- Lyricist
- Vaali
- Singers
- T. M. Soundararajan, S. Janaki
- Music director
- Sankar Ganesh
- Movie name
- Bandham
- Movie release year
- 1985
- Lyrics added on
- 24 Sept 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This playful storytelling song from the movie Bandham features a loving uncle entertaining a young girl with a classic fable about a temple elephant and a mischievous tailor. The uncle narrates how a disciplined elephant collected coins and blessed children, until a naughty tailor tried to trick it with a needle in a coconut shell. The elephant cleverly remembers the trick and squirts muddy river water back onto the tailor and his freshly stitched festival clothes.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)
“Thumbikkaiyai neeti neeti / Thuttukalai serkumaam”
The initial letter sound 'Thu' (Thum- / Thut-) is repeated at the start of adjacent lines.
Iyaipu (End Rhyme)
“Pazham koduthaal vanakkam sollum / Pillaigalai sumanthu sellum”
Both lines end with matching rhyming suffixes ('sollum' and 'sellum').
Onomatopoeia
“Dingu dingu nu mani osai”
The sound 'Dingu dingu' mimics the ringing sound of the temple elephant's neck bell.
Moral Parable / Analogy
“Vambhu senja vanjam veippen / Anbiruntha adangi nippen”
The speaker draws a direct moral lesson from the story, comparing his own nature to the elephant: retaliating against malice while bowing to true love.
Did you know?
Trivia
Bandham (1985) is a emotional drama film starring Sivaji Ganesan and Kamal Haasan, directed by K. Vijayan. Vaali's lyrics cleverly weave a popular moral fable into a child-friendly song format that highlights the bond between the elder protagonist and the young child.
Keep listening
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