Vairamuthu’s Positive Outlook to Life

The song puttam pudu bhumi vendum is a masterpiece. The very phrase ‘puttam pudu’ seems to have worked some magic into the song. Even after 14 years, the song sounds fresh, everytime I hear it.

The song starts with Chitra singing the phrase
‘I seek a brand new world’ .

From the outset, this song is a flight of imagination.

The music works magic into the lyrics. It is orchestration par excellence. I would rate this song as the best in A. R. Rahman’s film music career, now in its 18th year.

There is an implied rhythm with no jarring percussion anywhere in the song. The strings are so effectively used; the western component of the chorus (I still havent been able to figure what the lyrics are) are at their operatic best. The subtle use of the woodwinds in the 2nd interlude is a stroke of a master.

This song is a rare instance where the marriage between the lyrics and the tune is perfect. Add to this the magic of the orchestration and you have a fairy tale right away.

Vairamuthu’s words are the essence of unlimited possibility. They start with fairytale visions and then lapse into very profound philosophy.

Here is my tribute to the song in the form of an English translation of the lyrics.

I seek a brand new world
I seek a new sky every day
It should rain gold and the cuckoos should sing in human tongue!

I seek my own sky with two moons
And when my brow sweats, it should rain on the moon
I seek colored stars and speaking flowers
I seek to sit on the flower where the bee sits

Oh God, make room for me on your lap and grant me a boon that
a smile becomes the mother tongue of all (of us)..
make room for transformation on earth!

Here comes the killer –
I seek a warless world
A warless world obtained with no effort
May a human race with no extinction occupy this earth

I seek the end of famines and hunger
I wish bloom upon the desert
and that the song of peace be heard everywhere

Let the past be in the past
Let the future be one of nourishment and growth
May the borders between nations cease to exist
May the Gods occupy the earth!!