Kannadasan's gems

I grew up with the comforting, encouraging, optimistic, uplifting,

inspirational, empathetic, humourous (among other adjectives) lyrics of

Kannadasan, the genius poet of the Tamil silver screen. Nothing was perfect for

a lift in the spirits like Mayakkama Kalakkama or Ninaipadhellam nadandhu vitaal

emanating from a teakadai radio, especially when you are coming back from a low

score in math. Or whatever was getting one down. Many a night at dinner, my

family members would sit around discussing the various aspects of his lyrics,

long after the dinner was despatched, (with hands almost drying, you didn’t want

to get up to something as pedestrian as washing hands lest you should miss out

on something). Here I’m attempting to translate some his songs that affected me

deeply (and still do), because I think his songs should reach even those who

don’t understand Tamil. While I’m aware of the limitations of translation as an

exercise, and the fact that it seldom does justice to the original, I hope to do

the best I can in presenting some of my favourite songs and their meanings. To

my limited knowledge, no body combined simplicity and profundity with such ease

and beauty. Kaviarasu, (meaning King of Poets), will always be that. Period. So

here goes.