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In this episode, we hear a preposterous suggestion and infer the intricate art of persuasion, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 365, penned by Killimankalankilaar Makanaar Chera Kovanaar. Set in the hills of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, conveying a pointed message to the man, listening nearby.
அருங் கடி அன்னை காவல் நீவி,
பெருங் கடை இறந்து, மன்றம் போகி,
பகலே, பலரும் காண, வாய் விட்டு
அகல் வயற் படப்பை அவன் ஊர் வினவி,
சென்மோ வாழி-தோழி!-பல் நாள்
கருவி வானம் பெய்யாதுஆயினும்,
அருவி ஆர்க்கும் அயம் திகழ் சிலம்பின்
வான் தோய் மா மலைக் கிழவனை,
”சான்றோய் அல்லை” என்றனம் வரற்கே.
The verse opens with ‘அருங் கடி அன்னை காவல்’ meaning ‘the impenetrable guard mounted by mother’ and paints mother as a strict figure in the lady’s life. ‘பெருங் கடை’ meaning ‘huge gates’ indirectly talks about the affluence of that home. The phrase ‘அருவி ஆர்க்கும் அயம் திகழ் சிலம்பின்’ refers to ‘mountain slopes, filled with moisture, where the cascades resound ceaselessly’. ‘மா மலைக் கிழவனை’ is a description for a man from the mountain country, which means ‘the man who comes from those high hills’. Curious how the word ‘கிழவன்’ that describes a young man, the daring adventurer of these poems, has transformed to mean ‘an old man’ in contemporary language! Ending with ‘சான்றோய் அல்லை என்றனம் வரற்கே’ meaning ‘to say that an honourable person, he is not’, the verse intrigues our curiosity.
The man and lady had been leading a love relationship and the man had been trysting with the lady for a long while. The confidante attempts to persuade the man about the importance of seeking the lady’s hand and yet he seems to be intent only on trysting. So, one day, when the man arrives by the lady’s house, the confidante, pretending not to see him, but making sure he’s listening, says to the lady, “Overcoming the strict guard mother has mounted, crossing the huge gates, let us go to the town hall, during the day, and leaving people to see, let’s openly ask about the whereabouts of his town with wide fields. May you live long, my friend! Even though the clouds have not poured for many days, waterfalls resound in the sky-scraping, fertile hills, of the lord of the great mountains. Let us go there only to tell him, ‘a man of honour, you are not!’” With these words, the confidante talks about unthinkable acts to make the man realise his folly in delaying to seek the lady’s hand.
Now, for the nuances! The confidante begins with a bang, talking about how mother has placed the lady under strict guard. From this, we understand that mother has either heard rumours about the lady’s relationship or she worries about the symptoms of pining in the lady, which appear when the man leaves after his tryst. Mentioning that difficult-to-cross guard, the confidante suggests to the lady that they must both do what it takes to give the guards a slip and then step out through the huge gates of their house, where no doubt people will be passing to and fro and catch sight of them. Where is the confidante going with this? Is she inviting the lady for some game? It sounds not like a fun saunter for the confidante then says that they should enquire about the man’s town in their town hall. A moment to step back and understand the implications of this mention of a town hall. It sounds like a building constructed for travellers. A place where bards, musicians and others rest and proceed on in their journey. Anyone who does not belong to the town probably resides in this town hall, for the duration of his stay. This is an indicator of the innate hospitality of the Sangam people, who seem to have considered the welfare of not just their kith and kin, but travellers, who pass by their towns.
Returning to the verse, the confidante says that they must go and ask the people in that town hall about the particulars of the man’s town. A land, where cascades flow without a moment’s pause, even when the rains have not appeared for long. With this, she qualifies how moist and rich the man’s mountain country is. Then, the confidante finishes her statement saying that they should find out about the man’s town and go there only to tell him that the man has no honour. Hearing this, two people would be in severe shock. One, the lady, to whom this course of action is something unimaginable. A woman going in the open and asking strangers about a man, sounds as something hardly possible in that society! When a lady does not even openly talk to the man, whom she’s in love with, about she wants, how will she go and enquire about the man to strangers? The other person who would be shocked is the man, when he understands how he would appear in the eyes of others if such a thing were to happen. The confidante further emphasises her disapproval in the scene of the waterfalls pouring even when there is no rain and places a metaphorical question of how this could happen in the land of this man with no honour. Understanding the implications, the man would realise that it is imperative that he seek the lady’s hand in marriage without any further delay. The verse clearly demarcates thoughts, words and actions and seems to tell us that just because something is thought or said, it doesn’t mean it will be done. Although the lines here are intended to bring seriousness to the man’s mind, we can choose to see it as a sanction to take thoughts and words lightly, placing it at a marked distance from action and its consequences!
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