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In this episode, we observe how a relationship crisis is projected on elements of nature, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 342, penned by Kaaviripoompattinathu Kantharathanaar. The verse is situated in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’ and speaks in the voice of the confidante to the man, bidding him to seek the lady’s hand in marriage.
கலை கை தொட்ட கமழ்சுளைப் பெரும் பழம்
காவல் மறந்த கானவன், ஞாங்கர்,
கடியுடை மரம்தொறும் படு வலை மாட்டும்
குன்ற நாட! தகுமோ-பைஞ் சுனைக்
குவளைத் தண் தழை இவள் ஈண்டு வருந்த,
நயந்தோர் புன்கண் தீர்க்கும்
பயந் தலைப்படாஅப் பண்பினை எனினே?
‘Is this right?’ seems the pointed question at the core of this verse. The opening words ‘கலை கை தொட்ட கமழ்சுளை’ meaning ‘a sweet-smelling jackfruit slice touched by a monkey’s hands’ throws the spotlight on this grand fruit, seemingly the favoured delicacy of man and ape. In ‘காவல் மறந்த கானவன்’ meaning ‘the forest dweller, who forgot to guard’, the human element pops up. High fashion of Sangam times is sketched in ‘பைஞ் சுனைக் குவளைத் தண் தழை’ meaning ‘a cool, green skirt adorned with blue lilies from fresh springs’. Ending with the words ‘பண்பினை எனினே’ meaning ‘that attitude towards’, the verse beckons us to delve within.
What do monkeys, jackfruits and cool skirts have to do with the lady’s love life? The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a love relationship and the man was trysting with the lady for a while. One day, the confidante informs the man that the lady has been placed under guard. Even then, the man seems interested only in trysting with the lady somehow. So, the confidante says to him, “The forest dweller, who forgot to guard the huge jackfruit, whose fragrant fruit pods have been plucked by the hands of a male monkey, after that, ties nets around all the trees bearing fruits in your peaks, O lord! Is it right to leave she, who wears a skirt of moist leaves interspersed with blue lilies from fresh springs, in misery, and have this attitude that doesn’t take the right action to slay the suffering of the one you love?” With these words, the confidante clearly informs the man that he can no longer enjoy the company of the lady through temporary trysting and that he must seek a permanent path to attain that.
Time to explore the nuances. The confidante starts by pointing to a forest dweller, deep at work, tying nets to all the trees bearing huge jackfruits, and then explains to us, why this person has taken up this task now. This is because a male monkey, seeing the unguarded, ripe jackfruit, pierced it open and plucked a juicy pod to relish. To make sure this won’t happen again, that forest dweller has increased the guard, the confidante says, only as if to describe the man’s mountains. Then, she talks about how the lady, who wears skirts adorned with blue lilies, is suffering in misery. By asking the man is it the right behaviour to let a beloved languish this way and not do anything to end their suffering, the confidante concludes her words.
In the image of the monkey stealing the jackfruit slice, is the metaphor for the man relishing the company of the lady during their secret trysts. Now, word of the man’s relationship has reached the ears of the lady’s family through spreading slander and they have placed her under guard, much like the forest dweller tying nets around jackfruit trees. Through that, the confidante says to the man, there is no chance whatsoever to meet with the lady as you have been doing this far. Also, to nudge him in the right direction, the confidante talks about the lady’s misery and asks whether any good person would let the ones they love suffer in such a manner and treat them with apathy. Sharp words that would push the man to action, no doubt.
Returning to that scene of the jackfruit tree being guarded by nets, I wonder how this thought that a tree growing in the wild and its fruits belong only to humans started growing in their heads. What was the turning point? Trees have always been around and animals too. Both man and beast have been savouring the fruits of nature from time immemorial, and now suddenly, the forest dweller is owning the jackfruit tree, and saying all those fruits are mine, and is not meant for another wild being. This change of thought is fascinating, and I guess, it began with agriculture. When man started taming the land as he wished, he must have looked up, and decided all this world and its fruits are his. And, we see this same attitude towards the girl child in their home, for the family seems to think they own the child and they can keep her away from what life has in mind for her. Like the confidante asks the man, ‘Is it right to have this attitude of apathy’, shouldn’t we too ask ourselves, ‘Is it right to keep tying many, many nets around nature and keep claiming this world only for humans?’
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