The Rajya Sabha today played audience to an old MGR song, courtesy the AIADMK member Dr V Maitreyan.

Soon after the House assembled, the MP sang out a couple of lines from the song, 'Kadalmel pirakka vaitthan' from the 1964 film Padagotti starring the former Tamil Nadu chief minister M G Ramachandran.

The film chronicles the lives of the fishermen community, and the lines from the song go like this: 'Velli nilaave vilakkaai eriyum, kadalthaan engal veedu, mudindhaal mudiyum, thodarndhaal thodarum idhu dhaan engal vaazhkai (the moon is our lamp, the sea is our home. It all ends when it ends, continues if it continues), highlighting the uncertainties and travails of fishermen's lives.

The occasion for Maitreyan recalling this song in the Upper House, you ask? He told the RS chairman that he sang out the lines to demonstrate support to Tamil Nadu's fishermen and their cause.

You can view the entire song (composed by lyricist Vaali, with music by the golden duo of Tamil cinema, Viswanathan-Ramamurthy), at this YouTube link.