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In this episode, we perceive problems caused by war, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Puranaanooru 293, penned by the poet Nochi Niyamankizhaar. Set in the category of ‘Kanji Thinai’ or ‘Defence’, the verse talks about the call to war and the fall of a flower-seller.
நிறப் படைக்கு ஒல்கா யானை மேலோன்
குறும்பர்க்கு எறியும் ஏவல் தண்ணுமை
நாண் உடை மாக்கட்கு இரங்குமாயின்,
எம்மினும் பேர் எழில் இழந்து, வினை எனப்
பிறர் மனை புகுவள்கொல்லோ
அளியள் தானே, பூவிலைப் பெண்டே!
A tiny song that offers insights about two different worlds. The poet’s words can be translated as follows:
“Sitting atop an elephant that submits not to a goad, the drummer beats his ‘thannummai’ calling out to those shame-faced soldiers to come join the fight against the enemy army. There’s someone, who has lost greater beauty and joy much more than me. She now has to enter the homes of those others. Pitiable indeed, she is, that flower-selling maiden!”
Let’s explore the nuances herein. The poet speaks in the voice of a warrior’s wife who says that on top on a untameable elephant, sits a drummer. His job is to beat his drum and call out to soldiers to come join the fight against the enemy army. The warrior’s wife says that the drummer’s action is necessary only for certain ‘shameful’ soldiers. Why ‘shameful’? To say that those who are in the know, must already be at the battlefield and only those trembling thinking of the battle ahead would need this second call by the drummer. Moving away from this macho depiction, the poem takes a U turn and the warrior’s wife now places her attention on a flower seller, whom she says has lost more beauty even than her, for now she can only go to few other houses, where men have not left for war. This is because when the men are away, married Sangam women are said to abstain from making themselves fashionable or even presentable. So, this flower-seller is much to be pitied for she has no business in many homes, the wife concludes.
The thing to note here is that even though as a warrior’s wife, when she herself is in much sorrow, this lady has the kindness to think about the suffering of others. Another curious thing that struck me was the way Sangam poems focus not only on the central, dashing character but all those people living in the margins. When watching movies, it’s rather interesting to take your attention away from the central character and see what those in the periphery are talking and doing. It’s this nuanced view that this Sangam poem presents and also tells us about the far-reaching consequences of war, be it in the life of this Sangam age flower-seller or the countless civilians, wildlife and trees impacted by the wars of today!
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