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In this episode, we unearth intricate details about a living culture, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 120, written by Maankudi Kilaar. Set in the agricultural landscape of ‘Marutham’, the poem speaks in the voice of the man to himself, as he hatches a plan to win back the affection of his enraged lady.
தட மருப்பு எருமை மட நடைக் குழவி
தூண்தொறும் யாத்த காண்தகு நல் இல்,
கொடுங்குழை பெய்த செழுஞ்செவி பேதை
சிறு தாழ் செறித்த மெல் விரல் சேப்ப,
வாளை ஈர்ந்தடி வல்லிதின் வகைஇ,
புகை உண்டு அமர்த்த கண்ணள், தகை பெறப்
பிறை நுதல் பொறித்த சிறு நுண் பல் வியர்
அம் துகில்தலையில் துடையினள், நப் புலந்து,
அட்டிலோளே அம் மா அரிவை,
எமக்கே வருகதில் விருந்தே, சிவப்பு ஆன்று
சிறு முள் எயிறு தோன்ற
முறுவல் கொண்ட முகம் காண்கம்மே.
As we step into this ancient ‘நல் இல்’ meaning ‘good home’, the first sight to greet us, is the ‘curved horn of the buffalo’, reflected by the words ‘தட மருப்பு எருமை’. I learnt that ‘குழவி’ pertains to the ‘calf’ of the said buffalo and was able to correlate this word with the contemporary ‘குழந்தை’ meaning ‘young one’. ‘கொடுங்குழை’ talks about another curved thing, which is a ‘curved ear ornament’, shining on the ‘செழுஞ்செவி’, the ‘rich ears’. Another ornament smiles at us, when we see ‘சிறு தாழ்’ meaning a ‘ring’ on the ‘மெல் விரல்’ or ‘delicate fingers’. In addition to the ears and fingers, we also glance at the ‘esteemed, crescent-moon shaped forehead’ of the lady in ‘தகை பெறப் பிறை நுதல்’. Do the Sangam folks have any ornament for this body part too? The answer appears in ‘சிறு நுண் பல் வியர்’ meaning ‘little beads of sweat’! ’மா அரிவை’ once again informs us that this is a maiden with a beautiful, dark complexion. The poem ends with a pleasing, heartwarming ‘smile’ in ‘முறுவல்’. Catching on that infectious smile, let’s know more about the life in this good, little home.
The man and woman have been living a happy married life. As was the case in an agricultural society then, the man happened to take up the company of courtesans. The lady, coming to know of this, is furious. She refuses all the messengers that the man sends to reconcile with her. So, the man decides to use a different strategy to gain entrance into his home. He details this, by saying, “In the beautiful, good home, around pillars many, are tied, those tender striding young calves of buffaloes with curved horns. There, the naive maiden with fine ears, bejewelled with curved ear ornaments, making her delicate fingers, adorned with rings, redden, quickly cuts up the moist flesh of the ribbon fish. As she cooks the food, the smoke grazes her eyes and her excellent, crescent-like forehead becomes covered in the many, little drops of sweat. She wipes away the sweat with the tip of the fine garment she wears. My beautiful, dark-skinned lady, who has much anger towards me, is now cooking. Let those guests come for my sake, so that I get to glimpse, not her angry, reddened face but, one showing her little, thorn-like teeth, flashing a gentle smile.” With these words, we understand that the man’s strategy is to come home with guests to win the good graces of his wife.
What makes the lady change her mind? Let’s find answers to this question by delving deeper. As we entered the poem, we glimpsed at the young ones of the buffaloes, with curved horns, andwe later learnt that these calves were many in number, tied to pillars all around the house. We learn that it’s an affluent home, knowing that a man who owns a buffalo in that society is rolling in the riches. And this man, has not just one buffalo, but many and, many of those have given birth to young ones, just learning to walk, and thus multiplying his affluence manifold. These buffaloes and calves are not wandering about on the streets or groves and thus we see the man has the means to feed these animals right at his home. Moving away from these buffaloes, into the interior of the house, we see the lady there. The first image presented to us, is a rich ear, adorned with curved ornaments, a callback perhaps to the curved horn of the buffalo. Why is the ear mentioned with prominence here? I would like to think that this is the instrument that heard news of the man’s wandering and now hears something else at the entrance of the house. We’ll know what that is, in a little while. Whatever was that thing that fell on her ears, her reaction is to rush towards the kitchen to quickly cut up pieces of the ribbon fish, making her fingers redden. In all probability, she’s making a delicious fish curry, for we now see her moon-shaped forehead covered with many, little beads of sweat and the smoke rushing to her eyes, perhaps making that red too. There’s this minute detail mentioning about how she takes the tip of the garment she’s wearing and wipes her brow. This instantly brought to my eyes, the image of women in the family cooking. I recollect how that as the heat of the flames made their faces gather sweat, they would gently tug at the tip of their saris and wipe the sweat. It strikes me as nothing short of stunning that this quirky little habit goes back two thousand years or more!
Why is the lady in her kitchen cooking up a storm? It must be because of what her adorned ears told her. The arrival of guests to her home! And who accompanies them? Her man, of course. Is she angry with him? Very much! But, does she show it? No way! Not a trace of anger crosses her face and makes it redden but a gentle smile dances on it, as she serves her good food to the visitors. Thus, no matter the storm in her heart, she reveals no sign of it to the world outside, because a greater purpose fills her, which is to follow the inviolable customs of her culture and be the epitome of hospitality!
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