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In this episode, we perceive a portrait of a lady, placed against her picturesque surroundings, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 291, penned by Kabilar. Set in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the man to his friend, describing the beauty and nature of his lady love.
சுடு புன மருங்கில் கலித்த ஏனற்
படுகிளி கடியும் கொடிச்சி கைக் குளிரே
இசையின் இசையா இன் பாணித்தே;
கிளி, ”அவள் விளி” என, எழல் ஒல்லாவே;
அது புலந்து அழுத கண்ணே, சாரல்
குண்டு நீர்ப் பைஞ் சுனைப் பூத்த குவளை
வண்டு பயில் பல் இதழ் கலைஇ,
தண் துளிக்கு ஏற்ற மலர் போன்றவ்வே.
‘Musical and magical, she is!’ melts a voice in this verse. In the opening words ‘சுடு புன மருங்கில்’ meaning ‘in the land, which was burnt and made a field’, we find evidence of ‘slash and burn’ agriculture, still prevalent in Northeastern states of India. The line ‘படுகிளி கடியும் கொடிச்சி கைக் குளிரே’ meaning ‘in the hands of the mountain girl, who chases away visiting parrots, is the ‘kulir’ device’, a lady, her intention and her tools are all brought into focus. There’s glorification of music in the words ‘இசையின் இசை’ meaning ‘the music of music’. Speaking of music, the rhythmically delicious words ‘கிளி அவள் விளி என’ meaning ‘the parrot thinks it’s her song’ resounds with a charm here. It’s not all joy and positivity though, for we next see ‘புலந்து அழுத கண்ணே’ meaning ‘worrying and crying eyes’. Following this, we find a flower oft-mentioned in Sangam Literature, ‘பைஞ் சுனைப் பூத்த குவளை’ meaning ‘blue lotus blooming in the green springs’. Ending with the words ‘தண் துளிக்கு ஏற்ற மலர் போன்றவ்வே’ meaning ‘like a flower that is coated with moist drops’, the verse welcomes us within.
Sounds like a treat for the senses indeed! The context reveals that the man had met the lady in the mountains and had fallen in love with her and the lady too seemed to reciprocate his feelings. Being in the first rush of love, the man started exhibiting behaviour that seemed curious to his friend, who then asks him about it. To the friend, the man says, “On the land gleaned by burning trees, thrives millet crops. To drive away the parrots that come to steal these millets, the hands of mountain maiden hold the ‘kulir’ device. As this music of music resounds sweetly, parrots think that it’s her song and do not rise up to fly away. Seeing this, she worries and starts shedding tears, making her eyes look like the blue lotus flowers that bloom in the deep and fertile springs of the mountain slopes, around which bees buzz and tousle the flower’s many petals, drenched in moist drops!” With these words, the man explains to his friend that he had met a girl and allured by her charm, had fallen in love with her.
The moment I read the lines, that sounded to me like the ecstatic words of a man in love! How exactly does he bring the lady he loves alive in the eyes of his friend? The man starts by talking about the land where she lives, and to do that, he goes to the very beginning of what that land was. Trees seemed to have dotted that landscape and as was the case in most societies at the dawn of agriculture, this meant burning down the trees and clearing a tract so as to raise crops. The crop raised happens to be millets, which is a favourite food of the parrots. You may burn the forest but you cannot keep the forest away from your new venture, for birds, which, for millennia, have been finding their food naturally, will not suddenly decide that this is private property and decide not to feed on those millets! And so, those mountain farmers endow their young girls with the task of chasing away parrots, and to help them in this task, they hand over a ‘kulir’, a musical device, meant to scare the parrots. But from this ‘kulir’ device, arises not a sound of harshness but something sweet and melodic and the parrots decide that it’s the voice of the lady, singing a song, and mesmerised by that melody, they don’t flutter away in fear!
The lady’s best laid plans now lie in waste! Seeing this, her eyes fill with tears and to describe those eyes, the man takes us deep into the mountain jungles, to a spot where there are pools of water and here, he points to a spot where bees seemed to be buzzing around in a tizzy! When we look carefully, we spot a delicate blue lotus flower, whose petals are glistening with cool water drops, and that’s exactly how my lady’s eyes are, the man concludes to his friend. And thus, the man narrates in detail about who the lady’s ancestors were, what was their profession, where the lady lives, and what she does day-to day, and most importantly, the melody of her voice and the beauty of her eyes. In all this, we get to travel to a mountain land and see its past and present and experience the sights, sounds, scents of the ancient past in this sensuous song!
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