A song that’s now a Dalit anthem

Karnan director enamoured of ‘Poraadada, Vaalenthada’

The song may be nearly four decades old, but its nuanced use in recent films has given it a new resonance among the oppressed classes. As the heroine enters in Karnan, the latest Dhanush starrer, playing in the background is ‘Poraadada, Vaalenthada,’ played on the nagaswaram, accompanied by ‘naiyaandi melam’. The film’s director, Mari Selvaraj, seems to be enchanted by this song. He had also used it in his previous work, Pariyerum Perumal. Originally composed in 1983, for the film Alai Osai, in which actor Vijayakant played the lead role, the song has now become an anthem of sorts for Dalits; and the voice of those who stand up against oppression. Mari Selvaraj’s film has actually captured the song’s popularity among Dalits in the southern districts of the State. The song is also featured in marriages. “In the past, there used to be a request from the audience to play it once or twice. Now I don’t know how many times I play it during a temple festival (kodai). Another ‘naiyandi melam’ player told me that he had played it 50 times in a temple in Kanniyakumari district in three days,” said ‘naiyandi melam’ artiste and nagaswaram player Panakudi Siva.