Natrinai 102 – Land of the Palaa

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கொடுங்குரல் குறைத்த செவ்வாய்ப் பைங்கிளி!
அஞ்சல் ஓம்பி ஆர் பதம் கொண்டு,
நின் குறை முடித்த பின்றை, என் குறை
செய்தல் வேண்டுமால்! கைதொழுது இரப்பல்!
பல் கோட் பலவின் சாரல் அவர் நாட்டு
நின் கிளை மருங்கின் சேறி ஆயின்,
அம் மலை கிழவோற்கு உரைமதி, இம் மலைக்
கானக் குறவர் மட மகள்
ஏனல் காவல் ஆயினள் எனவே.

The poem opens rather menacingly with the words ‘கொடுங்குரல்’, because the current day meaning of this phrase is ‘terrifying voice’. If we tread a little further, we meet with ‘பைங்கிளி’ meaning ‘green parrot’. Could the bird be the one with that terrifying voice? Only if you are easily scared, I suppose. A hint that another meaning hides in this phrase is clear. Let’s wait a little while to discover that. The word ‘அஞ்சல்’ brought a smile to my face because it is used to mean ‘post’ or ‘mail’ in contemporary language but here, it means ‘to fear’. Coincidently, the poem is also about seeking the mailing services of a bird to take a message to someone. The word ‘கைதொழுது’ lights up my eyes, for it means ‘with my hands folded’ and let’s explore this phrase too, at length, shortly. To denote one’s kith and kin, we find the word ‘கிளை’ which also means ‘branch’. Can you see a family tree sprouting before your eyes from the seed of this word?

Moving from that montage into the meaning of the verse, we find out that the man and woman have been in a love relationship for a while and their meeting is interrupted unexpectedly. The man has not returned in many days. So, the lady, turns to a parrot she finds in the millet fields one day and says, “O red-beaked green parrot, the one who steals away millet cobs from bent stalks! Remove your fear and indulge in the food. When you are done satisfying your want, you should satisfy mine. I plead to you with hands folded! When you fly away to meet your kith and kin in the mountain slopes, filled with the many-fruited ‘palaa’ trees, you need to tell the lord of that mountain that the young daughter of the huntsmen on this mountain is back to guarding the millet fields!” Why should the parrot relay this cryptic message to the man in that mountain? Let’s move on to explore what lies hidden in the lady’s mind.

As promised, first let’s wander into the phrase ‘கொடுங்குரல்’! It turns out that this means a ‘bent millet stalk’. We can conclude that it’s bent because the millets are in full bloom and the weight of the tip is making the plant curve. From this, we understand that the harvest season is nearing and these millet crops are sure to be attacked by the birds. Sure enough, we see a flock of parrots arriving to raid the field, rushing to make a kill, before the stalks are reaped away by the farmers. It’s to one such parrot that the lady opens her heart. She’s gentle with the bird for she says to it that although it steals the millets from her fields, at the moment, it need not have any fear of her. She goes on to encourage the bird to have its full in the field too. Why this sudden concern? We know that it’s the job of the lady in the mountain country to drive away birds that come to feed on the fields. Why could she be shirking her duty? She then goes on to explain that once the bird has had its fill, it should turn its attention to her unfulfilled need. And how she asks it! Enter the phrase ‘கைதொழுது’ we met earlier! It’s common knowledge that the Indian greeting is with ‘hands folded’. In the land of Tamils, this is called ‘Vanakkam’, in a gesture where the hands are brought together, fingers touching and placed close to the heart, in a welcome stance. When the lady requests the bird to do something for her, she does so with folded hands, as a mark of her humility. She doesn’t go about ordering it, just because she has given it food, but requests the bird with such grace to render her this little service.

The kindness does not stop there! The lady talks about the man’s land as one filled with ‘palaa’ or ‘jackfruit’ trees. Sweetness abounds there. The verse turned out to be a botany lesson on fruits, for the phrase ‘பல் கோட் பலவு’ meaning ‘many-clustered jackfruit’, lead me to understand that the jackfruit belongs to the fruit category of ‘multiple fruits’ and this means that hundreds of flowers are fused together into a single jackfruit and in another meaning on the same lines, jackfruit trees bear fruit multiple times and can render 100 to 200 fruits, a year. Interesting how the Sangam poets have captured in a snapshot, the essential attributes of this delicious fruit tree! Coming back to our lady’s words, she tells the bird to fly to this jackfruit land, not out of its way but when the bird is going to meet its relatives in that mountain. Nothing to shirk away from! After the bird has delighted in the jackfruit’s sweetness and its family’s affection, then it can do her bidding and go tell the man that she’s back to guarding the fields. This is a hidden message from the lady, nudging the man to make haste and be with her once again!

What impresses me in this little verse is the way the lady puts forth her request. The poem illuminates that when asking a favour, putting the needs of the other before one’s own, making sure all’s well with them and then requesting a work to be done will ensure that the work gets done with the right spirit. As current-day MBAs would attest, a masterclass on resource management indeed!