In this episode, we perceive how a message is discreetly conveyed, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 52, penned by Nochi Niyamankizhaar. Set amidst the towering boulders and flowering trees of the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain landscape’, the verse talks about the technique of presenting a dilemma to echo the seriousness of a situation.

”வலந்த வள்ளி மரன் ஓங்கு சாரல்,
கிளர்ந்த வேங்கைச் சேண் நெடும் பொங்கர்ப்
பொன் நேர் புது மலர் வேண்டிய குறமகள்
இன்னா இசைய பூசல் பயிற்றலின்,
“ஏ கல் அடுக்கத்து இருள் அளைச் சிலம்பின்
ஆ கொள் வயப் புலி ஆகும் அஃது” எனத் தம்
மலை கெழு சீறூர் புலம்ப, கல்லெனச்
சிலையுடை இடத்தர் போதரும் நாடன்
நெஞ்சு அமர் வியல் மார்பு உடைத்து என அன்னைக்கு
அறிவிப்பேம்கொல்? அறியலெம்கொல்? என
இருபாற் பட்ட சூழ்ச்சி ஒருபால்
சேர்ந்தன்று வாழி, தோழி! யாக்கை
இன் உயிர் கழிவதுஆயினும், நின் மகள்
ஆய்மலர் உண்கண் பசலை
காம நோய் எனச் செப்பாதீமே.

The mountains beckon, and in this one, we hear the lady say these words to her confidante, pretending not to notice the man, standing nearby, but making sure he’s in earshot:

“In the tree-filled mountain slopes, ‘Valli’ creepers twirl around the luxuriant Kino trees. Desiring the new, fresh flowers, akin to gold, on the tall and far branches of the Kino tree, a mountain maiden sends out fear-evoking shouts. Hearing this shout of ’tiger, tiger’, deciding that ‘from this mountain range, decked with huge boulders, and filled with dark caves, a strong tiger has come to steal away our cattle’, the foresters with their bows, leave their little hamlet, surrounded by hills, in loneliness, and shouting loudly, move towards the place, where the shouts arose, in the mountains of our lord! I was in a dilemma wondering if we should tell or not tell mother that the one in my heart is that man with a wide chest. I have come to a conclusion about that, my friend! Even if my sweet life were to part from my body, pray do not tell that the reason for the pallor spreading on the flower-like, kohl-streaked eyes of your daughter is a love affliction!”

Let’s take a walk amidst the lush green mountain slopes, decked with wild flowers, and learn more! The lady starts by describing the man’s country as one, densely filled with trees, and where vines twirl around towering Kino trees. A young mountain maiden, living here, wishing to pluck the fresh new flowers, glowing like gold, on a tall branch, sends out the shout of ‘Tiger, Tiger’. A moment to remember that the Sangam maiden had this belief that shouting so, would make the Kino tree bend and shower its flowers in fear! However, the shout has a different kind of effect, for some hunters living in a hamlet nearby think this must be the tiger that has come to snatch their cattle, and they desert their village and run towards the place where the shout came from. Such scenes are to be found in the man’s mountains, the lady connects. Then, she talks about how she has been debating whether or not to tell mother about her love for the man and says she has reached a conclusion. She ends by asking her confidante not to reveal that the reason for the pallor spreading in her eyes was her love affliction with the man, even if her life were to part away. 

So, we infer that the lady’s words are not about not telling something to mother but about telling something to the man. The listening man is expected to be moved by the loyalty and love of his lady and come seek her hand in marriage, preventing further pain and suffering in his beloved! Are such manipulations right? Was it the reality of those times or are these the imaginative writing by poets done to express different kinds of emotions to their listeners? Leaving behind such unanswered questions, we can focus on the fact that we have received another undoubtably priceless gift of reflecting on the richness of the physical world and the cultural beliefs of those people of the past!