Song: Oru Chempaneer Song from Sthithi (2003)
Lyrics: Prabha Varma
Music: Unni Menon
Playback: Unni Menon
Filmed on: Unni Menon, Nandini Ghosal
Oru Chempaneer Song from Sthithi – Lyrics in English with Translation
Oru chempaneer pooviruthu njan omale
Oru vela ninnerkku neettiyilla
Never did I extend the pink rose I plucked,
Towards you, my dear
Oru chempaneer pooviruthu njan omale
Oru vela ninnerkku neettiyilla
Never did I extend the pink rose I plucked,
Towards you, my dear
Enkillum engane neeyarinju
Ente chempaneer pookunathay ninakkai
But still… how did you know,
That every chempaneer (perfumed pink rose) that bloomed was only for you?
Sugandham parathunathay ninakkai
That they spread fragrance only for you?
Parayu… nee parayu…
Tell me… please tell me…
Parayu… nee parayu…
Tell me… please tell me…
Oru chempaneer pooviruthu njan omale
Oru vela ninnerkku neettiyilla
Never did I extend the pink rose I plucked,
Towards you, my dear
Akame niranja snehamam mathuryam
Oru vaakinal thottu njan nalkiyilla
That sweetness of love that filled my heart,
I never gave you with a touch of a word
Nira neelaravile ekandathayil
Nin mizhiyile nannavoppi maychathilla
On those deep bluish evenings of solitude,
I never tried to wipe off the moisture (tears) in your eyes.
Enkilum nee arinju
En ninavennum nin ninavariyunnathaay
Yet you somehow knew,
My every thought was known to your thoughts,
Ninne… Thazhukunathaay…
And you felt it embracing you…
(Falling upon you like a soft caress…)
Oru Chempaneer… hmmmm
A rose flower…..
Thaniye thelinga bhaavamaam sree ragam
Oru mathra nee othu njan mooliyilla
That shimmering melody born from silence,
That divine Sree raagam — I never hum it along with you
Pularmanju peyyunna yamathilum
Nin mridhu meni onnu thalodiyilla
Even in those misty dawn hours,
I never held your soft, gentle body close.
Enkilum… nee arinju
En manamennum nin manam ariyunnathay
Ninne… Punarunnathaay…
Yet even then, you knew…
My soul was always aware of your soul,
And forever reaching out to embrace you…
Oru chempaneer pooviruthu njan omale
Oru vela ninnerkku neettiyilla
Never did I extend the pink rose I plucked,
Towards you, my dear
Oru Chempaneer – A true metaphor of love that believes in connection
In my opinion, Oru Chempaneer is a metaphor, a symbol of true love that spreads its fragrance. Rose flower is always associated with romance and love, especially the red one. In this song, the lyricist uses Chempaneer/Chembaneer which specifically saying it is a rose flower. If we try to split the word, it’s more confusing, because it can be a red rose or a perfumed pink rose. ‘Chem’ is associated with red colour, while ‘Paneer’ is associated with pink rose. ‘Paneer rose’ is ‘pink rose’ in Malayalam.
In my opinion, it’s a poet’s liberty to use words the way he wants, and sometimes he blends beautiful words together for poetic beauty, without fully immersing into its meaning – and a reader can interpret the lines the way he wants, taking his own liberty to read! Whatever it is – Chempaneer is a symbol of love – a flower, a fragrance or anything which the reader/listener can associate with.
A brief note about the heroine of the film – She is Nandini Ghosal, a Bengali actress and classical dancer. She has worked in a very few movies belonging to Bengali, Hindi, and Malayalam movies, and she mostly concentrated on to her dancing career. She was the heroine of actor Madhavan’s debut Hindi film, Akela. Likewise, Sthithi is her single Malayalam release. The movie marked the acting debut of popular south Indian playback singer, Unni Menon. The song – Oru chempaneer pooviruthu njan omale is nostalgic to the previous generation of Malayalis, before genZ came. Generations may come and fade. But this song always stay in the hearts of Malayalis and spread its perfume like a rose flower.
To add, a true love doesn’t demand words, it’s understood – True connection.
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