Ellaarum chollanu ellaarum chollanu Ellaarum chollanu ellaarum chollanu Kallanee nenchilennu karikallaanu Karinkallanee nenchilennu Njnanonnu thottappol neela karimbinte Thundaanu kandathayyaa Chakkara thundaanu kandathayyaa

(Everybody is saying

Everybody is saying

Your heart is stone.

A big black stone.

But when I touched it, I saw

A slice of sugarcane

I saw a sweet sugarcane slice.)

Nadaakae chollanu naattaarum chollanu Kaadaanu karalilennu Kodum kaadaanu Kodum kaadaanu karalilennu Njaanannu keriyappo neela kuyilinte Koodanu kandahayyaa Kunji koodanu kandathayyaa

(The natives say

Your heart is forest

A dense forest

When I entered, I saw a nest

Of a blue cuckoo.

A small nest is all I saw.)

Enthinnu nokkanu enthinnu nokanu Chandiraa nee njangale Ayyo chandiraa Ayyo chandiraa nee njangale Njaanilla meppott njaanilla meppott Kalyaana chekkanund Thaazhe kalyaana chekkanund

(Why are you looking?

Why are you looking at us?

Moon,

O, moon

I’m not coming up

I am not coming up

My bridegroom is down here,

My bridegroom is here.)

Chendonnu vaanganam mundu murikkanam Poothaali kettidenam Ponnin poothali Ponnin poothali kettidenam Kaliyalla kilivaalan vettila thinnente Chundonnu chopikenam Ente chundonu choppikenam

(Have to buy ‘chendu’ (bouquet )

Cut ‘mundu’ (here meaning wedding dress)

Have to tie a ‘thaali’ (thread that signifies marriage, worn around neck)

A golden ‘thaali’

No joking, I have to chew tender betal leaves

And redden lips

I have to redden my lips)

Though the lyrics are pure, simple Malayalam, once I started translating, I realized it isn’t making much sense. Plain-translation-wise sense. It’s written in a folklore style. Folklores are two-sided mirrors. At one side, they are plain and musical. On the other end, they are brimming with tantalizing ideas. Our favourite song is from the same genre.

Our heroine is a Dalit girl; her illiterate tongue sings songs from her heart. She met a man and she understood him like none another. But how will the world see her union with this man, whom everyone unanimously tagged as hard and rough? She, who is light hearted, pleasant and fun loving, has found her peace in a man so opposite to her in character. To add to this, he is from a higher caste, which itself is fuel to the burning oil. Now she has to convince the whole world about him and that they are perfect for each other.

So she sings “everyone says he has a heart of stone, but when I touched it was sweet as a sugarcane” How can this be more beautifully said? He is an introvert. He cares for nothing but himself. But when she entered his life, things have changed so much. That side of him, which was hidden all these years, has opened up to love.

Why sugarcane? Why not sugar? Sugarcane has a hard exterior. To eat sugarcane, one needs strong teeth. He is hard outside and soft inside. But to enjoy his sweetness, her strength will be tested. Only the worthy may taste the pure, un-adultered sweetness. Sugar is after all, a byproduct of sugarcane. Why go for a byproduct, when his pure and entire heart is ready to the one willing to strive for it?

Next paragraph, again she says that everyone accuse him to be thick as dense forest. But when she ventured inside, she saw a cuckoo’s nest. The simple line is full of metaphors. A cuckoo is considered to abandon its kids and leave. There is a sense of abandonment. He might have led a loner’s life. He might have been scared to introduce people into his well-walled life in horror of desertion. This subconscious fear grew in his mind, till he created a dense forest, where no one can disappoint him further.

Or it was a sign to our poor heroine. The man, to whom she gave everything, left her pregnant out of wedlock. She becomes an outcast and dies in her childbirth. Like a cuckoo, he betrays her trust and abandons his child. A premonition in her love song to her bleak future?

Our bright heroine sees through this straight through. His sense of loss, his fears, his loneliness and his complexes, yet she is happy to have them. He is hers as much as she wants.

Another interesting point is the usage of the word ‘Ayya’. This ancient Dravidian word signifies ‘father’. Later in different south Indian languages, it changed its meaning and forms. Where it became ‘acha’ in Malayalam, the word was retained but meaning changed to ‘respectable male elders’. So, our girl, here is talking to someone, respects him and confronts him boldly with her heart’s wish. No surprise, she wins over her him.

Then, she has the chat with the moon. Moon is an eternal symbol of love. In her ecstasy, she looks up and says to moon I am not coming up there because my bridegroom is down here. Basically she is saying, no matter how big or important or successful any other man is, she is not leaving her soulmate. He may be a poor man, but he is all hers. He may stand down, but she is not leaving him for anything in this world.

So, having made her stand loud and clear, she is all set for marriage. She plans to buy flowers, dress and most importantly a golden ‘thaali’. No Indian needs to be explained about the divinity and sanctity of this piece of thread. She is not only getting ready for a social event, but she is also preparing for intimacy. ‘Reddening her lips’ for the kiss and further, she explicitly expresses her desires. Its no joke to her, it better be no joke to anybody.Though she wants it to be a legitimate affair, destiny throws her in unfavourable situations.She is from an a low caste family, but she believed in love. Alas! society and the very man, whom she trusted did not justify her actions.

Thus, this song, which has been around since the commencement of Malayalam cinema, is not just a folklore type classic. It’s full of amazing lyrical beauty, so subtle but ever so powerful. People listen to it, enjoy the simplicity of music and lyrics. However, I sincerely hope, next time you hear it; you dwell on its inner complexities, understand it and sing back to your loved one. It is a special song. Make it your special song.