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In this episode, we relish the rich expressions, portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 136, penned by Natrangkotranaar. Set in the mountain country of ‘Kurinji’ lands, the verse speaks in the voice of the lady to the confidante, expressing a nuanced message to the man, listening nearby.
திருந்து கோல் எல் வளை வேண்டி யான் அழவும்,
அரும் பிணி உறுநர்க்கு வேட்டது கொடாஅது
மருந்து ஆய்ந்து கொடுத்த அறவோன் போல,
என் ஐ வாழிய, பலவே பன்னிய
மலை கெழு நாடனொடு நம்மிடைச் சிறிய
தலைப்பிரிவு உண்மை அறிவான் போல,
நீப்ப நீங்காது வரின் வரை அமைந்து
தோள் பழி மறைக்கும் உதவிப்
போக்கு இல் பொலந்தொடி செறீஇயோனே.
The poem opens with ‘திருந்து கோல் எல் வளை’ meaning ‘perfectly etched, shiny bangles’, giving us a peek into the jewellery section of Sangam life. Shortly thereafter appears, ‘அரும் பிணி’ or ‘difficult-to-cure disease’, and ‘மருந்து’ or ‘medicine’, talking in a doctor’s vocabulary. We also meet with ‘அறவோன்’ or ‘a virtuous man’. Wonder who he may be! Then comes this single-letter word ‘ஐ’, made famous by a Tamil movie of the same name. There, it appeared in the meaning of ‘beauty’ and here, it refers to one’s ‘father’. ‘தலைப்பிரிவு’ talks about the times of ‘separation’ that arise between the man and lady in their relationship. ‘தோள் பழி’ is a curious expression, directly translated as ‘shoulder blame!’ Is it some curious Sangam symptom? We do know, from a previous encounter, ‘தோள்’ does not refer to ‘shoulders’ as in current day but the ‘arms’ too. As if that helps! Time to investigate more.
The man and lady have been in a love relationship and at times, the man stays away from trysting with her. In these moments of separation, the lady pines for the man’s company. One day, when he arrives near her home to tryst with her, pretending as if she has not yet seen him, the lady tells her confidante, “I was yearning and crying for those exquisitely carved, luminous bangles. My father seems to be aware of the small separations that arise between me and the lord of the mountains, worthy of praises many. For, consider how a man of virtue, gives not what the patient with a debilitating disease wants but, analyses deeply, and gives the medicine that is apt. Like that wise doctor, my father has made for me bangles that slips not, even if you try to remove it and will stay in place till my man returns. Indeed, he has carved for me, these golden bangles that will never fall from my arms and thus, has prevented the town from spreading slander at the sight of my thinning arms. Long may my father live!” With these words, the lady hints to the man that it would be wise for him to seek her hand in marriage.
From yearning for bangles and singing praises of her father, how does the lady convey that the man better hurry up with his proposal? In that lies tied, the culture and communication of the Sangam folks. The lady first talks about her wanting a few bangles that she describes as perfectly made and shining with brilliance. By perfectly made, we must understand that it is perhaps made to one size and is of a form that doesn’t change shape. Although she cries for this bangle, she does not get her wish. Her father does get her bangles but of a different kind, she says. Ones that will never slip away from her and will stay intact, even if her man parts from her. Let’s take a pause here and try to understand the connection between slipping bangles and that far-away man. In Sangam times, when a man parts from his lady, she is said to lose her sleep and health. This makes her body thin down, and the first place these symptoms appear, are her arms. This deteriorating health seems to fall on the eyes of strangers by the fact that her bangles slip from her wrists and fall to the ground. When this happens, the town’s abuzz with gossip about the lady’s relationship with the man. What seems as an excellent weight-loss plan to this overweight twenty-first century, seems to have been appalling then. This brings to my mind, a curious thing that I have noticed when visiting villages. You may have slogged on your workouts and lost a bit of weight, but the people there would look at you with such piteous eyes, asking in a condoling voice, “What happened? You have become so thin!” Seems like it’s an echo of a deep-rooted sentiment from those ancient times!
Returning to the poem, we see the lady mentioning that her father acts as if he’s aware of her separations with the man. This is because, contrary to her wishes for the other bangle, he has made her a bangle that changes shape, in synchrony with her thinning arms and stays in place, averting the suspicious eyes of the townsfolk. Here, she compares her father to a physician, who does not render what a patient desires to eat but, gives the right medicine to cure that disease. She calls this person, ‘a man of virtue’ and brings to the fore, the high regard placed on a man of medicine in Sangam times. The lady indirectly says that her kith and kin may be suspicious of her relationship with the man and if their suspicions get stronger, she may be confined to the house. She also brings to the man’s attention, how her health deteriorates when he stays away from her. All this to urge the man to seek her hand in marriage, without further delay. From this roundabout mode of speaking the mind, we understand that Sangam women were expected to refrain from expressing such wishes directly to the man. Perhaps, we should take this moment to celebrate the freedom we have to speak our hearts, whether we be, a man or a woman!
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