Aitalakadi – A translation beyond words…

Nothing can beat Kannada song lyrics.Time and again the song-writers in Sandalwood have come up with such gems that you have to give it to them just for creativity and innovation. You think they can’t do better than a jinke mari na and within no time they will amaze and floor you with a Hale paatre or a Chitranna chitranna. I thought I will attempt to translate one such song. On some careful research, found this popular(and catchy, I admit) song of our challenging star Darshan.Lets try to decipher how the lyricist is conveying the everylasting love and pining between the two lovers with his words:

(guy)Aithalakadi…Aithalakadi..Aithalakadi

I am stumped!!! Done in at the very first word! I don’t have a goddamn clue what this erudite sounding wording means. I shall just ignore it for the time being and try to catch the context. I proceed tentatively to the next sentence….

(guy)Aithalakadi… jala jala jala jalajakshi, mina mina mina meenakshi, kama kama kama kamakshi , pata pata pata pancharangi…. baare….. Aithalakadi baare …

Oh this is too fast!!! Wait wait wait! Jalajakshi, Meenakshi, Kamakshi, Pancharangi –  Hmmm my wild guess is that he’s rolling out names of his several girlfriends there. Or a better guess might be that he’s addressing the one girl present there with all these names. (Ah, this seems more logical too. Our heroineis still dancing with glee even after hearing all the names). And coming to the words, jala jala jala, mina mina mina, kama kama kama, pata pata pata …. don’t even try! A sublime touch to the proceedings which only an accomplished poet of his stature can give.This is what you call poetic license,ladies. Indeed, how lame would those lines be if not for these musical notes,right on spot.

(girl) Lagna madsumma,valga oodsumma,oota haksumma, kattiko,kattiko

(guy) Horn gatsumma, Haadna hadsumma, Love na torsumma……

Basically the lass is super impressed with the guy and tells him to marry her soon. And basically the guy wants to get horny,sing songs and make love. As you can clearly see, the poet is trying to convey the typical feelings of both sexes in a mass-y,easily understandable way.

And just after that comes a line which blew my mind away. A once-in-a-century line. The ‘piece-de-resistance’ of the entire song. . Here it goes …

(guy)….Yama yama buka duma naka duma muta duma..Aithalakadiiiiiiiiiii

Such subtlety. Such melody. Seems like he is calling upon the Indian mythological god of death Yama and…Errr…Errrr..Calling him Dumma (Fat)!!!!? Lets not tread any further here, or I am directly going to hell!

(Skip to the most insightful stanza of the song )

(girl) Naaaati naaaati benne naa, peeeete meeeete tuppana tintiya

At this point, the guy gets really hungry and tired of all he dancing, so the girl is offering him naati benne (just extracted butter,correct?) and peete meete tuppa (and ghee. The peete and meete are again products of poetic license). Surely she loves the guy so much she is not worried about the cholesterol or the fat calories on him

(guy) Benne maiyya henne, mutkondre metkontaiyte,

Yaargu kammi illa ,vayyara wine agayte

(There goes. The guy gets horny again. This idiot just needs a hint to start off! ) O Lass with a butter-like body, its getting sticky when I touch it. (Wow! Mind blown, second time. Such sensuousness and aesthetically presented eroticism in a movie song, can you imagine? I take my hat off, Mr.Lyricist. Further he says) Your ostentatious and showy display is turning into alcohol and no one will have shortage now. Devdas in the making…lolz :P

(girl)White-u white-u white-u white-u ……

White-u Rajnikanth neenu

The girl is comparing the guy to a white Rajn- WHAAA!!!? Oh yeah!  She says the guy looks like a WHITE Rajnikanth. So you mean Rajnikanth is BLACK??? Now now, that’s not so ‘fair’ (pun intended :D). The intention of this jab/seemingly racist comment at the Tamil Superstar in a massy Kannada movie is not quite clear. Atleast not to me ;)

(guy) Yaake yaake hogultiya, height-u jasti madutiya

(guy)Why are you  praising me and in doing so increasing my height?

Sheer brilliance. Our poet is in GODMODE now. I thought he was merely good with words, but being aware of the latest developments in scientific research and using that in his songs? (Surely you guys have read about the study which says if you keep praising someone continuously and repeatedly over a period of time, a distinct increase in the height of a person is observed). One word : G-E-N-I-U-S.

And now again we are greeted with the mellifluous and dulcet tones of the starting words which had us floored in the beginning itself…

(guy n girl together)Aithalakadi…Aithalakadi..Aithalakadi….

Someone please catch hold of this guy atleast now and give him an award. Create a new one and give it to him. For the love of god, people!!!

Oh btw, enjoy the video of the song here ;)