14-bhArata samudAyam vAzhgavE!
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https://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=204125#p204125
by arasi »
FOURTEEN
bhArata samudAyam vAzhgavE!
( Long live this land called India!)
Before the festival of Pongal, there were mounds of grains at Ponnu Murugesam Pillai's place. Iyer and Bharathi got their annual provisions from him. Because they both were svadESis, Murugesam Pillai marked down the prices for them.
I was going to Bharathi's house when I met them both on my way.They asked me to go to Pillai's house with them. Welcoming them, the host unrolled a spread and placed a tray of betel leaves before them. After pleasantries, Pillai said: I still don't know what the prices are going to be like this year. As soon as I know, I will supply all that you need--for a lesser price, of course. After providing their shares to muRaikkArargaL, I will let you know.
We left for Bharathi's house and I asked what the word muRaikkArargaL meant. Bharathi explained the village tradition to me.
Bharathi: We are an agricultural country where ideally, no one should go hungry. People tend to spend their money rather quickly and in its place, if they are given portions from the harvest as wages, that can last them the whole year to live by. So, the tradition was that when landowners brought home the harvest, they shared it with farm workers, washermen, scavengers, brahmins who performed pUjAs, teachers at the tiNNaip paLLiIkkUDam-s (tiNNai=the raised platforms on either sides of the front door of a house; paLLikkUDam=school. So, schools conducted on tiNNais--Arasi), pujAris at the temple, the barbers and so on. Each of them got a specific amount of share for rendering services to the landowners all through the year. If each gave them, say five measures of rice, the workers got enough rice which lasted them to the end of the year. Giving sesame and lentils was considered a good thing, so they got them too, as part of this tradition of paDi aLattal (literally means, given in measures--Arasi)--these added nutritive value to the health of the poor (sesame yielded oil too).
So, the well-to-do in the village gave portions of their harvest for the services they received, in place of money. This is what is meant by giving to muRaikkArargaL (those who 'deserve' to be recipients. MuRai is also the way, hence, the way it is done--Arasi). This is what Murugesam Pillai meant. His family has not given up this tradition of its ancestors.
Yadugiri: How about giving money as a gift for pongal?
Bharathi: Of course, money comes in handy during the festival. They do need ten or fifteen rupees along with the gifts of the harvest. We find that the conch blower, servants and others ask for new clothes. The washerman, barber and scavenger too. If one has the money, it's a great gift to give. If you don't have it, you feel bad, sending them away empty-handed. Still, when you think about it, money isn't a great idea after all, because money is spent in no time. Then, all year long, their women complain about the empty larder. By getting paid in kind, they have grains at home which last for a while.
For people like us who do not own any land to cultivate, this is a good system devised by the villagers. If there are only a few in the village who have cultivable land, others are glad to render their services to get their wages in kind--to feed their families.
Yadugiri: It's our custom on Kanu--the day after pongal--to make four different kinds of rice and place them by the pond. Why do we do that?
Bharathi: Yadugiri, I don't know. Ask that bearded Iyer! He would have done his research in the SastrAs and would have found some explanation for it. I don't go near SastrAs and purANAs.You asked me about muRaikkArargaL and I knew something about them.
Iyer: Yadugiri, I can explain that. Birds and fish aid a great deal in helping the farmers against insects which may ruin their crops. When new harvest comes in, the farmers want to share their bounty with them. They first give the rice to the temple where it's cooked and is given to the birds and fish. The idea is that it's as if the goddess of the temple herself feeds them first! On the day of kanu, the girls who are given manjaL kANi come to the home of their parents (manjaL kANi='token share' of the family's land which the female child gets when she gets married. manjaL= turmeric--essential for cooking, symbol of prosperity and 'sumangali'hood (life with a long-living husband). kANi is a small measure of land. Remember bharathi's song kANi nilam vENDum!--Arasi). At the kanu festival, the daughters of the house are asked to feed the cattle, fish, birds and frogs. They are given gifts of grains, clothes and rupees, according to the ability of their parents. This is a very old custom in southern India.
Things are very different now. How would the poor man who earns ten rupees a month find joy in a festival like this? Every day is the same to him. Unless he's the kind who even in poverty has the ability to set aside a paisA here and there--because all that he earns ends up at the provision store!
Bharathi: IyerE! When he buys the grains from the shop, where has he got the room to store it all, in a rented, one rupee-a-month dwelling, keeping them away from mice and rats?
Iyer: True, but a man works hard to keep himself and his family fed. Yet, if he happens to be as generous as you are Bharathi, that would be impossible! Only a man who even in penury has the good sense to build a store of grains manages to feed his family. He knows that suffering lies ahead if he's not careful in his spending. Even if he gets fortunate and starts earning more, such a man is mindful about his spending--unlike those who are not careful about saving for the future.
Bharathi: Chellamma says that instead of buying the prepared lentils, if we buy it whole, we can get it ready for cooking by preparing it ourselves at home. I'm not keen on it because it's all a big fuss. Mixing them with wet earth, drying them, and then splitting them too! The whole house fills with dust and it's a mess. If we get it from outside, we don't have to go through all this.
