Topic started by tigger (@ 68.78.33.162) on Sun Apr 13 12:13:57 EDT 2003.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.
Hi all,
I have learnt lots of Tamil words through tfm, but there are so many words that I still dont know the meaning of. I would love to improve my Tamil vocabulary, but resources are limited. I was wondering if we can have a thread that helps out in this regard. People post the words they dont understand and someone who knows responds with the answer. For this to succeed the old-timers have to get involved, bcos I dont know many younger guys who know much Tamil words :)
Ex.
1. samsaaram enbathu veenai..santhosham enbathu raagam.. xxx xxx illai
I used xxx because I dont even know what he was saying. was it "salanam galadhi illai"? What does that mean?
2. En mana vaanil siragai virikkum.. from Kasi. There is a line kalakalakala vena thulli kuthikkum sinnanchiru kalaiyey.. what does kalai mean?
3. Anjanam. What does it mean? (Used in various songs)
4. Uchi vaguntheduthu pichu poo vacha kili..What does this mean?
Please answer people!
Responses:
- Old responses
- From: Prabhu (@ 161.114.64.71)
on: Fri Aug 1 20:31:05 EDT 2003
Most places in Madras(and Hyderabad) end in 'pet' and 'bakkam'. What is the correct translations for these in English?
Also, anyone remembers the origin of the word 'Madras'...and whose move it was to rename it to Chennai(I think this was in Oct 1996, after Bombay was renamed)?
- From: Raj (@ 206.97.63.112)
on: Fri Aug 1 21:18:21 EDT 2003
Prabhu: I will tell you whatever I remember. I think the name Madras was given by the Portuguese(?). The area was owned by a Chennappanaicken. It was originally called Chennappanaickenpattinam. Pattinam is the name given to any town/village on the sea coast. Later it became Chennaippattinam and was shortened to Chennai. It has always been Chennai in Tamil. In English we used Madras. The state itself was known as Madras state until the first DMK government changed it to Tamilnadu. About 'pet' or 'pettai' and 'pakkam', I have to think. 'ville' is what comes to my mind. Not sure!
- From: Raj (@ 206.97.63.112)
on: Fri Aug 1 21:27:27 EDT 2003
Prabhu: I forgot to mention that 'pakkam' also means coastal town or village. Pettai/pet is more like a small annex to a large town/city. Suburb is probably the appropriate word.
- From: Cinema Virumbi (@ 210.214.84.29)
on: Sat Aug 2 13:08:42 EDT 2003
Prabhu,
I am told 'chenna' in Telugu means 'nalla' and a friend pointed out to me the coincidence that in Punjabi, they say 'changaa' for 'nallaa'!
For things like 'paakkam', try to locate a book called 'vidaiyavan badhilgaL' by the great Tamil scholar Ki.Vaa.Jagannathan. It has hundreds of such interesting tidbits, serialised once upon a time in 'KalaimagaL'.
- From: Raj (@ 206.97.63.112)
on: Sat Aug 2 13:47:51 EDT 2003
CV: Chenna in Kannada means 'nalla'. I have to think about Telugu.
- From: tigger (@ 205.219.204.23)
on: Tue Aug 5 17:36:53 EDT 2003
movie: Boys
song: the "love" song
line: ..thappu seiya maatom, thanda seivom.. or something like that.
What does thanda mean?
- From: Raj (@ 206.97.63.112)
on: Tue Aug 5 18:16:10 EDT 2003
tiger: thappu and thanda are generally used together. 'Thappu thanda pannadhe' meaning don't do any misdeed or mischief. Or, don't be a troublemaker. You know thappu -blunder, mistake, fraud etc. thanda means mischief or trouble probably a variation of thandai.
- From: raj (@ 202.54.137.100)
on: Wed Aug 6 03:47:30 EDT 2003
in telugu nalla means baaga..
- From: interpreter (@ 4.41.45.232)
on: Wed Aug 6 09:53:38 EDT 2003
Actually,
"manchi" in Telugu is the same as "nalla" (the adjective)in Tamil.
"baaga" in Telugu is the same as "nallA" (the adverb) in Tamil.
