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In this episode, we perceive the changes that has unfolded in a man’s life, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 295, penned by Thoongaloriyaar. Set in the farmlands of ‘Marutham’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the man, in response to his request at reconciliation with the lady.
உடுத்தும், தொடுத்தும், பூண்டும், செரீஇயும்,
தழை அணிப் பொலிந்த ஆயமொடு துவன்றி,
விழவொடு வருதி, நீயே; இஃதோ
ஓர் ஆன் வல்சிச் சீர் இல் வாழ்க்கை
பெரு நலக் குறுமகள் வந்தென,
இனி விழவு ஆயிற்று என்னும், இவ் ஊரே.
‘Forgotten who you owe your good fortune to?’ asks this verse. The opening words ‘உடுத்தும், தொடுத்தும், பூண்டும், செரீஇயும்’ meaning ‘wearing as a dress, stitching as a garland, adorning as a jewel, tucking as an accessory’ seems to make a fashion statement. In ‘தழை அணிப் பொலிந்த ஆயம்’ meaning ‘the group of glowing women, decked with leaves’, we get a glimpse of those fashionistas in question. Next, it’s the turn of the verse to make a statement about a person’s lifestyle in ‘ஓர் ஆன் வல்சிச் சீர் இல் வாழ்க்கை’ meaning ‘an impoverished life that comes from a livelihood provided by a single cattle’. Ending with the words ‘இனி விழவு ஆயிற்று என்னும் இவ் ஊரே’ meaning ‘after which, a festival, it became, says this town’, the verse intrigues our curiosity.
From superficial adornments, the verse seems to journey on to make a statement about life! The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a married life when the man took to keeping the company of courtesans. The lady was angered by this action of the man. One day, the man returns with an intent of calming his wife’s ire and approaches the lady’s confidante. To the man, the confidante says, “Wearing, stringing, adorning and tucking clothes made of leaves, are those radiant women. After being close with them, you return with signs of festivities. Here, you made a living with a single cattle and led a wealth-less life. Only after that good-natured young maiden came, your life has become festive, says this town!” With these words, the confidante accuses the man of neglecting the person, who had brought much joy and prosperity in his life and refuses entry to the lady’s house.
Time to delve into the nuances. The confidante starts by listing the ways in which leaves were used by women to adorn themselves. They not only wear them as garments, but also stitch them as garlands and make jewellery out of the same, and place it on their form in decorative ways. Explaining that these women are none other than the courtesans, whom the man seems to have been intimate with, the confidante points out that he returns with the signs of having much fun in the festivities along with these leaf-clad women. A moment to pause and consider the glory attributed to what we dismiss as ‘mere leaves’. This glimpse of the past where women make a statement about themselves with what was available in abundance then, makes me wonder if the future too, will look at our clothes and nod in disbelief. What will be the take on flowing gowns and dazzling diamonds then? Perhaps in that time, one can even change the entire appearance, as I recently saw in a cyberpunk web-series called ‘Altered carbon’, where the human mind can be extracted as an bio-electric device and plugged into a new ‘skin’ at will. And then, they might look at their past, our present and say, ‘Much ado about mere cloth and stones’!
Returning from our possible future to the ancient past, we now find the confidante talking about the man’s past, where he seems to have made a living with a single cow. The confidante has a disparaging tone about this fact of the man’s life. Apparently, having a single cattle was something that was considered as poverty! Portraying this as an impoverished life, the confidante goes on to talk about how this changed completely when the good lady came into the man’s life and wealth started pouring in. The confidante concludes by saying that those were not her words but those said by their townsfolk. In other words, the confidante seems to be asking the man, ‘remember who you were? And, how you got here?’ A reprimand to the man serves to reiterate the lesson to never forget the past and the people who changed our lives!
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