Iyer: Do you think that the cheTTichi (the woman who gets it ready) renders her services for free? Instead of getting the lentils from her every year for ten rupees, you can get it all done at home by spending five or six rupees on the whole tuvarai. We save about four rupees!
Bharathi: Isn't it a good thing that the woman who labors over it gets the money?
Iyer: Bharathi, if we have money enough, what you say is right. Without it, my point is, what's wrong about doing it all ourselves? We can also save by buying in bulk tuvarai, tamarind, paddy, chillies and uLundu.The rest of the provisions, we can buy in small amounts.
Bharathi: Our women don't even have the energy to cook the prepared rice, and you list all this work for them!
Iyer: Bharathi, It's all because we haven't kept up with the good old ways. Still, they can ask the servant-maid to help them.
Bharathi: It isn't as simple as all that. If the work doesn't turn out to be satisfactory, our women are going to complain about it all year! IyerE! What you say is ideal for those who stay comfortably in their villages all their lives in their own homes and have a piece of land to cultivate. It's not easy for folks like us.
Iyer: It's only proper that we honor good traditions. Even if we can't appreciate or follow them, we can at least refrain from criticizing them!
Bharathi: I don't think it's practical at all, at least for me. I've asked Chellamma to throw out the stone pots, cast-iron vANali (wok) and like the white folks, use china and glass. She says they are not traditional. Glass and china break easily and they are poisonous. She makes up all these stories.
Iyer: She has a point. I was crazier than you once, about new fads. When I lived alone in Rangoon, instead of using the metal pot, I boiled some water in a glass on the spirit stove and went to fetch the tea leaves. When I was back, the glass had broken into a hundred pieces. The spirit lamp was ruined as well. I had to buy a brand new one! Research indicates that china dishes may contain tuberculosis-causing poison. Our old ways are fine. We don't need fancy things, just for show.
Bharathi: Well, you make a fine lawyer for Chellamma! Keep singing the refrain 'Traditions', IyerE !
Now, how about my singing a new song?
Bharathi sang to us:
bhArata samudAyam vAzhgavE!
Iyer was so moved by the song. All the way home, he explained the meaning of it to me, line by line. "Bharathi sings, 'tani oruvanukkuNavillaiyenil jagattinai azhittiDuvOm!' (Even if a single soul is left without food in the land, we will destroy this world!). A praiseworthy line, indeed!"
* * * * *
bhArata samudAyam vAzhgavE!
( Long live this land called India!)
Before the festival of Pongal, there were mounds of grains at Ponnu Murugesam Pillai's place. Iyer and Bharathi got their annual provisions from him. Because they both were svadESis, Murugesam Pillai marked down the prices for them.
I was going to Bharathi's house when I met them both on my way.They asked me to go to Pillai's house with them. Welcoming them, the host unrolled a spread and placed a tray of betel leaves before them. After pleasantries, Pillai said: I still don't know what the prices are going to be like this year. As soon as I know, I will supply all that you need--for a lesser price, of course. After providing their shares to muRaikkArargaL, I will let you know.
We left for Bharathi's house and I asked what the word muRaikkArargaL meant. Bharathi explained the village tradition to me.
Bharathi: We are an agricultural country where ideally, no one should go hungry. People tend to spend their money rather quickly and in its place, if they are given portions from the harvest as wages, that can last them the whole year to live by. So, the tradition was that when landowners brought home the harvest, they shared it with farm workers, washermen, scavengers, brahmins who performed pUjAs, teachers at the tiNNaip paLLiIkkUDam-s (tiNNai=the raised platforms on either sides of the front door of a house; paLLikkUDam=school. So, schools conducted on tiNNais--Arasi), pujAris at the temple, the barbers and so on. Each of them got a specific amount of share for rendering services to the landowners all through the year. If each gave them, say five measures of rice, the workers got enough rice which lasted them to the end of the year. Giving sesame and lentils was considered a good thing, so they got them too, as part of this tradition of paDi aLattal (literally means, given in measures--Arasi)--these added nutritive value to the health of the poor (sesame yielded oil too).
So, the well-to-do in the village gave portions of their harvest for the services they received, in place of money. This is what is meant by giving to muRaikkArargaL (those who 'deserve' to be recipients. MuRai is also the way, hence, the way it is done--Arasi). This is what Murugesam Pillai meant. His family has not given up this tradition of its ancestors.
Yadugiri: How about giving money as a gift for pongal?
Bharathi: Of course, money comes in handy during the festival. They do need ten or fifteen rupees along with the gifts of the harvest. We find that the conch blower, servants and others ask for new clothes. The washerman, barber and scavenger too. If one has the money, it's a great gift to give. If you don't have it, you feel bad, sending them away empty-handed. Still, when you think about it, money isn't a great idea after all, because money is spent in no time. Then, all year long, their women complain about the empty larder. By getting paid in kind, they have grains at home which last for a while.