"nalla" in Telugu is the same as "karuppu" in Tamil.
- From: Raj (@ 206.97.63.112)
on: Wed Aug 6 10:33:38 EDT 2003
raj,interpreter: I know these Telugu words. I was wondering what 'chenna' in Telugu meant!
- From: tigger (@ 68.78.35.72)
on: Sun Aug 10 10:28:06 EDT 2003
Thanks Raj!
1. song: geetham sangeetham, nee thaney en kaathal vetham
line: ..unnai naan kandaaley undaagum veppam, neethaney anandha theppam..
veppam I guess means temp/humidity etc. what does theppam mean?
2. what does priyasaki mean? (used in various songs). Is it just a name, or is there a deeper meaning?
- From: Cinema Virumbi (@ 210.214.95.67)
on: Sun Aug 10 11:20:25 EDT 2003
Tigger,
1. Theppam is a float (I think the correct word is flotilla), decorated with the Lord of the temple in it and tugged along all the sides of the temple 'kuLam' by devotees. Most temples have their 'theppath thiruvizha' once in a year. Writer Saavi once wrote a serial named 'theppo -76', similar to his famous 'Washingtonil ThirumaNam', conducting a theppam festival in Japan!
2. Priya means dear or beloved. Sakhi is Sanskrit for girl friend!
- From: Kupps (@ 203.199.209.101)
on: Mon Aug 11 00:59:53 EDT 2003
It is the fault of IR to have a tune that allows our great unparalleled VM to have only two rythmic pearls (words) - veppam and theppam. Had this IR given atleast one more chance he should have had a sure diamond word kappam(tax/duty) added in the holy stanza. What more, if our diamond-pearl got one more stanza thamizh nation people are sure to have a garbam (pregnance) to listen to. Indeed a great loss to thamizh.
What to do such arrogant activities of IR only made our great VM to stop working with this non-appreciating person of thamizh(IR). IR should feel shame on this.
Now, see this another little arrongant boy has come, ARR. He is also so arrogant like IR. Its high time that he is going to lose thamizh from his music and feel void.
All MDs are idiots of not appreciating THE thamizh. These MDs are also blockheads ala present day lyricists who are not widely read.
- From: tigger (@ 68.78.40.163)
on: Mon Aug 11 07:55:57 EDT 2003
Kupps, you should go easy on those "ecstasy" tablets! :))
- From: KP (@ 161.150.2.26)
on: Mon Aug 11 08:45:33 EDT 2003
Can someone explain these 2 lines from 'alaipayudhe' song
kadhitha manathil oruthi padhathai enakku aLithu magizhthavaa
kaNai kadal alaiyinil kadhiravan oLiyena iNaiyiru kazhalena kaLithavaa
- From: Raj (@ 206.97.63.112)
on: Mon Aug 11 13:35:24 EDT 2003
KP: It is 'kaditha manathil iruthi padhathai..'.
kadhitha manam = agitated or angry heart(mind)
padhathai iruthi = instilled (put) joy or bliss
You gave joy/delight to my agitated heart and made me happy.
kaNai = arrow ( Cupid's) kadhiravan oLi = ray of hope (kadhiravan = sun)
I was aloft in the waves from the sea of Cupid's arrows.
INai = matched iru = pair kazhal = anklet or metti (toe-ring)
It is 'kazhal enakku aLithava'
I was listless in the waves from the sea of Cupid's arrows. You gave me hope with the gift of those matched anklets.
Very literary Tamil. I have interpreted with whatever is left in my literary Tamil. Those who are continuously exposed to literary Tamil may have other interpretations. I have been out of touch for a long time.
Good to see you back KP!
(My ancestral village is only a few miles from Oothukkadu!)
- From: KP (@ 161.150.2.26)
on: Mon Aug 11 14:01:04 EDT 2003
Wow Raj thank you..that is one complicated thamizh.
Could you please explain me the last line too..which goes like
kuzhaloodhidum pozhudhu aadidum kuzhaigaL poalavae manadhu vaedhanai migavodu
- From: Raj (@ 206.97.63.112)
on: Mon Aug 11 14:11:56 EDT 2003
KP: It is 'vedhanai mika oru' alai paayudhe!
