Kannain Maniye

Song: Kannain Maniye
Singer: Chitra
Movie: Manadhil Uridhi Vendum
Music: Illayaraja
Lyricist: Vali

Barathi’s never seem to have left Tamilnadu, still a lot of unfinished job? Though we may have forgotten him but he came again through Vali to remind us about an evergreen social evil. A song that stands both in terms of content, message and quality. Yet another Balachandar film with a female centric theme. Sometimes it makes me wonder why KB is the only spokesperson for women and cruelties against her. But this Bhooloka Bhrama’s women characters are martyrs and their purpose of birth is to sacrifice and suffer. The song is tuned in Nadhanamakriya, though this raga is used to convey pathos, the notes used in this song show a tinge of pathos but mostly shows gambeeram and to add confidence and more flavor to the song we have Chitra’s voice.

Suhasini turns to be the alpha male in the family. Being the sole breadwinner of a big family with a retired father and 2 brother and a sister, she struggles with multiple profession in the city. She saves every penny like a bird and literally runs the family through letter and phone calls. Every facet of life seems to be unfair and fate seems to plot everything against her. With the death of her brother and father the ship sails without a captain and she picks up the role with confidence and makes us wonder if Barathi’s Puthumai Penn was already here.

First two lines are very beautifully sketched, however protective eyelids can be but still the pupil shivers even when a small spec of dust irritates. With so many big pieces of dirt in front of our eyes, the society is blind and is insensitive to women.

kannin maniye kannin maniye poaraattama
un kanngalil enna kaNgalil enna neeroattama
penn munnetram ellaam verum paechoduthaana
pazham paattoduthaanaa athan yettoduthaana
naaL thoarum paadum oomaigaL thaana

It was not just with KB, it started with the puranas. From Sita in Treta yuga and Paanchali in Dwapara yuga to Kannagi in Kali yuga, women are shown in bad light. Vali has very beautifully sketched these lines…

saathirangaL penn inathai moodi maraithathamma
antha aathirathil baarathikkum meesai thudithathamma
veedaalum penmai inge naadaalum kaalam vanthum
oomaigal polave endrum oayaamal kaNNeer sindhum

This film was released in the later part of 1980’s and he refers to India being ruled by a lady but sadly that has not changed the fate of women in India. Even though there are laws today, but nothing seem to have changed much. Barathikku soranai irukku matha male members illai.

yaenendru kaetkathaan ippothu aaL illai
sama neethi kaetkindra sattangaL yaen illai

The last two lines is the jewel on the crown, the poet loses his hope if there would ever be a sunrise in their world.

ulagamellaam vidintha pinnum
ungaLin iravugal vidiyavillai

Vali brings the use and throw attitude of men and the society looking at women as idol of enjoyment. He aptly brings out the social evils like dowry, which is still prevalent today.

paai virikkum penmai enna kaadhal padhumaigala
thinam yeaval seyya aadavarkku kaaval adimaigala
ponnaLLI vaithaalthaane poomaalai thoalil yerum
illaatha yezhaiyarkellaam pollaatha thanimai koalam

The same spool record has been playing in our society relentlessly and it just makes me wonder how many Barathi’s will have to come and how many more such songs have to be sung to eradicate the injustice to women in this male dominated society.

erigindra nerathil aNaikindra kai illai
solgindra vaarthaigaL ovvondrum poi illai
kanavugaLil mithanthapadi
kalangguthu mayangguthu paruvakodi

Definitely KB has done a great job in carving Nurse Nandini’s character. A character that remains afresh in our minds and she battles fate without any weaponry, she is an epitome of patience. With the demise of her father she is forced to choose her man for reasons of security in the society. She gets married to a male chauvinist who uses her like a door mat. The last straw breaks the yoke and she loses her patience and walks out of the marriage. There is enough of dowry and other social evils to fill her life, the badges of honor that society wears against women. When she moves ahead in life there comes another opportunity to sacrifice one her kidneys for her ex-husband (who is then married and with a kid). She sacrifices her kidney with compassion and magnanimity while her new boy friend accuses her of still living with her husband. With just a smirk, she calls it off and decides to continue her journey of life banishing the entire male gene pool.

Irrespective of being a male or female this songs gives the vitality when yoke gets overloaded, when injustice becomes the norm of the day. A great song to listen and feel charged, but I hope more people will wake up to this tune to fix the pending evils against women.

It is time we make such songs and movies obsolete. Penngalukku Kanneer Azhagunnu sollum kavingnai ozhippom!!!

http://music.cooltoad.com/music/song.php?id=104300