04-Manadil uRudi vENDum
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https://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=201893#p201893
by arasi »
FOUR
Manadil uRudi vENDum
(Fortitude, O Mind!)
After Christmas, in the tamizh month of Thai (January-February), KoDiyAlam Rangaswamy Iyengar and C.Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) came to Puduvai--both were close friends of my father.
Manadil uRudi vENDum
(Fortitude, O Mind!)
After Christmas, in the tamizh month of Thai (January-February), KoDiyAlam Rangaswamy Iyengar and C.Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) came to Puduvai--both were close friends of my father.
After spending some hours with Bharathi, Iyengar could guess that the poet was living in a state of penury.
Tamizh annai's grace and Iyengar's enchantment with Bharathi's poetry brought a bounty. Iyengar gave the poet a few hundred rupees to help out.
They were critical times. Bombs went off in Delhi. It was a trying time for the svadESis. When the gift came, Chellamma got some jewelry made. With the rest of the money, she bought provisions for a whole year--paddy, lentils, tamarind, chillies and so on. There were no mechanical grain-processing mills in Puduchery. Womenfolk came to our houses to pound the paddy and winnow it to get the rice ready for cooking. For very twelve sErs of rice they pounded, they were paid a quarter paDi of rice and a paDi of broken rice (noi).
On the day a woman came to pound the paddy, Bharathi was writing a story--Golden Tailed Fox or A Fox which Lost its Tail about Annie Beasant, I'm not sure (the editor's note says that the title was The Fox with A Golden Tail).
Bharathi could not continue writing and Chellamma sensed it.
Chellamma: I will ask the woman to come tomorrow to pound the rice.
Bharathi: Let her do her work.
Chellamma: The sound of the pounding might distract you.
Bharathi: That sound prompts me to ask parASakti for a boon. Don't stop her.
Chellamma: First of all, ask parASakti to feed us well.
Bharathi: You like to see me enslaved? I have already given you the money I had. Do not burden me anymore.
Chellamma: Am I forcing you to do anything? You wanted to publish a book and I am saying, do it when we have the funds.
Bharathi: Chellamma, if you trouble me anymore, I will go away.
Chellamma: If you walk away, I will take a walk in another direction. Let someone else bring up the children.
Bharathi: You mean to say I'm not capable of bringing them up?
Chellamma: I'm not capable of asking parASakthi of any boons, as you do. I can only ask you for boons. Is that wrong?
Bharathi: Don't I know my responsibilities? And, why drag the innocent children into all this?
Chellamma: Am I blaming the children? If you say that you want to walk away, I'm saying that I can do that too.
Bharathi: Don't agitate me. Go attend to your work.
Chellamma went away to mind her work.
Bharathi was writing but his mind was not in it. His attention now turned to the paddy-pounding woman's song. She finished each line of her song with a 'hum!' in rhythm. Bharathi's mind lingered over it and he picked up his pen and wrote a song:
manadil uRudi vEND 'um'. He also finished writing the story and went out to dispatch them both.
In the evening, Bharathi said to me: I found a new mantra today.
Me: Teach me that mantra.
Chellamma: He asks parASakthi for her boons and we all have to ask him for boons!
Bharathi started singing the song. At first, the woman was stunned. Then she questioned him: SAmi, are you teasing me? We sing while we pound to distract ourselves from the hard work. Are you poking fun at me and my work?
manadil uRudi vEND 'um'. He also finished writing the story and went out to dispatch them both.
In the evening, Bharathi said to me: I found a new mantra today.
Me: Teach me that mantra.
Chellamma: He asks parASakthi for her boons and we all have to ask him for boons!
Bharathi started singing the song. At first, the woman was stunned. Then she questioned him: SAmi, are you teasing me? We sing while we pound to distract ourselves from the hard work. Are you poking fun at me and my work?
Bharathi: AiyyO ammE! Don't get angry. Your song is different and novel from the ones I've heard. I have a magic song born out of your singing. Should you be angry?
The woman wasn't convinced. She said, "If the children do this, you are supposed to tell them off! Who is to reprimand you if it's you who makes fun of me?"
Chellamma: aDiyE! Iyer did not tease you at all. He made up a song like yours because he liked it and wanted to remember you and your tune! Don't fight like a mad woman. Go home happy with your rice.
The woman widened her eyes and asked: Does Iyer make up stories and songs (kadai kaTTuvArA?)? How surprising! He even sings like me! How soon he got the drift!
She left in wonderment.
To be continued...
She left in wonderment.
To be continued...
==================================
https://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=201894#p201894
Bharathi: I got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Two arguments today...
Me: Who was the other one?
Bharathi: Who else? My wife!
Me: What's the point in your celebrating the freedom of women when you indulge in fights with your wife!
Chellamma: Good question, Yadugiri! Ask him if it's fair.
Bharathi: True. But there are times when you cannot interfere.
Me: What happened?
Chellamma: I asked him--if he can walk away, can't I do it too?
Me: Yes, if you have the freedom to do it, she has too.
Bharathi: You are still a child, Yadugiri! It's tough for you to comprehend all this. A wayward bull can be tamed only by placating it first. If you tug at it mindlessly, it will run out of your grasp. I may be able to leave but she has more responsibilities.
Me: You talk to me in riddles. What did happen?
Bharathi: You tell her, Chellamma. That way, you can unburden yourself.