Kuzhal= flute ( you know) Kuzhai = ear ring
aadu = sway, tilt
My heart is listless (tossing)with pain just as your ear rings sway when you play your flute.
- From: Raj (@ 206.97.63.112)
on: Mon Aug 11 14:24:01 EDT 2003
KP: Correction. It is 'vedahania mikavodu' as you said.
- From: KP (@ 161.150.2.26)
on: Mon Aug 11 14:49:11 EDT 2003
Thanks Raj..i learnt few new words today
- From: Cinema Virumbi (@ 203.197.220.195)
on: Tue Aug 12 01:21:35 EDT 2003
Friends,
Read about the great poet Ooththukkaadu Venkatasubba Iyer who wrote 'alaipaayuthE' and many other such compositions.
http://www.geocities.com/oothukkadu/
- From: raj (@ 202.54.137.100)
on: Tue Aug 12 03:49:53 EDT 2003
it is Kanidha Manathil Oruthi Padathai
- From: Prabhu (@ 156.153.255.134)
on: Fri Aug 15 11:17:57 EDT 2003
Raj/CV, just now read ur explanations, thanks! Is there a good bookstore in Bangalore where you can get all the best literary/historical classics?
of course, Chenna reminds us of Chennapatna near Mysore, RK Narayan's hometown.
- From: Raj (@ 206.97.63.112)
on: Fri Aug 15 12:13:35 EDT 2003
Prabhu: The Bangalore I remember is very old. I think there was a bookstore on South Parade or Commercial street.
- From: vijay (@ 68.16.25.50)
on: Fri Aug 15 14:34:13 EDT 2003
Raj, your contribution to this thread has been prolific, informative and interesting.Please carry on.
- From: rajasaranam (@ 210.214.131.136)
on: Fri Aug 15 15:00:51 EDT 2003
Raj,
one of my tamil literate friend suggested that chennai is actually sanskritised version sennai bcos tamizh doesnt hav the sound 'cha', 'jha' etc., how abt that ?
- From: Raj (@ 206.97.63.112)
on: Fri Aug 15 16:09:49 EDT 2003
Rajasaranam: No! Actually Tamil has the sound cha. It does not have sa,sha,ksha,ja and ha. They added these as Grantha script. If you go back forty or fifty years you can see this in Tamil writing. Even now these additional letters are used. See Junior Vikatan title! If your friend were to be correct, they would have used it forty or fifty years back. But, it has always been written as Chennai. With the purification of Tamil in the last fifty years, they seem to have minimized the use of Grantha script. How do you write your name in Tamil -Rajasaranam or Rasasaranam? Also, the sound for sa and other letters are contextual.
- From: Raj (@ 206.97.63.112)
on: Fri Aug 15 16:23:35 EDT 2003
Rajasaranam: I forgot one Grantha letter 'sri'.
- From: Prabhu (@ )
on: Wed Sep 3 09:12:20 EDT 2003
There is a whole lot of uncommon words in Alappol velapol song of Yejaman. Can anyone pls give the first 2 lines and their meaning?
- From: Lord LabakuDas (@ 12.162.224.6)
on: Wed Sep 3 09:26:15 EDT 2003
Aalapol velapol aalam vizhuthu pol
maaman nenjil naanirupeney
there is one pazhamozhi "Aalum velum pallukku urudhi" means brushin with aal and vel is good for your teeth.we know aal is aalamaram.i dont know abt vel except my classmate thanigaivelan(we call him vel).
the song line means that meena wants to stay in rajinis heart like aalam vizhudhu.As u know aalamaram has a long life and its vizhudugal last for centuries.she wants to stay in rajinis heart like that.
yeppa..oru line explain panrathukkulleyey dhaavu theernthidum pola irukku.
- From: senty (@ 167.213.190.133)
on: Wed Sep 3 09:31:04 EDT 2003
vel i guess is veppan kuchi.... the neem stick. generally the neem stick is the most popular brush in the rural areas.before that song meena gives lot of neem sticks to rajini for brushing.. so there u go aalapol vellapol
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