OMAL KANMANI ITHILE-MOVIE NARAN (2005)

A mesmerizing song from the movie Naran sung by K. S. Chithra and Vineeth Sreenivasan and lyrics by Kaithapram. I have tried my best to translate the song lyrics into English maintaining close proximity to the original lyrics. This is definitely a song which you would want to hear over and over. So let’s begin.

ഓമല്‍ കണ്മണി ഇതിലെ വാ
കനവിന്‍ തിരകളില്‍ ഒഴുകി വാ
നാടിന്‍ നായകനാകുവാന്‍
എന്‍ ഓമനേ ഉണരു നീ

Omal kanmani ithile vaa
Kanavin thirakalil ozhuki vaa
Naadin naayakanaakkuvaan
En omane unaru ni

Delicate apple of my eye, come this way
Float and come through waves of dreams
To become the leader of the land
My dear, do wake up

അമ്മപ്പുഴയുടെ പൈതലായ്‌
അന്നൊഴുകി കിട്ടിയ കര്‍ണ്ണനായ്‌
നാടിനു മുഴുവന്‍ സ്വന്തമായ്‌
എന്‍ ജീവനേ വളരു നീ
കുടിൽ മേയുവാന്‍ മുകിലുകള്‍
അതില്‍ മാരിവില്‍ ചുവരുകള്‍
നിനക്കൊരു കുടം കുളിരുമായ്‌
പുതുമഴ മണിമഴ വരവായ്‌

Ammappuzhayude paithalaayi
Annozhuki kittiya karnnanaayi
Naadinu muzhuvan swanthamaayi
En jeevane valaru ni
Kudil meyuvaan mukilukal
Athil maarivil chuvarukal
Ninakkoru kudam kulirumaayi
Puthumazha manimazha varavaayi

As the child of Mother river
Like Karna who was got then in the flow
To be own of the whole land
My life, grow up
Clouds are there to make a hut
In that, the rainbow is the wall
With a pot full of coldness
The new rain, rain droplets is coming

ഓഹോഹോ ഓ നരന്‍ ഓഹോ ഞാനൊരു നരന്‍
പുതു ജന്മം നേടിയ നരന്‍
ഓ നരന്‍ ഞാനൊരു നരന്‍

Ohoho oh naran oho njanoru naran
Puthujanmam nediya naran
O naran njaanoru naran

Ohoho oh man, oho I am a man
A man who got a new life
O man, I am a man

ഇരുളിന്‍ കോട്ടയില്‍ ഒരു നരന്‍
പകലിന്‍ തിരയില്‍ ഒരു നരന്‍
പുലരി ചിറകുള്ള പറവയായ്‌
നിറസൂര്യനായൊരു നരന്‍

Irulin kottayil oru naran
Pakalin thirayil oru naran
Pulari chirakulla paravayaayi
Nirasooryanaayoru naran

In the darkness’ fort, a man
In the days’ waves, a man
Like a butterfly that has dawn as wings
A man like a full sun

Bangalore Rains

It rains in Bangalore once in a while

And when it does, it floods a mile

Water is blocking, froth is filling

trees are floating, traffic is dragging

Put on a raincoat and wade through the rain

You wouldn’t even know when you cross a drain

Keep track of the roads’ potholes

Whilst trying not to hit any electric poles

The rain drops are large and sharp

When they hit, they sound like crap

My face is all wet and I can barely see

Inching forward with a sensation to pee

It’s a pity I can’t drive any fast

Even with the blaring honking past

I crave for some clothes warm and dry

And a cozy bed for me to crouch and lie

I hope I don’t catch a fever or a cold

Well, all my leaves have already been sold.

 

 

 

I could wait a thousand years…

I could wait a thousand years
Just to be near with you
And when you do come to me
Just promise me you will stay.

I could make you happiest
If you would let me do
And When you are brimming with happiness
Do pass me a few drops too.

You could go about exploring
But am sure you will return
And when you are coming back
You will be welcomed with open hands.

You are going to succeed always
My prayers will be shielding you
And when you reach the top of the world
Remember me as your anchor.

