- Lyricist
- R. V. Udhaya Kumar
- Singer
- S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
- Music director
- Manoj – Gyan
- Movie name
- Urimai Geetham
- Movie release year
- 1988
- Lyrics added on
- 24 Feb 2021
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song captures the deep disillusionment and angst of educated young people suffering from unemployment and poverty. The protagonist reflects on life as a painful riddle without solutions, where academic degrees fail to yield a livelihood or clear inherited debts, reducing dreams to mere mirages and tears.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)
“Vidukadhai pottu vitttu / Vidai ondru thedugiren”
Repetition of the initial sound 'Vi' in Vidukadhai and Vidai, establishing rhythmic flow.
Edhukai (Second Letter Rhyming)
“Pattapadippu vettaveliyil”
The second consonant 'tta' rhymes in 'Pattapadippu' and 'vettaveliyil'.
Metaphor
“Kaanal paadhi kanneer paadhi”
Life and existence are metaphorically described as half mirage ('kaanal') and half tears ('kanneer').
Adukkuthodar (Repetition for Emphasis)
“Dhinam dhinam paadugiren”
The word 'Dhinam' is repeated sequentially ('Dhinam dhinam') to emphasize daily, continuous struggle.
Did you know?
Trivia
Urimai Geetham (1988) was directed by lyricist R.V. Udhaya Kumar himself, starring Prabhu and Karthik. The music was composed by the duo Manoj-Gyan, and this social-awareness song sung by S.P. Balasubrahmanyam highlights the socioeconomic frustration of 1980s Tamil youth.
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