Ilaiyaraja-na Ilaiyaraja dhaan! ;)

Ilaiyaraja is a genius when it comes to making situation-specific songs and one of the classic examples is the song Sorgame Endralum from Oora Vittu Oor Vandhu. When it comes to lyrics, singing and the music, this is my all-time favourite. The genre is folk, set in Hamsanadham apparently, with Ilaiyaraja and Janaki rendering the song with brilliant expressions. I love Ilaiyaraja's version of Tamil folk and this song just stands out. The song, in the movie, appears when the lead couple leave their village and go to Singapore to accomplish their mission. The translation, however done, can do no justice to the spirit of the song but I still have tried:

Pallavi:

Sorgame endralum adhu nammooru pola varuma?
(Even if you take heaven, would it like our own city?)
Ada ennadu endralum adhu nam naatukeedaguma?
(And would any other country be so good as our own?)
Pala desam muzhudhum pesum mozhigal Tamizh-pol inithiduma...?
(There may be many languages but which one sounds as sweet as tamil?)

Charanam I:

Yerikarai katrum elelelo paatum inge edhum ketkavilaiye...
(I cant listen to the breeze on the banks of river and the sound of folk music here)
Padum kuyil sathham aadum mayil nithham paarka oru solai-illaye...
(Neither can I see cuckoos singing or peacocks dancing)
Vethalaiya madichhu maaman adhai kadichhu thuppa oru vazhi-illaiye...
(There is no way I can give my husband folded beetel leaves to eat here)
Odi vandhu kudhichhu mungi-mungi kulichhu aada oru odai-illaiye...
(And there is no lake here in which we can run, jump, play and bathe)
Ivvooru enna ooru, nammoodu romba melu,
(What kind of a place is this? Our city is so much better!)
Odum pala caar-u, veen adambaram paaru,
(There a hell lot of cars and unnecessary sophistication)
Oru dhaagam theerka yedhu moru...?
(But would I get buttermilk to quench my thirst?)

Sorgame endralum...

Charanam II:

Maadu rendu meikka meiyuradha paarka mandhaveli inga illaiye...
(There is not a farm here for the cows to graze or to see cows grazing)
Aadu-puli aatam pottu vilaiyada arasa-maram medai-illaiye...
(And there is no banyan tree under which we can play games)
Kaalai rendu pooti kattai vandi otti ganam paada vazhi-illaiye...
(There is no way I can sing songs while riding a bullock cart)
Thozigalai azhaichhu solli solli rasichhu aatam poda vazhi-illaiye...
(Neither is there a place I can take all my friends to sing, dance and chat)
Oru yendhirathhai pola ada inge ulla vaazhkai,
(Life here is like that of a machine)
Idha engai poi solla manam ishta padavilla,
(Where can I go coz I dont like to be here)
Nammoorai pola ver-ooru illai...!
(There is no better place than ours)

Sorgame endralum...

A damn cute video and great music- just the way Ilaiyaraja makes it work everytime. I repeat, Ilaiyaraja-na Ilaiyaraja dhaan! Someday I want to meet him and I will never forget that day in my life! :)