"If it is true that liberal education should "liberate" by demonstrating the cultural values and norms foreign to us, by revealing the relativity of our own values, then the "discovery" and enjoyment of Tamil literature, and even its teaching should find its place in the systems of Western training and instruction in the humanities." - Kamil Zvelebil in his book, The Smile of Murugan , The Tamil literature of South India

Monday, February 23, 2015

Lasting bond

She desires not an acquaintance but an everlasting bond. Such is her love, so pure and true. Blue flowers might look like water lilies, but can't be the same.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

So be gold

We wish the land to prosper and abound in wealth. And for the way you behave, we just wish you and your friend stay safe and sound. 

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Rain clouds hover

Ainkurunooru 207, Sung by poet Kapilar
Kurinji thinai poem as spoken by the friend to the thalaivi (heroine).
"annAi vAzhi vEndu annai nandrum
unangala kollO ninthinaiyE uvakkAn
ninam podhi vazhukkin thOndrum
mazhaithalai vaiththa avarmani nedungkundrE"



To read the original poem and my explanation in Tamil, please click here.

Poem meaning: Long live my mother! Please Listen! Your millet fields will not dry up. Look at the rain clouds over his(thalaivan's) beautiful high hills, like fat covering fatty meat!

Description: The heroine usually meets the hero in secrecy while she goes to guard her millet crops.  This is the typical subject of the kurinji thinai poems. Now she is worried that the crops won't grow and the fields would go dry due to lack of rain. In that case she won't be able to meet her beloved. The heroine's friend(thozhi) points to the rain clouds hovering over the hero's mountains and consoles the heroine that it would rain and her millet field won't go dry. The friend just shows the rain clouds and says the millet field won't go dry. She implies that the heroine would be able to meet the hero. Her words give hope to the heroine. It was usual to call a friend as 'mother' out of affection.

Word meanings: annAi - mother, vAzhi - long live, vEndu - request, annai - mother, nandrum - it's good, unangala kollO - will not go barren/dry, nin thinayE - your millet field, uvakkAn - look there, ninam - fat, podhi - studded, vazhukkin - meat, thOndrum - appears, mazhai - mazhaithalai vaiththu - covered with rain clouds, avar maninedungkundrE - his beautiful high hills

My English Version:
"Long live mother! Please listen!
Your millet fields won't go barren;
Look there! Like fat covering fatty meat
Rain clouds hover his beautiful summit!"