added on
- 30 Jun 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This philosophical poem from the 1959 Tamil film 'Thanga Padhumai', penned by Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram, offers a deep meditation on fate and human resilience. It begins by metaphorically depicting Nature as a mother who hands the world over to Destiny, framed as an unpredictable child. Destiny carelessly tosses and turns human lives upside down, but the poet advises the listener not to be overwhelmed or shocked by life's sudden reversals. Instead of submitting to despair, the poet urges man to recognize his inner strengths—his intellect, the loving support of a chaste life partner, and inherent courage. By building the mental fortitude to confront and trample incoming sorrows, one can transform every struggle into absolute bliss and view all of existence through a lens of joy.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uvamaani / Urvagatu)
“Vidhiyennum kuzhandai kaiyil ulagandhannai / Vilaiyaada koduthuvittaal iyarkkaiyannai”
Fate is conceptualized as an unpredictable child ('Vidhiyennum kuzhandai') and Nature as a caring mother ('Iyarkkaiyannai').
Edhugai (Second letter rhyming)
“Vidhiyennum kuzhandai kaiyil... / Madhiyundu karpudaiya manaiviyundu...”
The second consonant 'dh' matches in 'Vidhiyennum' and 'Madhiyundu', and 'lh' matches in 'Vilaiyaada' / 'Valimaiyundu', establishing classical Tamil poetic harmony.
Anaphora / Structural Repetition
“Madhiyundu karpudaiya manaiviyundu / Valimaiyundu vettri tharum varundhidaadhae”
The repetition of the suffix '-undu' (possesses/has) creates an encouraging, rhythmic assertion of human capabilities.
Did you know?
Trivia
Written by the iconic poet Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram for 'Thanga Padhumai' (1959), this song features music composed by the legendary duo Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy. Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram was famous for weaving profound social realism and Marxist-inspired philosophy into accessible, rhythmic Tamil film lyrics.
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