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In this episode, we observe an intriguing technique of consolation, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 380, penned by Karuvoor Kathapillai. Set in the drylands of ‘Paalai’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, relating how the man continues to remain parted away.
விசும்பு கண் புதையப் பாஅய், வேந்தர்
வென்று எறி முரசின் நன் பல முழங்கி,
பெயல் ஆனாதே, வானம்; காதலர்
நனி சேய் நாட்டர்; நம் உன்னலரே;
யாங்குச் செய்வாம்கொல்-தோழி!-ஈங்கைய
வண்ணத் துய்மலர் உதிர
முன்னர்த் தோன்றும் பனிக் கடு நாளே!
‘What do we do when that day comes’ wonders a voice in this verse! The opening words ‘விசும்பு கண் புதைய’ meaning ‘burying the sky’ makes us wonder about the entity that has the power to hide this majestic ceiling. A thunderous sound greets us in ‘வேந்தர் வென்று எறி முரசின்’ meaning ‘the drums of kings, who are victorious in battle’. In the phrase ‘நனி சேய் நாட்டர்’ meaning ‘he is in a country, really far away’, we see the Sangam practice of creating a noun from what the person seems to be doing or wearing. A well-known plant, appears in ‘ஈங்கை’ or ‘touch-me-not’. Ending with the words ‘முன்னர்த் தோன்றும் பனிக் கடு நாளே’ meaning ‘the distressing cold day that will unfold soon’, the verse ends with words about a future moment and invites us to listen with empathy.
Drums seem to be announcing the arrival of a season here! The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a happy, married life, when the man parted away to gather wealth. Before he parts away, he promises to return by a particular season. Observing the season approach, the confidante goes to the lady and says, “Hiding the sky from the eyes, spreading everywhere, akin to drums of victorious kings, resounding many times, clouds pour down as rain. The beloved is in a country, far away. He seems not to think about us. What are we to do, my friend, on that harsh, cold day, about to arrive, when colourful, soft flowers of the ‘eengai’ tree begin to wither away?” With these words, in a subtle manner, the confidante is preparing the lady to bear with the man’s parting, even if does not return as promised.
Let’s explore how touch-me-not flowers and the king’s drums aid in helping the lady in her separation. The confidante starts by pointing to the space above, describing how the sky entire seems to be buried. To reveal the one burying the skies, the confidante presents a simile of repeated sound of drums, echoing in a battlefield, and behold, thick clouds pop up before our eyes and fall down as rain. After relating the weather phenomenon just then, the confidante talks about how the man is in a faraway country and seemed not to be thinking about the lady at all. And then, the confidante looks to the future, when the ‘eengai’ flowers will fall from the branches, in that cold season, and wonders what they will do then!
Now, we understand that the season the man promised to return was the cold season, indicated by the falling of those ‘eengai’ flowers. Even though that has not arrived, the confidante brings that up and puts a seemingly clueless question of how to bear with the man’s absence then. This is a technique of stepping up an attack even before something happens, known in military parlance as ‘a pre-emptive strike’. A technique which seems to say, ‘even before you think of doing that, here’s something to make sure you won’t do that’! In this ancient scenario, even before the lady starts to worry inconsolably that the man had not returned as he promised, the confidante puts forth the question about his delay. A way of giving a glimpse of the future to the lady and making her rise to the situation and say, ‘I can manage this!’ There are two ways of seeing this approach: Some may ask why talk about something negative even before it happens while others would feel that it’s better to be prepared for the worst. Our wise confidante belongs to the second category and illustrates how even negativity, when used thoughtfully, can evoke a positive response, full of determination and strength!
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