Song: Semmozhiyaana Thamizh Mozhiyaam
Lyrics: M Karunanidhi
Composer: AR Rahman
Singers: TM Soundararajan, P Susheela, AR Rahman, Harini, Chinmayi, Hariharan, Karthik, Yuvan Shankar Raja and others
Today is Kalaignar Karunanidhi’s 95th birth anniversary. Our song of the day is the tribute to Tamil language that Karunanidhi wrote for World Classical Tamil Conference that took place in 2010. His contribution to Tamil literature, films, politics and art continues to live today.
In this song, Karunanidhi speaks about the history of Tamil language and culture through the ages, praising the work of poets such as Avvaiyar and Kambar. The main message is that everyone is born equal, and should have the right to remain so and live as one people.
Karunanidhi is said to have insisted that AR Rahman compose the song. Rahman famously said in an interview that after he read the lyrics, he wondered how he was going to do it.
Almost 70 singers came on board in a song featuring a mix of musical styles. Gautham Vasudev Menon signed up to direct the song, which also featured Karunanidhi in a small portion.