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In this episode, we perceive a disgruntled comparison, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 265, penned by Maamoolanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse introduces an intriguing historic detail.
புகையின் பொங்கி, வியல் விசும்பு உகந்து,
பனி ஊர் அழற் கொடி கடுப்பத் தோன்றும்
இமயச் செவ் வரை மானும்கொல்லோ?
பல் புகழ் நிறைந்த வெல் போர் நந்தர்
சீர் மிகு பாடலிக் குழீஇ, கங்கை
நீர்முதல் கரந்த நிதியம்கொல்லோ?
எவன்கொல்? வாழி, தோழி! வயங்கு ஒளி
நிழற்பால் அறலின் நெறித்த கூந்தல்,
குழற் குரல் பாவை இரங்க, நத்துறந்து,
ஒண் தொடி நெகிழச் சாஅய், செல்லலொடு
கண் பனி கலுழ்ந்து யாம் ஒழிய, பொறை அடைந்து,
இன் சிலை எழில் ஏறு கெண்டி, புரைய
நிணம் பொதி விழுத் தடி நெருப்பின் வைத்து எடுத்து,
அணங்கு அரு மரபின் பேஎய் போல
விளர் ஊன் தின்ற வேட்கை நீங்க,
துகள் அற விளைந்த தோப்பி பருகி,
குலாஅ வல் வில் கொடு நோக்கு ஆடவர்
புலாஅல் கையர், பூசா வாயர்,
ஒராஅ உருள் துடி குடுமிக் குராலொடு
மராஅஞ் சீறூர் மருங்கில் தூங்கும்
செந் நுதல் யானை வேங்கடம் தழீஇ,
வெம் முனை அருஞ் சுரம் இறந்தோர்
நம்மினும் வலிதாத் தூக்கிய பொருளே!
In this trip to the drylands, we receive some vivid word portraits, as we listen to the lady say these words to the confidante, when the man continues to remain parted away, having left in search of wealth:
“Brimming over like smoke, soaring in the wide sky, flowing with snow, akin to a burst of flame, appears the crimson Himalayan mountains. Would it be equal to that? Or, take the riches that the battle-worthy Nandars, having much fame, had gathered in the renowned city of Patali and then drowned in the waters of the Ganges, lost in time. Would it be equal to that? May you live long, my friend! Forsaking me, the one having wavy tresses, akin to fine slit in the shade, a voice like the flute, the one akin to a doll, he has parted away, letting my shining bangles slip away, making my eyes shed tears, filled with much sorrow, to the mountains in the scorching, formidable drylands, where after killing a fine, sturdy bull, roasting its fatty, fleshy meat in the fire, akin to demons from a fear-evoking tradition, they eat the dry meat and to quench the thirst that arises, those men with curving, sturdy bows and harsh eyes, drink crystal clear, well-aged rice liquor named ‘Thoppi’. Then, with meat-covered hands, and unclean mouths, to the tune of a tufted eagle-owl’s ceaseless hooting, in the streets of the hamlet with burflower trees, they sway around and dance, close to the hills of Venkatam, where elephants with red foreheads, are to be found! What is the true worth of that wealth he seeks in these spaces, with more intent, upheld higher than me, pray tell?”
Let’s brave the scary drylands and learn more! The lady starts by describing the Himalayas with a stack of similes, such as smoke and flames, and presents its soaring personality, and she asks if the wealth the man seeks is greater than these mountain ranges? From the physical wealth of a natural feature, the lady turns to man-made wealth of a certain clan of kings named ‘Nandas’, who are said to have ruled over a city named ‘Pataliputra’. Apparently, they then sank this accumulated wealth in the waters of the Ganges and it was lost for all time. Wonder what made those Nandas destroy their hard-earned wealth? In any case, the lady asks whether the wealth the man seeks is greater than this wealth of the famous Nandas.
Then, she talks of herself, calling her a doll, having a voice like that of a flute, tresses akin to the river silt in the shade. Modest lady, indeed! She turns to describe how the man has left her, ruining her health and beauty, making her filled with sorrow and suffering. And where has he left? Predictably, to the drylands, the lady adds and to sketch this space, she paints an image of highway robbers with harsh eyes and bent bows, feeding on the roasted flesh of a bull they killed, drinking rice liquor known as ‘Thoppi’, and then, without even washing their hands or mouth, dancing to the hoots of a tufted Rock Eagle-owl, in a drylands hamlet, filled with burflower trees, close to the Venkatam hills in the north. The lady concludes by pondering on the great worth of that wealth that the man has forsaken her for! In essence, the lady talks about how she cannot understand the man’s quest for wealth instead of relishing the joy of togetherness with her. A striking instance of how priorities seem to clash between the genders even two thousand years ago!