The Coffee Vending Machine

On the 16th floor of a tall building or to be more specific, at an elevation of 77 meters from ground level, when the temperature is kept as low at 21 degree centigrade to protect electronic equipment from destruction, when goosebumps makes all your hairs rise up in attention, when you dream of cosying up inside a soft velvetty quilt, when you pull the zip slider of a pullover all the way up to the top stop and expects it to extend a bit further to cover your goddamn freezing throat, when you slide your left hand under your warm tushies to prevent them from dying like Jack, when you have no option than to leave the right hand to its fate of imminent death, when you feel like you are enduring all this for some numbers that increase every month end in your bank accounts of which you have lost track of, when you feel like an Eskimo living in an igloo – ask me who my best friend is and my answer would be “The Coffee Vending Machine”.

When it’s unbearably cold and when my body demands some warmth
I know there’s someone I can rely on for my needs henceforth
Rise and rush to my best friend at lightning fast speed
Conversations are trivial, hardly distracting and I pay no heed

Think of the flavours that my friend has to offer
Cappunchino and expresso, milk and some warm water
I keep my unfilled cup right under the nozzle
Flavour pick of my choice, wait for the sizzle

My cup starts filling with white creamy froth
Brewed coffee drops are added to make a broth
Then it suddenly stops to fill, wish there was more
I feel a dearth in the liquid to warm me to my core

I tease my lifesaver with a sachet of sugar
Followed by inserting a straw-cum-stirrer
I kiss the brim of cup while taking a sip
To keep the aroma lingering on my lip.

Not once, not twice, it is bound to happen thrice!!!

There is this old saying in malayalam, “onnil pizhachaal, moonu” which roughly translates to ” if you fail once, in the third attempt you will win”. It makes you happy in the third attempt. It’s like let’s say you are making chicken curry and it flopped once, twice but in the third attempt you would have succeeded in making it worth.

Well my experience is a little different. If something bad happens to me once, I have this feeling that it is bound to happen twice more and it does happen that way. It’s not a one time event, the cycle keeps repeating. 2-3 years back, during one of the rains, while I was riding my bike, I missed a pothole and crash landed on the road. I was in a position to pick myself up and continue riding. I was shaking and nervous because I knew 2 more is going to come. Then it happened I missed one more pothole and slipped to the side. I started cursing in all the English words I knew. I fear for the third one the most. I was so frightened that time that I purposefully fell into a pothole so as to get rid of the following curse and got it out of me completely.

Well, just like history repeats itself, this “onnu pizhachu” incident occurred again. While I was getting out of my house for office, I banged my forehead against the front door of my house. Such was the force that I was blinded for a minute or so. I could feel the pain resonating in my head. I could feel the bulge growing with time. I had to ride to office and the fear factor caught up with me again. I knew something was going to happen, something terrible which I didn’t want to happen though I could sense it. It’s like there’s someone, watching you, right behind you, ready to push you down, unexpectedly, out of the blue.

So I got onto my bike and started riding extra carefully. I seriously hate to have a bike accident because I have had a major one a few months back. I wished in mind, maybe this time, “can’t it stop at one instead?” On the way, I witnessed an accident that was pretty bad and I kept telling, ” banging head was ok, I wouldn’t have survived that accident”. I kept riding with more confidence, ‘ maybe this time, it won’t repeat’.

I had to make a u-turn at a junction and the vehicle right in front of me was a driving school red car – Celerio. I was like, ‘wow, they teach on brand new cars these days’. There was a signal and when the turn came, I started to turn right while the Celerio was supposed to speed forward. Suddenly it happened, the car stopped moving and I hit the back of that car, oh damn. I was shaken beyond words, though nothing major happened in this case, it was so disheartening. The car guy scolded the driver (in this case student) and sped away. I was shocked and took time to regain my senses.

I wanted the number 3 event to happen quickly. I tried to cheat it out with my old trick, trying to skid purposefully, falling into 2-3 potholes and concluded that ‘yes, its all done for the day’. I reached office, parked and started walking happily. Then it happened, a piercing pain on my leg. An iron screw from the parking ground was the culprit. I have walked multiple times on the same area, never had I noticed this screw. It was something like a permanent thing adhered to the ground.

With a swollen forehead, a swelled up feet and a broken heart, I concluded that ‘ the events for the day has ended’. ‘Not once, not twice, it is bound to happen thrice’