I first heard this song on FM radio one morning when I was rushing to office. The tune captivated me instantly. I thought at first that this was the ad jingle for some product. So I waited without changing the channel to find out what product that might be. To my surprise, it turned out to be a song. But right after the song got over, there was a commercial break and I didn’t get to know which movie it was from. The first Google Search [GS] I ran that morning was for this song. I landed at a blog which told me that this song is inspired by another folk song and it was featured in a movie called “Kalai Pani”. I ran a GS for the movie but no luck. Work beckoned and I had to stop the searching. But the tune kept coming back to me all day.
That night again I tried GS. This time with spelling variations and Voila!! I found a online music station where I could hear it. I played it over and over a dozen times and meanwhile I found a place to download the song too. I was totally hooked on to it.
You can check it out here.
The tune resembles a rhyme I learnt in nursery.
Oh dear, what can the matter be (3)
Jhonny’s so long at the fair.
He promised to by me a bunch of blue ribbons(3)
To tie up my bony brown hair.
The simple lyrics steal my heart and the tune is so damn haunting. Its almost like a lullaby. I played the song to my mom and she thought the same. The voice is flat yet endearing. The violin background in the interlude is too good.The song is about a small girl (I assume) who has lost her doll and how she misses it.
The Actual lyrics:
Ennamma thozhi bommaya kaanom
Naa enna seiya poren
Thala vari pinni, pookkal vaithu
Pudhu chattai pottu vittu..
Ippasi masam kaveri snanam…
Bommaya vaangi vandhen
Thaalattu naan pada kanmooda mattayo
Maraindha podhum… manadhil ennum …
Malarodu pesum mazhalai geetham ..Maranam ella varam kettu…
Maru jenman ondrirundhal maari vidum…
Mugam madhiyo udal nadhiyo…
Melliya kai viralgal pulveliyo….
Kaalai pozhudhellam kaathirukkum
Ival vizhi kaanamal kalai izhakkum…Ennamma thozhi…
When I opened last Friday’s paper, I saw that this movie was releasing that day!! Its a small budget decent movie. That makes it eligible to fall in the slip-the-public-notice-and-sink-without-a-trace category. Anyways the song is worth hearing. And if you live in Chennai, “Radio City” plays it once in a while because their RJ Sulabha is the voice behind this haunting number.
44 Comments
June 2, 2008 at 10:07 PM
I caught with this song only today – felt good after only one round of listening. have you heard “yenda ratchasha from singakutti” movie?
June 3, 2008 at 4:43 PM
sounds interesting..shall try listening to it.
June 14, 2008 at 10:25 AM
Hey Hi.. this is sulabha here.. stumbled upon this blog…Hey Aparna, i am really glad u liked the song
… and the situation is about a father who loses his daughter and u r right with the song reminding u about the rhyme… after reading this i can relate to it as well…
June 14, 2008 at 11:25 AM
@VijayGanesh
Glad you like it. It kind of grows on you the more you listen to it. Nope haven’t heard the song. Shall hear it.
@Sulabha
. I totally loved the song. I am going around and making everyone I know listen to it. And till now everyone whom I’ve showed it to loves the song. Last week we had a few guests from Delhi. When I played this song to the kids, they nagged me to keep playing it all day. 
Welcome here
Thanks for dropping in.
June 15, 2008 at 5:44 PM
Interesting again..!!!
And i did listen to the song and liked it..
June 15, 2008 at 10:19 PM
[...] 2008 by Aparna Oh yes thats how I’m feeling right now. Why do u ask?? Remember the “Ennamma thozhi” post of mine? If you dont.. atleast go check it out now. Well the news is that the singer of [...]
June 15, 2008 at 10:26 PM
@DKS
Told you so..
June 16, 2008 at 5:52 PM
Really an excellent composition..one of the best song i heard recently. Surprised, this is from a new singer and new music director….all songs are good..
mostly one can like a song after hearing repeatedly, and very rarely u like it first hearing. this song is like the second type
good
June 17, 2008 at 7:19 PM
@Jayesh
Welcome here.. Yes.. Me too loved it right from the first time.
Haven’t heard the other songs from the movie though. Gotta hear them as well..
June 18, 2008 at 7:16 PM
Aparna, this one was a feast for the ears ! This song managed to bring inexplicable and strange nostalgia into senses !
There is one from me to you, in return for the amazing song you had pointed us to. This one is from a singer called Regina Spektor and this stunning song comes towards the end credits of the recent Narnia movie. It kept me on the seat while the credits were rolling on the screen.
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=AJyNMSJxHeA
Rajaram, Seoul, June 08
June 18, 2008 at 8:01 PM
@Rajaram
Welcome here. And yes, I had a bout of nostalgia as well when I heard this song. Thank you very much for the return song.
I’d watched the movie but failed to notice the song. Loved the song
Esp the way she sings “No need to say good Bye.. ” Awesome.
