In this episode, we listen to a confession, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 110, penned by Ponthai Pasalaiyaar. The verse is situated amidst the waves and sands of the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and narrates a significant event on the shore.

அன்னை அறியினும் அறிக; அலர்வாய்
அம் மென் சேரி கேட்பினும் கேட்க;
பிறிது ஒன்று இன்மை அறியக் கூறி,
கொடுஞ் சுழிப் புகாஅர்த் தெய்வம் நோக்கி,
கடுஞ் சூள் தருகுவன், நினக்கே; கானல்
தொடலை ஆயமொடு கடல் உடன் ஆடியும்,
சிற்றில் இழைத்தும், சிறு சோறு குவைஇயும்,
வருந்திய வருத்தம் தீர, யாம் சிறிது
இருந்தனமாக, எய்த வந்து,
‘தட மென் பணைத் தோள் மட நல்லீரே!
எல்லும் எல்லின்று; அசைவு மிக உடையேன்;
மெல் இலைப் பரப்பின் விருந்து உண்டு, யானும் இக்
கல்லென் சிறுகுடித் தங்கின் மற்று எவனோ?’
என மொழிந்தனனே, ஒருவன். அவற் கண்டு,
இறைஞ்சிய முகத்தெம் புறம் சேர்பு பொருந்தி,
‘இவை நுமக்கு உரிய அல்ல; இழிந்த
கொழு மீன் வல்சி’ என்றனம், இழுமென.

‘நெடுங் கொடி நுடங்கும் நாவாய் தோன்றுவ
காணாமோ?’ எனக் காலின் சிதையா,
நில்லாது பெயர்ந்த பல்லோருள்ளும்
என்னே குறித்த நோக்கமொடு, ‘நன்னுதால்!
ஒழிகோ யான்?’ என அழிதகக் கூறி,
யான் ‘பெயர்க’ என்ன, நோக்கி, தான் தன்
நெடுந் தேர்க் கொடிஞ்சி பற்றி
நின்றோன் போலும் இன்றும் என் கட்கே.

There’s less of place and more of people in this trip to the seas, and we get to hear these words, spoken by the lady, to the foster mother:

“Even if mother comes to know, let her! Even if those with gossiping mouths in this beautiful hamlet were to hear, let them! Promising you that there’s nothing else, I will swear to you a fierce oath in front of the God of Puhaar, renowned for its swirling waves.

With playmates, wearing garlands of flowers from the groves, we had been bathing in the sea, building small houses, pretending to cook food, and sitting there, relaxing after our exertions. At this time, coming close to us, a man said, ‘O good, naive maiden, having curving, soft, bamboo-like arms, the day has ended; I’m filled with fatigue; May I partake in the feast you have spread on these soft leaves, and stay back in this uproarious, little hamlet?’.

Seeing him, with bent heads, we hid behind each other’s backs, and said softly, ‘These are not fit for you. For this is made of the fatty fish, thrown down by the waves’.

Many there ran away without waiting, after flattening the sand houses with their feet, shouting, ‘Lo behold! Ships with tall flags fluttering are appearing. Shall we go see?’. Among all of them, he focussed his attention on me, and piteously said, ‘O maiden with a fine forehead! Shall I leave?’. When I replied, ‘Please go’, the way he stood there, holding on to the seat of his tall chariot, remains in my eyes even today!”

Let’s play along in the shore and learn more! Though there are varying interpretations about whether the speaker is the confidante or the lady, to me, the voice of the lady sounds as more fitting the context. The lady starts by saying she doesn’t mind if her birth mother were to come to know of this, a statement that should tell us that the lady found this foster mother more approachable, when it came to talking about sensitive things. Next, the lady also declares that she doesn’t care if the gossipmongers of the town hear about this. She is also prepared to solemnly swear before the God of a place called ‘Puhaar’, also known as ‘Kaveripoompattinam’, an ancient but now sunken harbour on the Coromandel coast, where many underwater archaeological excavations are ongoing to unearth the significance of this place, much renowned in the ancient world. 

Returning, after declaring these opening statements, the lady launches into a tale of what happened one day at the shore, when she was playing with her mates, building sand houses, and pretend playing as cooks. Just then, a man had approached them and asked whether he too could join in that feast they had spread on soft leaves. Feeling shy, the girls bent their heads and hid behind each other and said that the food was not fit to be had by the man, since it was made of fish, thrown by the sea, perhaps implying these are beached fish, and not freshly caught. Then, distracted by the appearance of tall ships with fluttering flags, the girls seem to have run away, razing their sand houses.

Just then, the man seems to have pointedly looked at the lady and asked with sorrowful eyes whether he should leave. When the lady replied he should, he seemed to have stood there, by his chariot, looking deeply into her eyes. The lady concludes by declaring that that image of the man standing there, looking at her, was frozen in her mind’s eye! This is a case of revealing the relationship to the foster mother, who would then take it to the birth mother, who would take it to the extended family, and thus pave the way for the lady’s marriage with the man. The highlight in this verse is the timeless capture of how long after the event, a certain expression – a look, a smile, a word, from a special person, remains indelibly etched in our mind!