Aganaanooru 12 – Fear not in vain

In this episode, we perceive a strategy for course correction, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 12, penned by Kabilar. Set amidst the squeaks and squawks of squirrels and parrots in the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain landscape’, the verse attempts to offer a new perspective to a perplexed person. யாயே, கண்ணினும் கடுங் காதலளே;எந்தையும், நிலன் உறப் பொறாஅன்; ”சீறடி சிவப்ப,எவன், இல! குறுமகள்! இயங்குதி?” என்னும்;யாமே, பிரிவு இன்று இயைந்த துவரா நட்பின்,இரு தலைப் புள்ளின் ஓர் உயிரம்மே;ஏனல்அம் காவலர் ஆனாது ஆர்த்தொறும்,கிளி விளி பயிற்றும் வெளில் ஆடு பெருஞ் சினை,விழுக் கோட் பலவின் பழுப் பயம் கொண்மார்,குறவர் ஊன்றிய குரம்பை புதைய,வேங்கை தாஅய தேம் பாய் தோற்றம்புலி செத்து, வெரீஇய புகர்முக வேழம்,மழை படு சிலம்பில் கழைபட, பெயரும்நல் வரை நாட! நீ வரின்,மெல்லியல் ஓரும் தான் வாழலளே. Once again, it’s time to visit the picturesque mountains and in this trip, we observe the confidante saying these words to the man, when he attempts to tryst with the lady: “As for mother, she loves her more dearly than her own eyes; As for father, he can’t even bear her feet to touch the ground, for he asks instantly, ‘Why do you walk about, reddening your feet, my dear little girl?’; As for me, with a sweet friendship that knows not separation, we are like a two-headed bird, with one beating life within; When the guards of millet fields unceasingly chatter, parrots talk back to them from their seats on the huge branch of the jackfruit tree, where squirrels play, decked with fruits many, whose benefit is reaped by a mountain dweller, whose hut is buried by the fallen flowers of the Kino tree. Seeing this honey-dripping sweet image, mistaking it for a tiger, an elephant with a spotted face is startled and runs towards the rain-filled mountain slopes, tearing apart and ruining the bamboos in your mountain ranges, O lord! If you come to tryst, the soft-natured maiden shan’t live anymore!” Time for our trek on these ancient mountain slopes! The confidante starts by talking about how precious the lady is to the lady’s mother, saying she is the apple of the mother’s eyes. If the mother treats her so, the father goes one step beyond and is pained when the girl even puts her feet on ground, asking why she has to go and redden it, walking hither and thither! The confidante then talks about her own relationship with the lady, saying they both are so inseparable that they are said to be a two-headed bird with one beating heart! After that portrait of the lady’s importance in all their lives, the confidante changes track and starts to talk about the man’s land, and to do that she brings forth scenes of young girls, who come to guard millet fields, chattering away loudly and parrots answering back to them, as they sit on the branches of the jackfruit tree, where squirrels play all day. From the branch of the jackfruit tree, the confidante jumps to its fruit, which she says, is relished by the ‘Kuravars’ or ‘Mountain dwellers’. Taking another leap, she moves from the people to their abode, and points to a hut, which sits below an Indian Kino tree, and in course of time, the bright yellow flowers of this tree drop down and cover the hut. What an exquisite sight, right? To us, yes, but not to an elephant, says the confidante, talking about how the animal is frightened by that image, mistaking it for a fierce tiger, and runs wildly into the bamboo forest, ruining the stalks along the way, in the man’s mountain slopes, the confidante connects. The confidante concludes saying if the man were to come to tryst with the lady at night, she’s afraid the lady won’t live anymore! What a strong message! What could be the reason for this? To unravel it, we have to explore the scene of the elephant mistaking the flower-clad hut for a tiger. Here, the confidante has placed a metaphor for how the man does not realise the goodness of the lady’s kin and he is mistakenly frightened by them, just like the elephant is frightened by the sight of those sweet flowers and consequently, destroying the health and beauty of the lady, like how the elephant ruins its good food of bamboo stalks, because of its unnecessary fear! In essence, the confidante is asking the man not to be afraid of the lady’s parents, but instead come seek her hand in marriage, for it has become too difficult for the lady to step out of her home and tryst with the man anymore. In mentioning how she and the lady are like a two-headed bird, the confidante implies they both are of the same mind, and she, in fact, speaks only for the lady’s good! A delightfully sweet verse, filled with the fruit slices of care and concern and the honey drops of a thoughtful communication!