Kaithapoo Manamenthe Chanchalakshi - Sneham

Singer - Radhika Tilak 

Lyrics - Yusuf Ali Kecheri 

Composition - Perumbavoor G Ravindranath

Prelude – This song forms a part of my “ Onam “ celebrations during my school days when my classmates and seniors used to dance to this song for competitions . The song portrays the vistas of rural life and the life of women there, unaware of the fast pace of life outside the hinterland .

Kaithapoo manamenthe chanchalakshi

You are fragrant like the “ kaithapoo flower “ ( screw pine , kewda or ketki ).  Oh woman  ! whose eyes move constantly

Innu nin maran vannu madhuram thannu

Today your beloved has come and given you a sweet offering to break the fast during the Thiruvathira festival .

Athira kulir polum manasil choodu

You adorn your mind with beauty like the flowers you wear in your hair during the cool night of “ Thiruvathirakali “ ( a dance form done by the women of Kerala during the day of the Thiruvathira star in Sagittarius month , called "dhanu masam" in Malayalam )

Konjum kuyil pole Kavitha padu

You sing poetry like the cossetting cuckoo.

Mridumadhumozhi

Your words are soft and sweet like honey.

Maran nine chumbichitto tambulam kondo

Manjuvani ninakinnu chodi chuvannu

Oh woman whose sound is sweet ! Your lips have become red - I don’t know whether it’s due to your beloved's kiss or you chewed betel leaves along with areca nut and slaked lime. ( Betel quid ) 

Swapnam kandu kidanitto viraham kondo

Urakachadavinal nin mizhi thalarnnu

Your eyes are bleary due to sleeplessness . It is either because you are dreaming or because of separation from your beloved.

Indira parkum mandiram elle

Nandakumar vishala hridantam

The goddess Lakshmi resides inside the generous temple - like heart of Lord Vishnu.

Neeyathu poi sakhi thamasmakuk

Ninnude mara manasil olikuka

Dear friend ! Please go and dwell in the heart of your husband , just like Goddess Lakshmi resides in the heart of Lord Vishnu

Mankamarpadi onnai oonjalil adi

The maidens are singing and swaying in a swing.

Kannanethedi Radha kakali padi

Radha sang with a soft , sweet sound ( kakali ), calling out to Lord Krishna

Dhanukuliril dhanusedutthu manimalaramban

The lord of desire ( Kamadev or cupid ) took the bow and strung an arrow made of flowers in the cool Sagittarius season .

Pramadvanam pranayapoovin parimalam choodi

The royal garden attached to the harem is adorned with the fragrance of the love-smitten flower.

Annakili chinnakili thalathil melathil kummi adikkan va

Perform the kummi dance ( a dance performed in circular motion by women of Kerala by clapping hands; precisely a folk dance ) in rhythm and according to the beats produced by an ensemble of musical instruments . 

Postlude – The lyricist Yusuf Ali Kecheri has brought the lore of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi and that of Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha,who is a milkmaid . The mythology of Lord Shiva comes with the usage of themes like the Thiruvathira star , the advent of the Sagittarius month and the fasting of the women for the long life of their husbands . The theme of Lord Krishna shows the dance of divine love by him and the milkmaids of Vrindavan in the garden at night.