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In this episode, we visit the lands and people portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 44, written by Perunkousikanaar, set in the lush mountain country of ‘Kurinji’. The poem is expressed in the words of the man to his heart, perceiving the reality of the situation concerning his lady.
பொரு இல் ஆயமோடு அருவி ஆடி,
நீர் அலைச் சிவந்த பேர் அமர் மழைக் கண்
குறியா நோக்கமொடு முறுவல் நல்கி,
மனைவயின் பெயர்ந்த காலை, நினைஇய
நினக்கோ அறியுநள்-நெஞ்சே! புனத்த
நீடு இலை விளை தினைக் கொடுங் கால் நிமிரக்
கொழுங் குரல் கோடல் கண்ணி, செழும் பல,
பல் கிளைக் குறவர் அல்கு அயர் முன்றில்,
குடக் காய் ஆசினிப் படப்பை நீடிய
பல் மர உயர் சினை மின்மினி விளக்கத்து,
செல் மழை இயக்கம் காணும்
நல் மலை நாடன் காதல் மகளே
We enter the verse, feeling the joyful splash from a waterfall on our face, with ‘அருவி ஆடி’ meaning ‘playing in the waterfalls’. It’s as if ‘rain’ is a person who lives amidst these mountain folk for the women are all described as having ‘மழைக் கண்’ or ‘rain-like, moist eyes.’ Our faces spread in a smile too as we encounter ‘முறுவல்’ meaning ‘a soft, gentle smile’. As we move on, we are shown glimpses of millet fields and Kuravas thronging them. It’s curious how kith and kin in a family are described with the word ‘கிளை’ meaning ‘branch’ and the branches of a tree are referred using the word ‘சினை’. We started with the bubbling waterfall during the day and end with the ‘மின்மினி’ or ‘fireflies’ glowing in the night. Chasing the promise of so much to unfold, let’s pay closer attention to the events in the verse.
A man has glimpsed at a lady, near a waterfall, many days ago. Now, she is under the protection of her parents in her home. He comes by one night near her home and to his heart, he says, “That morning, in the matchless company of her dear friends, she was playing in the waterfalls. With her cool, moist eyes, reddened by the ceaseless play in the water, she gave me an indecipherable look. However, her smile said it all! Even after she has left for her home, you think of her, my heart! Know that she has gone beyond your reach. In the fields around her home, those tall, long-leaved millets bend with the weight of their fleshy clusters. In order to reap those crops and make them upright again, the Kuravas work together with their kin all day. At night, tired out, they stay and rest in the front yard. On the tall branches of the trees around her home, hangs the pot-like breadfruits and around them, glow the fireflies. In the light of these fireflies, the mountain chief studies the movement of the rain clouds. The good chief, who is the father of this affectionate girl!” Realising that his lady was well guarded and how astute her father was, the man reasons with his heart to abandon its romantic intentions and be content with the thoughts of her playing in the falls, that morning.
Now, let us muse over the facets of ancient life that this journey has left behind in our mind’s eye. First, there seems to be an expectation that the lady should not reveal her affections for the man, too pointedly, when she’s in the company of others, even though they may be her friends. So, she gives only a look that says nothing in particular. But, as if there’s no tying the mouth of love, it bursts out in a smile she leaves with the man. As if it’s a treasure, the man hoards that single smile and visits it now and then, in his thoughts. From his inner world, we take a leap to the world outside. Even in the mountain country, farming seems to be underway, yielding a bounty of millet crops. The work that tires out the Kuravas, who are working in huge numbers, with the entire family in tow, tells about the expanse of those fields. So tired they are, that they don’t leave to their homes but rest in the front yard, for the night. Night has fallen and dark surrounds the place. And yet, the mountain chief is awake, for he’s monitoring the rain clouds in the sky, perhaps for some calculation about the harvest of crops that happened in the day. And how is he doing that?With the light from the fireflies that seem to have the power to light up those skies of the past. Imagine that mountain country, with the sounds of the wild buzzing in your ears and fireflies lighting up the skies soaring above your eyes.
As we gaze at these mesmerising fireflies, we mustn’t overlook the reference to their habitat, which leads us to the grove of breadfruit trees. It’s a fruit that needs to be cooked to be savoured. The fruit look a lot like jackfruit but is much less spiny than one, with a thick, starchy flesh and a rounded pot-like appearance that this poem remarks about too. A fruit which is well known in Srilankan, Kerala and Konkani cuisines. In Kerala, it’s the mouthwatering ‘Kadachakka varuthathu’, that fried breadfruit chips, enjoyed with hot chilli powder. This fruit is also found far beyond these places I mentioned, in Hawaii, where it’s called ‘ulu’ and is intimately connected to the folklore of the original inhabitants of these islands. It’s believed to have been brought by Polynesian settlers of Hawaii around 250 AD, a highly developed agricultural society. And that makes me wonder, if those early settlers of Hawaii, would somehow be related to these people of the Tamil mountain country. Food for thought, indeed!
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