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In this episode, we appreciate the timelessness of love, depicted in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 95, written by Kottampalavanaar, this being his only Sangam poem. The verse is set in the mountain country of ‘Kurinji’ and speaks in the voice of the man to his friend, describing the whereabouts of his lady and declaring his love.
கழை பாடு இரங்க, பல் இயம் கறங்க,
ஆடு மகள் நடந்த கொடும் புரி நோன் கயிற்று,
அதவத் தீம் கனி அன்ன செம் முகத்
துய்த் தலை மந்தி வன் பறழ் தூங்க,
கழைக் கண் இரும் பொறை ஏறி விசைத்து எழுந்து,
குறக் குறுமாக்கள் தாளம் கொட்டும் அக்
குன்றகத்ததுவே, குழு மிளைச் சீறூர்;
சீறூரோளே, நாறு மயிர்க் கொடிச்சி;
கொடிச்சி கையகத்ததுவே, பிறர்
விடுத்தற்கு ஆகாது பிணித்த என் நெஞ்சே.
The mesmerising music of a flute pulls us into this verse with the words ‘கழை பாடு’, meaning ‘bamboo flute’. The crisp word ‘இயம்’ means a ‘musical instrument’ and in later years, the word transformed into ‘வாச்சியம்’ and morphed into the well-known word ‘வாத்தியம்’. ‘ஆடு மகள்’ meaning ‘a female performer’, in close association with ‘நோன் கயிறு’, meaning ‘strong rope’, sketches for us, the scene of a dancing girl on a tight rope. We meet ‘அதவம்’ or the ‘fig tree’ with its sweet fruits as well as a ‘மந்தி’ meaning ‘female monkey’ and its little one, ‘பறழ்’. The rhythmic phrase ‘குறக் குறுமாக்கள் தாளம் கொட்டும்’ meaning ‘Kuravaa kids clap to tune’ paints another montage of little kids clapping and enjoying a performance. The phrase ‘நாறு மயிர்க் கொடிச்சி’ celebrates the fragrant tresses of a mountain girl and finally ‘பிணித்த என் நெஞ்சே’ echoes in a painful voice, meaning ‘lies tied, my heart!’
Moving from these telegraphic images, we learn that the man has seen the lady and fallen in love with her. Perceiving some differences in him, his friends ask him about it and to them, he says, “There lies the strong, twisted rope on which, a performing girl had walked, as the bamboo flute played and many musical instruments resounded. Leaping from a mother monkey with a red face, akin to the sweet-fruited fig tree and cotton-like hair, a monkey’s little one dances on and hangs from that tightrope. Quickly climbing up on to a huge rock near the bamboo stalks, the Kurava kids clap and keep the time for this monkey’s dance on the mountains. There’s a well guarded little village near that place. The girl from that village is a mountain girl with fragrant tresses. And, in that mountain girl’s hands, bound tightly, unable to be released by anyone else, lies my heart.” With these words, the man declares that he has lost his heart to the girl and no amount of persuasion, will make him turn away from her.
If we were to step out of this particular instance and perceive the essence of the poem, we would be struck by the universality of the core concept. To put it concisely, ‘Boy meets girl… Boy falls in love… Friends question… Boy declares it’s a forever love.’ I was particularly reminded of the song ‘வாய மூடி’ from the movie ‘Mugamoodi’. Let me outline the situation and see if it rings a bell for you too. In this song situation, the guy’s friends, sensing that there’s something going on, ask him what’s up and he tells them that he’s in love. The friends immediately ask him to quit talking about it and keep his focus on his path, saying love’s but a big trouble. Does the guy listen? No way! He goes on about how strong his heart had been this far and that no one dared to tread on it, but here she, that flower of a girl, walks through. When she leaves, she takes half of his heart as well. As the friends keep repeating the refrain to stay away, he heeds not and says this is forever, to the very end of his life. Now, all you have to do is rewind that tape by two thousand years and in his place, you will meet our Sangam man who has also just met a girl. When his friends ask who, he cannot render the numbers and street names that make up her home address and so he reminds his friends about the place on the mountains where there was a festival recently and one of the acts was a performing girl on a tightrope. He then recollects how, when the performers had retired and just their objects lay about, a little monkey imitated the girl’s act on that strong, twisted rope. Seeing this, the mountain dwellers’ kids gathered around on a rock and enjoyed this show, clapping and laughing. There, right there, the man says, is a well-guarded village of this mountain girl. Remember how our hero from the movie calls his girl, a flower? His ancient counterpart provides further details, calling her one with fragrant tresses. In other words, flower-like, right? Then comes the final statement saying that his heart is in the hands of that mountain girl and no matter who tries to pry it apart, it cannot be broken from that bond. In other words, his friends can sing ‘Vaaya moodi summa iruda’ all day but there’s no way he’s going to break away!
The man weaves within that description of the place, a metaphor for how strong his heart had been, like that twisted tightrope but then like the daring monkey, the girl now dances upon it and like those laughing mountain kids, the man’s friends laugh at his state. The thing to be relished here is the element of surprise that seems to accompany the feeling of falling in love. ‘I never thought I would fall’, is the first reaction felt even as the wave of love washes over. Perhaps in the future, the hero would sing about the girl’s IP address and her phone’s make, but at the core, it seems likely that the same feeling of love will throb, across all space and time!
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