For people like us who do not own any land to cultivate, this is a good system devised by the villagers. If there are only a few in the village who have cultivable land, others are glad to render their services to get their wages in kind--to feed their families.
Yadugiri: It's our custom on Kanu--the day after pongal--to make four different kinds of rice and place them by the pond. Why do we do that?
Bharathi: Yadugiri, I don't know. Ask that bearded Iyer! He would have done his research in the SastrAs and would have found some explanation for it. I don't go near SastrAs and purANAs.You asked me about muRaikkArargaL and I knew something about them.
Iyer: Yadugiri, I can explain that. Birds and fish aid a great deal in helping the farmers against insects which may ruin their crops. When new harvest comes in, the farmers want to share their bounty with them. They first give the rice to the temple where it's cooked and is given to the birds and fish. The idea is that it's as if the goddess of the temple herself feeds them first! On the day of kanu, the girls who are given manjaL kANi come to the home of their parents (manjaL kANi='token share' of the family's land which the female child gets when she gets married. manjaL= turmeric--essential for cooking, symbol of prosperity and 'sumangali'hood (life with a long-living husband). kANi is a small measure of land. Remember bharathi's song kANi nilam vENDum!--Arasi). At the kanu festival, the daughters of the house are asked to feed the cattle, fish, birds and frogs. They are given gifts of grains, clothes and rupees, according to the ability of their parents. This is a very old custom in southern India.
Things are very different now. How would the poor man who earns ten rupees a month find joy in a festival like this? Every day is the same to him. Unless he's the kind who even in poverty has the ability to set aside a paisA here and there--because all that he earns ends up at the provision store!
Bharathi: IyerE! When he buys the grains from the shop, where has he got the room to store it all, in a rented, one rupee-a-month dwelling, keeping them away from mice and rats?
Iyer: True, but a man works hard to keep himself and his family fed. Yet, if he happens to be as generous as you are Bharathi, that would be impossible! Only a man who even in penury has the good sense to build a store of grains manages to feed his family. He knows that suffering lies ahead if he's not careful in his spending. Even if he gets fortunate and starts earning more, such a man is mindful about his spending--unlike those who are not careful about saving for the future.
Bharathi: Chellamma says that instead of buying the prepared lentils, if we buy it whole, we can get it ready for cooking by preparing it ourselves at home. I'm not keen on it because it's all a big fuss. Mixing them with wet earth, drying them, and then splitting them too! The whole house fills with dust and it's a mess. If we get it from outside, we don't have to go through all this.
Iyer: Do you think that the cheTTichi (the woman who gets it ready) renders her services for free? Instead of getting the lentils from her every year for ten rupees, you can get it all done at home by spending five or six rupees on the whole tuvarai. We save about four rupees!
Bharathi: Isn't it a good thing that the woman who labors over it gets the money?
Iyer: Bharathi, if we have money enough, what you say is right. Without it, my point is, what's wrong about doing it all ourselves? We can also save by buying in bulk tuvarai, tamarind, paddy, chillies and uLundu.The rest of the provisions, we can buy in small amounts.
Bharathi: Our women don't even have the energy to cook the prepared rice, and you list all this work for them!
Iyer: Bharathi, It's all because we haven't kept up with the good old ways. Still, they can ask the servant-maid to help them.
Bharathi: It isn't as simple as all that. If the work doesn't turn out to be satisfactory, our women are going to complain about it all year! IyerE! What you say is ideal for those who stay comfortably in their villages all their lives in their own homes and have a piece of land to cultivate. It's not easy for folks like us.
Iyer: It's only proper that we honor good traditions. Even if we can't appreciate or follow them, we can at least refrain from criticizing them!
Bharathi: I don't think it's practical at all, at least for me. I've asked Chellamma to throw out the stone pots, cast-iron vANali (wok) and like the white folks, use china and glass. She says they are not traditional. Glass and china break easily and they are poisonous. She makes up all these stories.
Iyer: She has a point. I was crazier than you once, about new fads. When I lived alone in Rangoon, instead of using the metal pot, I boiled some water in a glass on the spirit stove and went to fetch the tea leaves. When I was back, the glass had broken into a hundred pieces. The spirit lamp was ruined as well. I had to buy a brand new one! Research indicates that china dishes may contain tuberculosis-causing poison. Our old ways are fine. We don't need fancy things, just for show.
Bharathi: Well, you make a fine lawyer for Chellamma! Keep singing the refrain 'Traditions', IyerE !
Now, how about my singing a new song?
Bharathi sang to us:
bhArata samudAyam vAzhgavE!
Iyer was so moved by the song. All the way home, he explained the meaning of it to me, line by line. "Bharathi sings, 'tani oruvanukkuNavillaiyenil jagattinai azhittiDuvOm!' (Even if a single soul is left without food in the land, we will destroy this world!). A praiseworthy line, indeed!"
* * * * *
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