Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | iHeartRadio | TuneIn | RSS | More
In this episode, we observe how inanimate objects echo the inner landscape, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 114, penned by Ponnaakanaar. The verse is situated in the coastal regions of ‘Neythal’ and speaks in the voice of the confidante to the man, conveying news about his trysting with the lady.
நெய்தல் பரப்பில் பாவை கிடப்பி,
நின்குறி வந்தனென், இயல் தேர்க் கொண்க!-
செல்கம்; செல வியங்கொண்மோ-அல்கலும்,
ஆரல் அருந்த வயிற்ற
நாரை மிதிக்கும், என் மகள் நுதலே.
‘A doll in waiting’ is the curious message at the core of this verse! The opening words ‘நெய்தல் பரப்பில் பாவை கிடப்பி’ meaning ‘laying the doll on a blue-lily bed’ captures the location the said doll is lying in wait. In place of names used to address a protagonist, we see the expression ‘இயல் தேர்க் கொண்க’ meaning ‘lord of the coastal regions, owner of decorative chariots’ and this illustrates a significant aspect of Sangam ‘Aham’ poetry, which avoids mentioning names of real characters so that the thoughts expressed can be related to, by anyone. Elements of nature greet us in ‘ஆரல் அருந்த வயிற்ற நாரை’ meaning ‘storks with stomachs stuffed with sand-eels’ and in one line, talks about a bird and its preferred and seemingly abundant prey. Ending with the words ‘என் மகள் நுதலே’ meaning ‘my daughter’s forehead’, the verse makes us raise our eyebrows wondering if the lady’s confidante already had a daughter!
What could be the significance of this tale of dolls and storks? The context reveals that the man had fallen in love with the lady and had sought the help of the confidante to further his relationship with the lady. Acceding to his request to tryst with the lady, one day, the confidante says to the man, “Laying my doll on a bed of blue lilies, I came to the spot you stood, O lord of the seas and wielder of a well-adorned chariot! I shall leave. Please urge her to part before night falls, for storks, with stomachs well-fed with sand-eels, may stamp on the fine forehead of my little daughter!” With these words, the confidante informs the man in a hidden manner that the lady was waiting for him at their trysting spot and that he must take due caution to prevent the spread of slander about his relationship with the lady.
All we heard was talk of the stomachs of well-fed birds and the forehead of daughters! How does the confidante manage to convey her intentions? Let’s unravel the hidden meaning in the confidante’s words. Talking about how she had just laid her doll on a bed of blue lilies, the confidante tells the man she now stands before him. Then, she asks him to do two things. One, is to leave thither, and two, to let another person leave before nightfall. It’s here the decrypting must begin! It’s highly unlikely that this Sangam man from the shores, one who rides fine chariots, would be interested in playing with a doll. So, we understand that the confidante was talking about her friend, the lady, as if she were a doll lying on the leaves of the lily. Coming to the second question, who is it that the man must give leave to part before the dark and why? To have this question answered, we have to listen to the rest of what the confidante says, who now talks of storks with well-fed stomachs stamping on the forehead of her daughter! Instead of literally assuming this daughter to be the progeny of the confidante, we have to connect back to the beginning of the verse, where she talks of the doll amidst the lilies. It’s this doll that she sees as her own daughter and we know from our earlier decrypting that the doll was none other than the lady herself!
It now becomes clear, just as how the doll is an icon for the lady, the image of well-fed storks stamping on the doll is a metaphor for how the womenfolk of the town, who have gathered juicy rumours all day, would spread slander about the lady, and would thereby, cause pallor to spread on the lady’s fine forehead. That’s why the confidante tells the man that indeed he was free to relish the company of the lady but he should also keep in mind about the slander that could arise and cause trouble for the lady. And now we understand the reason the confidante instructs indirectly that the man must send the lady home discreetly before night falls. Leaving aside these concerns in man-woman relationships then, let us focus on how girls are portrayed as playing with dolls and seeing these objects as daughters. It made me wonder about how boys were portrayed in Sangam verses. Natrinai 3 describes a scene where boys are seen playing with gooseberries as marbles and Natrinai 58 talks about a boy from an affluent home, who plays with decorative drums. In this, is an echo of how society seems to have compartmentalised play for girls and boys and how it starts grooming them early for their supposed roles of caregiver and breadwinner respectively. Neither is this something that was done only in the ancient times! Even today, in many toy shops, when one is scouting for a gift, a salesperson will most probably ask, ‘girl’ or ‘boy’. As if all it takes is the gender of the child to determine their interests! It’s time we broke free of these outdated modes of dictating what boys and girls should be interested in. Next time when we are buying a gift for a little child, instead of just looking at whether it’s a ‘he’ or a ‘she’, shall we get to know the child better and see all that they could possibly be!
Share your thoughts...