Look, look, who is he? He is a pouncing wild cat’s legs Tell, tell, who is he? The Shiva who shoots down the bad guys
Eh balleilakka balleilakka Saleththukka maduraikka Madrasukka tiruchchikka thiruthanikka(2) Sh balleilakka balleilakka Ottu moththa makkaLukka ANNan vantha thamizhnadum america*
Eh A good route/way To Salem or Madurai? To Madras, Tiruchy or Thiruthani?(2) Eh A good route For all the people When big brother comes to Tamil Nadu, it is America*
Our paddy thrashing contoured land The dense forests The roads which splash wet red soil Run, run, run, run, Run, run, run, run (A game where people chase the others around)
Sadugudu sadugudu aadiya maraththadi Padu padu paduvena porththiya pulveLi Thoda thoda thoda thoda udaigira panithuLi Suda suda suda suda kidaikkira iddly(4) Thada thada thadavena athirgira railadi Kada kada kadavena kadakkira kaaviri Viru viru viruvena madikkira vettrilai Muru muru muruvena murikkiya meesaigal Manathil irukkuthu mei mei mei mei….*
The trees under which we play Sadugudu The glistening grass which covers the ground The dew drops which break as you touch them The hot idlis(4) you get The railways that thunder The rapid gurgling of the Kaveri The folding white (?) The fierce looking moustaches Stay in my heart
Ye lea lae lae Graamaththu kudisaiyilae konjak kaalam thangi paar yelae Koorayin ottai virisalil vazhi natchchathiram eNNi paarelae Koovum cell phone-in nachcharippai aNaiththu Konjam sil vaNdin uchcharippai kaetpom Verum kaalil seruppindri nadanthu MaNNodu paesi koNdu povom MazhalaigaL aavom
Stay in a village hut for some time Through the holes in the thatched roof, try counting the stars Switch off your cell-phone noises We can listen to the insects’ pronunciations We can walk barefoot, without our slippers And talk to the soil as we go Become children again…
We could braid the roots of the Banyan tree And adorn it with flowers(5) (like women usually wear their hair in the South) In the outskirts, we can borrow a knife from a smith To sharpen our pencils
Eh balleilakka balleilakka Saleththukka maduraikka Madrasukka tiruchchikka thiruthanikka (thiruthanikka) Eh balleilakka balleilakka Ottu moththa makkaLukka ANNan vantha thamizhnadu america