Guardian of the Shore !! நண்டூறுது நரியூறுது .. .

 

The Guardian of the Shore    !!!   Are you around 50 years of age !!  - likely you have heard this song and seen the movie too !!!

 

நண்டூறுது நரியூறுது .. .. நண்டூறுது…….

நான் வளர்த்த செல்லக்கிளி - கண்ணில் ஆடுது

என் கண்ணில் ஆடுது – 

 

நாளுக்கு நாள் உழைத்தேன் நன்றியில்லை அங்கே

நல்லவன் வாழ்வதற்கு நியாயமில்லை இங்கே

ஏழைக்கு உலகம் என்று எழுதியவன் எங்கே…..

எடுப்பதை எடுத்தப்பின்தான் நீதி வரும் இங்கே…..

 

 

A tiny sentinel of the coast Crab (nandu in Tamil)  – this one was pictured at  Marina Beach, perfectly camouflaged against the sand. Built to run sideways, armed with powerful claws, and forever keeping the shoreline alive and clean.

 

Going by its shape of the carapace and the bluish-purple legs with reddish claw tips, this appears to be one of the common swimming crabs (family Portunidae), which are frequently seen along the Chennai coast. During low tide, they often emerge to forage and quickly disappear into the sand or dash towards the surf when disturbed.  

One fascinating fact is that although they seem fearless when facing you, their first instinct is usually to retreat. Raising the claws is more of a defensive display than an invitation to fight!  The low angle, with the crab looking straight at the camera, gives it a surprisingly alert and almost defiant expression. The bluish-purple tint on the legs and claws is especially attractive.     

•          Crabs are masters of sideways movement. Their legs are specially hinged to allow rapid sideways running, making them much faster than moving forward.

•          They are beach cleaners. Many crabs feed on dead fish, decaying plants and other organic matter, helping keep the shoreline clean.

•          Excellent engineers. Most beach crabs dig burrows in wet sand. These burrows provide protection from predators, the hot sun and dehydration.

•          Eyes on stalks. Notice the tiny eyes projecting from the shell. These movable stalks give the crab an almost panoramic view, helping it detect danger while remaining mostly hidden.

•          The greyish shell blends beautifully with the sand, while the bluish and reddish claws are characteristic of several marine crabs found along India's east coast.

•          They grow by shedding their shell. Since the hard shell cannot expand, a crab periodically moults, emerging with a soft new shell that hardens over the next few days.

 

In the song at the start -  "நண்டூறுது" literally refers to a crab crawling or scurrying, while "நரியூறுது" refers to a fox stealthily moving. In folk usage, such expressions evoke a sense of restlessness, playful movement, or subtle excitement rather than being taken literally. The lyricist  Kaviyarasu Kannadasan used  familiar sights from village life to paint an earthy, rhythmic picture.   

The song is from “Bhairavi”   film directed by M. Bhaskar, and produced by Kalaignanam, who also wrote the story and dialogues hit the screens in 1978. It starred Srikanth, Rajinikanth and Sripriya.  Perhaps the first film  featuring Rajini as the hero and he was mentioned as ‘Super Star’ at that time.  Kalaipuli Thanu was a distributor at that time and for the movie Bairavi,  35 ft cut out of the hero was kept before Plaza theatre – there was heavy advertisement through posters too  

This song  sung by TM Soundararajan, to the music of Isaignani Illayaraja was a big hit.

 
Interesting !
 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
4.7.2026