In this episode, we listen to a mother’s words of angst, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 189, penned by Kayamanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse echoes the immeasurable pain in losing something precious.
பசும் பழப் பலவின் கானம் வெம்பி,
விசும்பு கண் அழிய, வேனில் நீடி,
கயம் கண் அற்ற கல் ஓங்கு வைப்பின்
நாறு உயிர் மடப் பிடி தழைஇ, வேறு நாட்டு
விழவுப் படர் மள்ளரின் முழவு எடுத்து உயரி,
களிறு அதர்ப்படுத்த கல் உயர் கவாஅன்
வெவ் வரை அத்தம் சுட்டி, பையென,
வயலை அம் பிணையல் வார்ந்த கவர்வுற,
திதலை அல்குல் குறுமகள் அவனொடு
சென்று பிறள் ஆகிய அளவை, என்றும்
படர் மலி எவ்வமொடு மாதிரம் துழைஇ,
மனை மருண்டு இருந்த என்னினும், நனை மகிழ்
நன்னராளர் கூடு கொள் இன் இயம்
தேர் ஊர் தெருவில் ததும்பும்
ஊர் இழந்தன்று, தன் வீழ்வு உறு பொருளே.
In this trip to the drylands, we get to hear a mother say these words, at a time when her daughter had left their home and eloped away with the man:
“The forest, which used to have fresh fruits, hanging from the jackfruit tree, is parched dry. With nothing to cover the skies, the summer sun scorches. In those stony spaces, where the ponds have lost their cover of water, a male elephant embraces its sighing, naive mate, and walks on stony slopes of highlands, akin to warriors carrying their drums, seeking to attend festivities in a faraway country. Daring to go to such a formidable place, slowly walks my young girl with spotted waist, with ‘vayalai’ vines covering her thighs, along with him. She has become a stranger to us. Still, more than me, who is filled with suffering for all time, after searching in all directions, and arriving confused to this home, this town, which is brimming with the sweet music of the good people, delighting in toddy, in the roads with the ceaseless sound of chariots, has lost a much adored treasure!”
Let’s follow along in the trail of the daughter through the drylands. Mother starts by visualising the path the lady walks, an arid scrub jungle with dried-up jackfruit trees, scorching sun, a place where elephants tread the stony spaces. Describing that the lady had decided to walk such a path with the man, mother talks about how the lady had become a stranger to them. At this time, the suffering of being apart from her daughter torments mother after her fruitless search. Even in that moment of pain, she looks around at the town, renowned for its joyous celebrations and ceaseless sound of chariots plying on their roads, and declares that the town had indeed lost its most precious treasure. One can empathise with mother recollecting a time of loss, when all the joy and wealth of the world seems to vanish in a single moment, and all that can be seen by the mind’s eye are the parched drylands all around. Hoping with someone’s care and love, those barren trees that the eyes see will bloom again!