Chinnanchiru kiliye.. Celebrating parenthood of a daughter..!

Chinnanchirukiliye kannamma selvakkalanjiyame --kaapi (this raaga here represents the mood of uttering cute endearments)      
Ennai kali theertte ulagil etram puriya vandaai
Pillai kaniy amuthe kannamma pesum porchithirame 
Alli anaithidave enmel aadi varum thene (chinnamchiru)

 Odi varukaiyile kannamma ullam kuliruthadi    --maand  (this raaga here represents the instant happiness that the heart is filled while the child is running towards you with open arms)      
Aadi thirthal kandaal unnaippoi aavi tazhuthadi 

Uchithanai mukarnthal garuvam ongi valarithadi      --vasantha (this raaga here represents the pride of having a daughter! , one gets goosebumps while listening to these lines)
Mechi unnai urar pugazhnthaal meni silirkuthadi

Kannathil muthamittal ullamthaan kalveri kolluthadi  --tillang (this raga here represents the feeling of eternal bliss of being a father/mother to a daughter)
Unnai thazhividilo kannammaa unmathamaguthadi

Un kannil neer vazhindaal en nenjil uthiram kottuthadi  --neelamani (tears starts rolling while listening to these lines reminding you of your beautiful daughter, no matter how strong you are)

En kannil paavayanro kannammaa En uyir ninnathanro!  

(the song is usually stopped here , as there is nothing more to say after saying ‘my life is yours!)

shaTru mukham shivandAl manadu sancalamAgudaDi --Hindolam                                
neTri shurungak-kaNDAl enakku nenjam padaikkudaDI

 shollum mazhalaiyilE kaNNammA tunbangaL tIrttiDuvAi  --neelambari
mullai shirippAlE enadu mUrkham tavirttiDuvAi

inbak-kadaigaLellAm unnaip-pOl EdugaL sholvaduNDO  --valachi                                        
anbu taruvadilE unainEr AghumOr deivamuNDO

mArbilaNivadarkkE unnaippOl vaira maNigaLuNDO   --madhyamavati                                               
shIr peTru vAzhvadarkkE unnaippOl shelvam peridumuNDO

The above is a poem from Bharatiyaar the great Tamil poet who was a great patriot.The meaning for this song could be found in many blogs but I feel these word to word meaning for this poem is doing only 1% justice to the song. The exact words can be experienced in the original Tamil words alone,no synonyms in English match these expressions.

Meaning : My petite (little) parrot my beautiful treasure ,wholesome happiness  you came to create progress in my life. My speaking golden portrait , your speech is  child-like fruit dipped nectar. You come before me so gracefully that I feel like hugging you with elevated emotion. When you come running towards me my heart chills, when I see you dancing with merriness my soul hugs you , when I kiss/smell your forehead I feel strongly proud. If I hear someone praise you with sincerity my skin tingles with excitement. If I kiss you on your cheeks, my heart goes to trance as if it is drunk with nector. If I hug you with passion I feel blissful happiness. If your face turns to discomfort, even momentarily, my heart is disturbed. When I see your forehead wrinkle, my heart flutters with fear... If I see even small droplets of tears in your eyes, a whole river of blood flows in my heart. (because) You're the light of my eyes and my life is yours. In your child-like speaking, you'll cure all my worries/misery. In your innocent smile, you'll cure me of my ignorance. Can you even be described in pages and pages of Happy stories? In sharing Love, can even a God equal you? To wear on the chest, are there even diamonds/pearls like you? Is there even a larger treasure than you in my life? i.e. You're the most prosperous treasure in my life. 

I don’t know if the words chosen to write this poem is great or the feeling that the song brings out makes it great, but it is magic. 

The song is composed by this poet addressing his daughter (a small girl child) and some say that it  could also be written to his wife , I don’t see anything wrong in this conclusion because like every man wants to see his mother in his wife , at least in few aspects like cooking,feeding,keeping his things tidy and spoiling him but doing everything possible with no complaints at all. I wonder if it is ever possible to get any close to MIL's qualities in husband’s opinion ? hmm that’s an another debate! Same way it could also be possible that every woman wants to see her father in husband, like being protective, doing any task asked unasked with a smile, and spoil them with all the unconditional love and uttering endearments, make us feel like princess at the top of the world! Again we can debate, no man can be equaled to one’s father! Its impossible!

Now coming back to the poem, its considered as though narrated by a father/mother to his/her daughter..kanna (krishana) is the word endearment used by almost everyone in Tamil.. my daughter asks why kanna why not Radha ? I replied saying that if she doesnt want to be called 'Kanna' I shall call her kannamma and she was happy :) , this was even before knowing this poem. This song would be enjoyed more if you have a daughter. The grace they carry right from birth, the different emotions they display so easily at a very young age as young as 7 months! Their habbit of nonstop talking , their way of becoming serious mimicking the elders , their wisdom, smartness, always one step ahead of the boys even in their toddler hood !.Their non stop attempts to look beautiful , their tidiness, organized way of doing things ,their calmness , their sweet voice ,their humming habit while they are engrossed in some serious work , their way of dancing when they are happy I can go on and on and on , my daughter is very very special not because she is 'my' daughter because she is a ‘daughter’. 

  I keep telling my son/nephew that super man , he man ,spider man ,whatever man is not a hero , hero is one who respect woman , know to make them happy, protect them always and the one who never make them cry. Now, a ‘man’ writing this poem must be something , he must be so beautiful inside to express such wonderful feelings with so much grace , feeling of pride to have a daughter ,feeling of elevated happiness to see the beloved child happy and to go through acute pain while the child is in tears ..the song is composed with  ragas reflecting the appropriate feelings ,a beautiful raga malika , the group of ragas having common feel (notes) make up raga malika. This very rare combination of Raagas picked up for these expressions are just perfect , like these ragas existed only to express these feelings! 

   There are songs that are sung well and the credit goes to the singer for his expressions,there are songs which can be expressed well enacting and credit goes to the expressions of the dancer/actor, there are songs that are composed with appropriate ragas and credit goes to the raga , but this one goes well with everything but the major credit goes to the song itself! it could thrill you just reading the lines..

   When I got married I dint a know a word in Tamil , today I am glad that I am able to understand the poems (in original language) written by great poets such as  Bharatiyar , Rajaji , Ambujam Krishnam, which sing the glory of Lord, my learning effort was worth it! my marriage to a Tamilain was worth it! 

  There are many links in youtube for this song , light , fusion , Carnatic, semi Carnatic etc ..but I being a Carnatic “gamaka” obsessed I like T M Krishna’s version..original authentic very much Carnatic. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2VIWcXf54I

Please listen to this song at least once ! its worth !

Also I strongly feel that instead of putting “sex determination not done here’ on the pregnancy scan doors they can put this poem along with meaning! Celebrating parenthood of a daughter..!
  I am not a Tamilian , but I am one who enjoys Tamil ,any mistake of mine here in this post must be considered as ignorance of a child who is yet learning..:)