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In this episode, we travel to the ancient farmland depicted in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 60, written by Thoongaloriyaar. The poem is set in the agricultural landscape of ‘Marutham’ and speaks in the voice of the lady’s confidante to a farmer, while sowing a secret message in the man, listening nearby.
மலை கண்டன்ன நிலை புணர்நிவப்பின்
பெரு நெற் பல் கூட்டு எருமை உழவ!
கண்படை பெறாஅது, தண் புலர் விடியல்,
கருங் கண் வராஅல் பெருந் தடி மிளிர்வையொடு
புகர்வை அரிசிப் பொம்மற் பெருஞ் சோறு
கவர் படு கையை கழும மாந்தி,
நீர் உறு செறுவின் நாறு முடி அழுத்த, நின்
நடுநரொடு சேறிஆயின், அவண்
சாயும் நெய்தலும் ஓம்புமதி; எம்மில்
மா இருங் கூந்தல் மடந்தை
ஆய் வளை கூட்டும் அணியுமார் அவையே.
Like a freshly sown paddy field, the poem has an orderly arrangement of rhythm as we see in the last letter combinations of ‘மலை – நிலை’, ’கண் – தண்’ and ‘உறு – செறு – நாறு’ as well as second letter combination as in ‘கருங் – பெருந்’ and first letter alliterations of ‘கவர் – கழும’ and the finishing touch ‘அணியுமார் அவையே’. When I first read ‘எருமை உழவ’, I burst out laughing. ‘உழவ’ is a reference to a farmer and ‘எருமை’ refers to ‘buffalo’ and for a minute, I wondered whether the lady’s confidante is calling the farmer, a buffalo! Not sure about the farmers then, anyone now would be affronted by the prefix ‘எருமை’, for somehow the word has gained a comically, negative connotation. How central, rice was to life in a farmland can be understood by multiple references such as ‘அரிசி’ meaning ‘rice’ and ‘சோறு’ meaning ‘cooked rice’ as well as ‘பெரு நெற் பல் கூட்டு’ meaning ‘tall mounds of paddy’. We also catch a glimpse of ‘வராஅல்’ which is now commonly called as ‘விரால் மீன்’ or the ‘snakehead murrel’. More curry on this fish in a short while!
Moving to the centre of the poem’s field, we find the man and woman in a relationship. Her parents, coming to know of their relationship, have confined the lady to the house. One day, not knowing this, when the man arrives by the backyard, the lady’s confidante passes on this message to the man indirectly, as she talks with a farmer passing by. To the farmer, she says, “O farmer, the owner of buffaloes and tall mounds of paddy grain, soaring like a mountain before the eyes! Your eyes have not seen any sleep last night and you have woken up early with the cool dawn. Soon after waking, taking chunky slices of the black-eyed murrel fish, cooked to a shining perfection and mixing that with thick-grained rice, also steamed just right, you have made huge balls of food that you couldn’t even hold in your hands and have consumed it excessively. Now, I see you heading to the water-soaked fields with womenfolk to sow the paddy. When you reach there, please save the ‘korai’ grass and ‘neythal’ plants blooming in the field. It’s because our lady with long, dark tresses, so prefers to wear them as her bangles and her attire!”
Now, let’s reap the harvest hidden in this field of verse! Let’s meet and greet the farmer first. He’s the owner of soaring mounds of grain, each of which seem like a mountain to innocent eyes. His livelihood does not depend on the produce of his field alone, for he rears buffaloes too. Next, we understand a day in the life of this ancient farmer. The day paradoxically starts in the night when he’s tossing and turning, thinking about the next day. We are given to understand that he gets no sleep because he’s anxious about all the tasks that need to be done, the next day. The life of a farmer is no carefree saunter, we see! Although he has not got much sleep, he wakes early at dawn to get a head start. He knows that there’s no time to pause and waste during the day. So, he fills his stomach with a hefty breakfast. And, what’s on the menu? Balls of thick-grained rice, steamed just right and fleshy pieces of the murrel fish, simmering in the curry! In quantities that overflow from his hand, he swallows the rice and fish. A clever plan to keep his tummy from grumbling in the midst of his work. He believes that the fleshy flesh and thick rice will keep his tummy humming as he goes about his day!
Focussing on this murrel fish, also called as ‘snakehead murrel’ or ‘mud fish’, this is a freshwater fish, that flows in rivers and lakes and ends in the farmland plains. Even now, in Tamil nadu, Kerala, where it’s called ‘Korava’ and Andhra Pradesh, where it’s called as ‘Koramatta’, as well as in south-east Asian countries like Phillipines, Thailand and Malaysia and even in China, this fish is loved for its taste and nutritional value. Fascinating to learn that this fish has been filling the tummies of people over two thousand years!
After vividly painting a portrait of the farmer’s food and life, the lady’s confidante then turns her attention to the hidden message she wants to convey. She talks about the long, dark tresses of the lady, perhaps to bait the man’s attention. She then mentions that the lady prefers to wear the leaves of waterlilies blooming in those fields, as her garment, and tie those strands of wild grass there, as her bangle. To the farmer, these are weeds to be uprooted and thrown away but to the lady, they are a fashion statement. If the lady could leave the house, she would have come plucked what she wants herself. Because she’s locked within, she cannot! Thus with her cleverness, the lady’s confidante indirectly conveys this message to the man. By referring to the intricate planning style of the farmer, she nudges the man to likewise plan and seek the lady’s hand in marriage. The lady’s confidante seems to say that although the night was bereft of sleep, the farmer saved the day by his planning and hard work. Likewise although the man cannot meet with the lady and relish joy in this moment, with thought, he may harvest a life of happiness with her!
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