Chellamma described the incident.
Me: Oy Bharathiyare, you think you love the children more than Chellamma does?
Bharathi: I didn't say that. Yes, we both love them but she's the nurturer and I'm the bread winner. I don't need any rules about how to go about my responsibilities.
Me: Then, Chellamma, you can cook whenever you feel like it!
Bharathi: No Yadugiri. It's not like that at all. Whatever we do, we have to do it well and we have to be understanding.
Chellamma: You say that I am not understanding?
Bharathi: Don't underestimate yourself. Your prodding helped. I've already sent the story to the printers!
Chellamma: I don't like to hear women complain abut their husbands.I get annoyed at them. Yet, there's a limit to everything. When you cannot bear it anymore, you feel like crying to an inanimate door even!
Bharathi: All that prodding this morning has resulted in productive work, after all. Come, let's all go to the beach!
The things that Bharathi spoke about at the beach that evening is something all the people of our land should know about.
Bharathi: Who else? My wife!
Me: What's the point in your celebrating the freedom of women when you indulge in fights with your wife!
Chellamma: Good question, Yadugiri! Ask him if it's fair.
Bharathi: True. But there are times when you cannot interfere.
Me: What happened?
Chellamma: I asked him--if he can walk away, can't I do it too?
Me: Yes, if you have the freedom to do it, she has too.
Bharathi: You are still a child, Yadugiri! It's tough for you to comprehend all this. A wayward bull can be tamed only by placating it first. If you tug at it mindlessly, it will run out of your grasp. I may be able to leave but she has more responsibilities.
Me: You talk to me in riddles. What did happen?
Bharathi: You tell her, Chellamma. That way, you can unburden yourself.
Chellamma described the incident.
Me: Oy Bharathiyare, you think you love the children more than Chellamma does?
Bharathi: I didn't say that. Yes, we both love them but she's the nurturer and I'm the bread winner. I don't need any rules about how to go about my responsibilities.
Me: Then, Chellamma, you can cook whenever you feel like it!
Bharathi: No Yadugiri. It's not like that at all. Whatever we do, we have to do it well and we have to be understanding.
Chellamma: You say that I am not understanding?
Bharathi: Don't underestimate yourself. Your prodding helped. I've already sent the story to the printers!
Chellamma: I don't like to hear women complain abut their husbands.I get annoyed at them. Yet, there's a limit to everything. When you cannot bear it anymore, you feel like crying to an inanimate door even!
Bharathi: All that prodding this morning has resulted in productive work, after all. Come, let's all go to the beach!
The things that Bharathi spoke about at the beach that evening is something all the people of our land should know about.
Bharathi said:
You women work hard at home, wearing yourselves out. It's a sin to look upon you without any respect. You bring up children. You carry out your responsibilities faithfully and are there for us when we need you.
We do not live in old times. Things are changing. If children are irresponsible, we have to guide them, not force or control them.
Yet, Chellamma was right. My kavidaip paiththiyam (Muse) possessed me. In the heat of things, arguments came about. We have tangak kiLis (golden parrots) for children, though we are not rich enough to adorn them with gold.
A poet's poverty is legendary. Tamizh has lost its prestige and pride. If we celebrate the tamizhk kuzhandai Lakshmi, grace will come to us. If the vITTuth thalaivi (the mistress of the house) runs the household in harmony and if the vITTuth thalaivan (the master of the house) can live a happy and healthy life, he will do all that she bids. What the thalaivi needs is some money. My Chellamma is capable of ruling the world, if only she had the means. The lack of it makes her ask me, fight with me. EVen after dealing with all this, she is there to feed me.
The one who thinks of the past is a fool. As we wash and dry our clothes every day, we should get rid of our own ills and troubles that way too. Just as the Sun rises every morning, we should see everything anew and rejoice.
Chellamma is my life, my treasure. She's bhAgya Lakshmi...
The land of the Tamizh people should know about Bharthi's angst. Supporting poets is one of the nation's responsibilities. Had we protected Bharathi from such heartaches, he would have lived a little longer...
Who knows of God's ways!
* * * * *
We do not live in old times. Things are changing. If children are irresponsible, we have to guide them, not force or control them.
Yet, Chellamma was right. My kavidaip paiththiyam (Muse) possessed me. In the heat of things, arguments came about. We have tangak kiLis (golden parrots) for children, though we are not rich enough to adorn them with gold.
A poet's poverty is legendary. Tamizh has lost its prestige and pride. If we celebrate the tamizhk kuzhandai Lakshmi, grace will come to us. If the vITTuth thalaivi (the mistress of the house) runs the household in harmony and if the vITTuth thalaivan (the master of the house) can live a happy and healthy life, he will do all that she bids. What the thalaivi needs is some money. My Chellamma is capable of ruling the world, if only she had the means. The lack of it makes her ask me, fight with me. EVen after dealing with all this, she is there to feed me.
The one who thinks of the past is a fool. As we wash and dry our clothes every day, we should get rid of our own ills and troubles that way too. Just as the Sun rises every morning, we should see everything anew and rejoice.
Chellamma is my life, my treasure. She's bhAgya Lakshmi...
The land of the Tamizh people should know about Bharthi's angst. Supporting poets is one of the nation's responsibilities. Had we protected Bharathi from such heartaches, he would have lived a little longer...
Who knows of God's ways!
* * * * *
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