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In this episode, we perceive a nuanced technique of persuasion, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 230, penned by Pandiyan Arivudai Nambi. Set in the coastal regions of ‘Neythal’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, passing on a hidden message about the man’s request to tryst.
அம்ம வாழி, தோழி! கொண்கன்-
தான் அது துணிகுவனல்லன்; யான் என்
பேதைமையால் பெருந்தகை கெழுமி,
நோதகச் செய்தது ஒன்று உடையேன்கொல்லோ?-
வயச் சுறா வழங்கு நீர் அத்தம்
சின்னாள் அன்ன வரவு அறியானே.
‘What have I done’ seems to be the exclamation here! The opening words ‘அம்ம வாழி தோழி’ meaning ‘Listen to my words, may you live long, my friend’ demonstrates that laudable quality of Sangam people in seeking someone’s attention by rendering a blessing. In the phrase ‘தான் அது துணிகுவனல்லன்’ meaning ‘he will never dare to do that on his own’, we see an interpretation for another’s behaviour. The phrase ‘நோதகச் செய்தது ஒன்று உடையேன்கொல்லோ’ meaning ‘have I hurt with something I did?’ echoes a sense of guilt about one’s deeds. Ending with the words ‘சின்னாள் அன்ன வரவு அறியானே’ meaning ‘for a few days, he hasn’t come thither’, the verse intrigues our curiosity.
A lot of abstractions around hurt and guilt here! The context reveals that the man had met the lady and fallen in love with her. As was the custom then, the man determined who the lady’s closest friend was and sought her help to further his relationship with the lady. After conducting various tests of his love, the confidante decides to help him in his request to tryst with the lady. One day, she says to the lady, “Listen, may you live long, my friend! The lord of the shores would never decide to do this on his own accord; Owing to the ignorance of not understanding my position, did I do something to hurt the great man? In the waterways through which fierce sharks roam, unlike before, for a few days, he is nowhere to be seen.” With these words, the confidante projects the man as someone, who may be lost to the lady, and tries to evoke the lady’s sympathy for the confidante’s cause of pleading the man’s case.
Sounds like a complicated effort to melt someone’s heart. Let’s explore the nuances by listening closely to the confidante’s words. After attaining the lady’s attention, the confidante starts talking about how the man would never do that on his own, and wonders if she overstepped her position and said something that made him dejected. When we ask her what is the reason for all these inferences and laments, the confidante replies that the man used to come consistently via the waterways, not minding those fearsome sharks on the prowl, but now, he was not to be seen, for the past few days!
A typical case of making something appear so very rare and precious! There was the man, fearless in love, who came to visit the lady not minding the dangers in his path but then something has happened, all because of her too, that he comes no more, the confidante says to the lady. Hearing this, the lady would worry out aloud saying, ‘Oh no! Have I lost such a man or what?’ To which, the confidante would reply, ‘Maybe all is not lost yet’ and summon the man to tryst with the lady, as he wishes to. For some reason, this reminded me of this line seen in many online sales portals, when making a purchase – ‘Last one left in stock’, in bold and red letters. Something that would make you click ‘buy’ even if you weren’t so keen on it. It’s this very sales technique that’s being employed by this savvy friend, who has so much say in what’s right in the lady’s life. Manipulation, some may say, while others in the field of finance perhaps, would declare this concept to be ‘marketing at its best’!
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