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In this episode, we gather fascinating facets about the lifestyle of ancients, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 113, penned by Maathirathanaar. Set in the farmlands of ‘Marutham’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the man, conveying that he should tryst with the lady at an alternative spot.
ஊர்க்கும் அணித்தே, பொய்கை; பொய்கைக்குச்
சேய்த்தும் அன்றே, சிறு கான்யாறே:
இரை தேர் வெண் குருகு அல்லது யாவதும்
துன்னல் போகின்றால், பொழிலே; யாம் எம்
கூழைக்கு எருமணம் கொணர்கம் சேறும்;
ஆண்டும் வருகுவள் பெரும் பேதையே.
‘Directions to destination’ is the essence of this one! Starting with the words ‘ஊர்க்கும் அணித்தே’ meaning ‘near the hamlet’, the verse highlights the beginning of the journey as the town. Then, as an alternative to the word ‘அணித்தே’ meaning ‘near to’ that we encountered earlier, appears ‘சேய்த்தும் அன்றே’ meaning ‘not far to’. The geographic indicators that follow are ‘பொய்கை’ meaning ‘pond’ , ‘சிறு கான்யாறே’ meaning ‘small forest stream’ and ‘பொழிலே’ meaning ‘orchard’. Doesn’t it seem like a verbal map, dotting spots of interest in a place? Then, the focus turns to ‘கூழைக்கு எருமணம்’ meaning ‘fragrant mud for tresses’. Mud on hair – doesn’t that sound sticky? Ending with the words ‘வருகுவள் பெரும் பேதையே’ meaning ‘the naive maiden shall arrive’, the verse welcomes us to explore the landscape!
What treasure does this map hide within? The context reveals that the man and lady had been leading a love relationship and that the man had been trysting with the lady by day. One day, the confidante approaches him as he’s leaving after his tryst and says to him, “Near the town, is a pond; Not far from the pond is a small wild stream; None other than a white bird in search of prey tread near the grove there; To bring rich mud for our tresses, we go thither; To that place, she too will come, that innocent maiden!” With these words, the confidante informs the man that there is danger of discovery in their current trysting spot and that it would be best to seek the lady’s company in the other spot she has chosen.
A curious verse that reads like a ‘Google map’ of today! As in any worthy map, the confidante starts at the starting spot and for her, it’s the town. Unlike us, they do not use ‘left’ and ‘right’ but the confidante only says that near the town is a pond. Perhaps, they did not have so much to clutter and confuse them as we do today! After directing the man to the pond, the confidante then says, not far from there, is a wild little stream. I don’t know about the man, but if it was me, I would just sit there at the stream for quite some time, gazing at the flowing water. The confidante however beckons saying it’s back to business and takes us to the destination she has in mind. It’s a fine grove, she says, and that there wouldn’t be anyone but a little white birdie, pecking about for its food in that spot. Somehow this reminds me of a popular way of referring to an isolated spot in contemporary Tamil – ‘ஒரு ஈ காக்கா அங்க இருக்காது!’ meaning ‘there won’t be even a fly or a crow there!’ Perhaps we can find a little solace in imagining how at least in the Sangam times, no matter how isolated a spot, there would be a bird going about its job!
Returning to the grove the confidante was talking about, we see her now detailing to the man that they would come there to collect mud for their tresses and concludes by informing the man that the lady too would accompany them and that he could meet up with her there. Through this, the confidante is hinting at the dangers of trysting in his current spot and in this way, she would step by step nudge the man to give up his day trysts, and then his night trysts, and push him in the direction of formalising his union with the lady.
Leaving aside this masterplan of the confidante, let’s take a detour to a facet of crowning importance. I’m talking about the confidante’s mention of collecting mud to use on their hair. Don’t we wash our hair to take off the mud and dirt? What’s this talk of using mud to care for the hair? Is it some crazy and inaccessible tradition of the past? Well, those who are up to date with the trends in hair cosmetics would know that mud washes for hair are the latest fad in salons and many modern hair stylists would vouch for the cleaning and softening properties of a mud shampoo. Although today, you would find these products in fancy boxes with hefty price tags, the origin of using mud on hair dates back centuries, as can be witnessed from this two-thousand-year-old Sangam verse. In connection to this, I also found a custom that lives on to this day in the Himba women of Northern Nambia, who use a mix of red earth and animal fat to cover their locks and even coat their skin, which gives them their much celebrated reddish hue. Even the aborigines of Australia are known for decorating their skin and hair with clay. To me, these practices of using mud for self-care among ancient cultures go on to demonstrate our oneness, pointing to common origins. On the other hand, this earthy bond also reveals the instinctive knowledge of the ancients about what’s good for us that the modern world is only slowly and laboriously catching up with its tools of analysis!
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