June 23, 2008 at 5:53 PM
I heard the song and is very divine….a tune that draws your soul deep like a whirlpool. I think this is a fusion of folk music and carnatic presented by contemporary western instruments…its simply DIVINE.
June 24, 2008 at 7:05 PM
@Muthukumaran
Thanks for visiting .. Aah.. Just the word I was looking for.. Divine indeed…
June 28, 2008 at 12:12 PM
Can you please let me were i can download this song
July 3, 2008 at 3:45 PM
@ Teny
I tried searching in most familiar song download sites but I could not find this movie . Indeed ppl had to support and bring into spotlight these type of gud songs also . I believe none of the channels wud have telecasted this song .
@ Aparna
Nice work . A honor for the ppl whom have worked for this movie .
July 3, 2008 at 3:50 PM
U shall hear this song in all types of rasas ( Happiness , Sad , Anger ) and finally u shall attain a state of bliss .
Sulabha has not only captured the hearts of chennai thru Radio City but this song if it wud have been publicised properly wud have got her very gud position n Tamil Cinema.
July 4, 2008 at 8:15 AM
Hey guys,
Like every one here, I been searching for this song online and finally got the link to this blog. This song reminds me of my childhood , I get the visualisation like a parent singing about her daugher playing with her toys.
I guess I wasnt off target by a long way. Its a great song, I will go and watch the movie in the theatre just for this song.
July 4, 2008 at 3:14 PM
@Teny
Search the net buddy you’ll definitely get some links. The song is gaining popularity.
@Lenin
Welcome here. I had to remove the link. Sorry about that. The song comes during the opening credits. I guess thats why most channels haven’t aired it. The song is played on radio though.
Very well said. All sorts of emotions are evoked when we listen to the song.
@Siddharth
Wlcome here. Yup, its a song about kids which reminds us all of our childhood. Nope you weren’t. I’m not sure if the theaters are playing the movie these days. Anyways good luck !
July 8, 2008 at 8:23 PM
wow! this song is amaaaaaaaaaaazing, ya. i heard it a couple of days bak, and hav got hooked to it ever since. fell for it hook, line and sinker.
thanks for pointing it out to tamil movie illiterate people like me. 
July 9, 2008 at 5:58 PM
@priyaiyer
Pleasure. 
July 15, 2008 at 2:55 AM
I would have heard it atlease 20 times and the number keeps growing everyday. The impact was so powerful like that of “Kurai onrum illai” by the great MS. It immediately found a place in my orkut videos.
Aparna, thanks for the lyrics. Next big thing for me is to train my kid to sing the song.
The movie wasn’t bad either. Sure I would know it will not get released in Singapore, so watched it on the net
Srivatsan KV
July 15, 2008 at 7:03 AM
Nice rendition… the song flows like a cascade; good tune to listen to… although the song picturisation could have been better (i thought the shots were quite repetitive, albeit interesting overall)… the song has an aura of tranquility to it… hats off!!!
July 23, 2008 at 11:38 PM
Really nice. . i first heard in FM. . i thought it was from old one. . then came to abt the movie. didn’t see the movie. . this song rocks. .
July 25, 2008 at 12:22 PM
hi aparna! this is my family’s favorite song and it seems that it is going to be added to our long time favorites. iam expecting my second baby and my little son wanted to learn the lyrics to sing it to his baby sister.
thank u so much for posting the lyrics.
p.s. yeah it resembles that haunting rhyme” oh dear!”
July 25, 2008 at 11:16 PM
Hi,
This is my welcome song to my sister’s new born baby. This is the first songs that she is going to hear.
Regards
Rajesh
July 25, 2008 at 11:28 PM
Hi Sriavtsan PV,
Can you please give me lyrics for ‘Kurai onrum illai’. I listened that songs in youtube. It is very great, but i dont have sense to listen that songs. Kindly give that lyrics and meaning.
My special thanks for Sathish Ramalingam and the lyrics Paa Vijay and sais kumar who made this.
Also thanks for producers and directors who gave chance to this lyrics, music and visulization…..
July 26, 2008 at 5:29 PM
god damn serious i got addicted this song….i got to know from my friend…..wow…mind blowing…..really amazing
July 28, 2008 at 1:10 PM
I had been hunting for this song right from the moment i heard first two lines. Where could i download?
August 3, 2008 at 3:23 PM
Its a gud song,which makes sm tng different n change n u after listening 2 it……….
August 18, 2008 at 11:20 PM
Hey hi to everyone and spl mention to sulabha who has given a life and feel to the song. Initialy when my friend referd this song i thought it may b a simple song. but amazing surprisingly it attracted me to the core that it made to hear for 15th time from same day evening stil going background. thought it is simple but it reaches deep heart. Guys get this song also from http://www.cooltoad.com