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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Yelantha Pazham

From Panama Pasama · 1968

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
L. R. Eswari
Music director
K. V. Mahadevan
Details
Panama Pasama1968

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Elandhapayam elandhapayam elandhapayam..Jujube fruit, jujube fruit, jujube fruit..
Yaan..sekka sevandha payamHey.. it's a bright red fruit!
Idhu thenaatam inikum payamThis fruit is sweet as honey.
Ellorum vaangum payamA fruit that everyone buys.
Idhu yezhaikinae porandha payamThis fruit is born especially for the poor.
Female
Elandhapayam elandhapayam elandhapayam..Jujube fruit, jujube fruit, jujube fruit..
Yaan sekka sevandha payamHey, it's a bright red fruit!
Idhu thenaatam inikum payamThis fruit is sweet as honey.
Ellorum vaangum payamA fruit that everyone buys.
Idhu yezhaikinae porandha payamThis fruit is born especially for the poor.
Female
Elandhapayam pazhuthirundhaaIf the jujube fruit is ripe,
Eduthu eduthu kadikalaamYou can pick it up and bite into it again and again.
Ularndhu pona pinnaaleAfter it dries up,
Ooravachu thunnalaamYou can soak it and eat it.
Elandhapayam pazhuthirundhaaIf the jujube fruit is ripe,
Eduthu eduthu kadikalaamYou can pick it up and bite into it again and again.
Ularndhu pona pinnaaleAfter it dries up,
Ooravachu thunnalaamYou can soak it and eat it.
Female
Etti edu ezhu paisaaReach out and take it for seven paise.
Naan thotuthandhaa ettu paisaaIf I hand-deliver it after touching, it costs eight paise.
Ippo thodatumaaShall I touch it now?
Unna thottuka solli vudatumaaShall I let you touch and relish it?
Female
Elandhapayam elandhapayam elandhapayam..Jujube fruit, jujube fruit, jujube fruit..
Yaan sekka sevandha payamHey, it's a bright red fruit!
Idhu thenaatam inikum payamThis fruit is sweet as honey.
Female
Ethanaiyo perukita elandhapayam paathiyeYou have seen jujube fruits with so many people,
Eduthu paatha payangalile immaa size’u paathiyaaBut among all those fruits, have you ever seen one of this big a size?
Summaa SolluyaaTell me honestly, man!
Ethanaiyo perukita elandhapayam paathiyeYou have seen jujube fruits with so many people,
Eduthu paatha payangalile immaa size’u paathiyaaBut among all those fruits, have you ever seen one of this big a size?
Female
Kaiku adakamaaFits comfortably in your hand,
Nee kadichi paaka vaatamaaConvenient for you to take a bite.
Irukudhu adhudhaan oora ellamThat is why it is enticing,
Issu issu issunu issukudhuEnticing and pulling the whole town towards it!
Female
Elandhapayam elandhapayam elandhapayam..Jujube fruit, jujube fruit, jujube fruit..
Yaan podu sekka sevandha payamHey, go on, it's a bright red fruit!
Idhu thenaatam inikum payamThis fruit is sweet as honey.
Female
Koorukati vachikinu kundhikinu koopittaaIf I set up a pile, sit down, and call out to sell,
Kodisanam odivarum kootam kooti kaattataaCrores of people will come running; shall I gather a crowd and show you?
Koorukati vachikinu kundhikinu koopittaaIf I set up a pile, sit down, and call out to sell,
Kodisanam odivarum kootam kooti kaattataaCrores of people will come running; shall I gather a crowd and show you?
Female
Ennaa manusanyaaWhat kind of a man are you?
Evaluku nee purusanyaaWhich woman's husband are you?
Vaangaiyaa vaangi thunnuputtuCome on, buy it, eat it up,
Thuniyapotu thoongaiyaaCover yourself with a blanket and go to sleep!
Female
Elandhapayam elandhapayam elandhapayam..Jujube fruit, jujube fruit, jujube fruit..
Yaan podu sekka sevandha payamHey, go on, it's a bright red fruit!
Idhu thenaatam inikum payamThis fruit is sweet as honey.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Elandhapayam is an iconic Tamil street-hawker song from the 1968 movie Panama Pasama, composed by K. V. Mahadevan and rendered dynamically by L. R. Eswari. The song features a lively female vendor hawking fresh jujube fruits (elandhapayam) using clever double entendres, folk humor, and rhythmic local slang. She boasts about the affordable pricing, sweetness, size, and irresistible charm of her fruits while playfully teasing men passing by in the market. Kannadasan's lyrics capture the authentic spirit of Tamil street vendors through vivid imagery and colloquial phrasing. Combined with L. R. Eswari's expressive vocals and K. V. Mahadevan's folk-infused melody, the track remains a celebrated classic in Tamil film music history.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Upamai (Simile)

Idhu thenaatam inikum payam

Compares the sweetness of the jujube fruit directly to honey using the comparative suffix 'aatam'.

Adukkuthodar (Repetition / Anaphora)

Elandhapayam elandhapayam elandhapayam..

Repetition of words like 'elandhapayam' and 'eduthu eduthu' creates rhythmic emphasis and reflects authentic street-hawking chants.

Olikkurippu (Onomatopoeia)

Issu issu issunu issukudhu

The sound 'issu issu issunu' mimics the alluring, irresistible pulling force of the vendor's call.

Monaikku / Ethukai (Rhyme & Alliteration)

Etti edu ezhu paisaa / Naan thotuthandhaa ettu paisaa

Assonance and initial letter matching (Etti / Eduthu / Ezhu / Ettu) provide musical cadence across the verse.

Did you know?

Trivia

This track became one of singer L. R. Eswari's signature performance numbers, cementing her reputation as the undisputed queen of energetic folk and club songs in Tamil cinema. The song was so popular that 'Elandhapayam' became a widespread pop-culture reference for street hawking in Tamil Nadu during the late 1960s.

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