Author S.Suresh's Website
Through The Eyes of a Poet - Sangam Poetry of Women Poets
Reflections - Part 2
This series has been inspired by a similar series written in Tamil by Jeyamohan titled, 'Sangachithirangal'
Shall I charge
or shall I lash out against this town
Or shall I falsely wail
I dont know
the swirling,
swinging breeze
saddens me
not realizing
my anguish of love
this town sleeps
- Avvaiyar (Kurunthogai: 28)
Avvaiyar is an interesting and elusive personality. Randor Guy, the film historian, once wrote an article about the making of the movie 'Avvaiyar,' in which K.B.Sundarambal played the role of Avvaiyar. Randor Guy says, "…Vasan had instructed his story department to research the life and times of the famed poet Avvai and work on a draft script. More than two years were invested in the research. Vasan entrusted this job to Tamil scholar Kothamangalam Subbu. The result was a mass of information — some incredible, some highly controversial, and some even objectionable! Some scholars even told Subbu that "there was no such person called Avvaiyar! All kinds of people wrote philosophical poems and songs and passed them off as written by Avvai!" "(http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/chen-columns/avvaiyar-1953/article3665697.ece )
There were indeed many Avvais. In the last part, I wrote about a poem from 'Purananuru,' a set of verses dealing with external events. The Avvai seen there was the friend of the chieftain Anji. A lot of love poems in 'Agananooru' are attributed to Avvai. Were these two the same people? It is well known the Avvai who wrote 'Aathichoodi' is a different Avvai altogether. In essence, the Avvai we see in the films as a single person is an amalgamation of multiple personalities.
Now for today's verse, a love song from Avvai in 'Kurunthogai.' The love songs of the Sangam era are some of the greatest love songs ever written. But, more importantly, they are highly modern in nature. They are about almost every shade of love and are written with a subtlety that is missing even in contemporary poems. The poem we have taken up is one such.
Now for today's verse, a love song from Avvai in 'Kurunthogai.' The love songs of the Sangam era are some of the greatest love songs ever written. But, more importantly, they are highly modern in nature. They are about almost every shade of love and are written with a subtlety that is missing even in contemporary poems. The poem we have taken up is one such.
The surface meaning is apparent. The girl's lover is not around; she is pining for him and is angry that the town sleeps peacefully. An excellent contrast is made between the girl's turmoil and the town, which is not worried about her. The poem casually tells us how deeply affected the girl is, being separated from her lover.
This poem makes me think: Is love a synonym for loneliness? Does a person feel lonelier than when they are in love? During this period, there is a constant sense of loneliness and a need for communication, not just with the lover but with the world at large. They somehow want to make the world realize the depth of affection they have for each other and want the world to participate in this enchanting new world they are building. (It is also during this stage that a person slowly realizes that it is almost impossible to express what they feel in words. ) Despite all the external manifestations of love, doubt remains about whether society really understands the person's feelings. This heightened sense of joy, coupled with the inability of words to express it, makes a person feel lonely. It is not the loneliness of a sad person. It is the loneliness of a person who has climbed the summit, is exhilarated but finds no one around who can understand the joy they are experiencing at that particular moment.
It also brings to the fore the question of our Indian society's troubled relationship with love. Bharathiyar wrote a poem wherein he was very angry with people who praise love when it appears in literature but completely oppose it when it happens in real life. We read about khap panchayats and their diktat against love regularly. Why is it that our society is so scared of love? I think it has to do with the fact that 'Love is Blind.' I know it is a cliché and is generally used in a derogatory fashion, but I use it differently here. What I mean is that when people are in love, they are blind to the ways of society. They cannot see the various divisions in society: divisions based on caste, race, religion, class, and whatnot. For them, these are unnecessary divisions; in a way, it is during this period of love that human beings return to their primal state. A state wherein another person is just a human being, and there need not be any other identity. This notion challenges all the divisions society holds dear, hence the clash and intolerance towards love. A community that wants to protect its identity will always be at loggerheads with love which wants to destroy such identities.
Of course, I was romanticizing a bit about love and its power to destroy the structures built by society. We have to understand that this is a very complex issue. The lovers are also a part of society. In many cases, their philosophy is not about destroying the societal structures but rather ensuring they get to live with the person they love within the social structures. Else things would have changed a lot by now. I am reminded of my friend who fought tooth and nail to get married to the person he loved. The girl was from a different caste, and her mother opposed this alliance vehemently. Finally, my friend's perseverance paid off, and he got married to the girl he loved. Yet, when his younger sister wanted to marry a boy from a different religion, whom she loved, he was totally opposed to the idea, and his sister's love ended in failure. Similarly, we have cases where one of the lovers is asked to change their religion after marriage. So if we understand that the society which opposes love also contains people who have once loved and won/lost and now are in the opposition party, we will understand why change is not simple and why the social dynamics are so complex.
It is possible that our society will be more tolerant toward love and lovers in the distant future, but one thing will remain unchanged. While the lover is in turmoil and wide awake, the town will peacefully asleep.