Songs that can tear you up - pun intended
When browsing Facebook, we get these reel suggestions and often I get songs from the show Zee Saregama (Tamil). I happened to stumble across one such reel where a guy was singing "Kaadu pottal kaadu" from Karuththamma. This song was rendered amazingly by this young singer with all sincerity that it brought a tear in my eye. I have listened to this song earlier and liked it but it was not in my "favorite songs" list ever. But after hearing that boy's voice and the clear lyrics, wanted to revisit the song as I was not sure if the rendition bought a tear in me or the lyrics literally tore me up. Thought I should spend some time writing about this (ok ok, sooriyanukke torch dhaan but still let me try)!
We are transported to the milieu in the first two lines of the song itself
காடு பொட்டல் காடு
செங்காத்து வீசும் காடு
வீடு கீத்து வீடு
எலியோடு எங்க பாடு
Imagine a barren forest where even the wind is red - there are no trees (roots) to bind the red soil, the top layer of which rises with the winds - and a thatched one, infested with rats!
வெங்காயம் கூடச் சேரு
தை மாசம் நெல்லுச் சோரு
பூமி எங்க பூமி
வானம் பாத்து வாழும் பூமி
தூங்கி போச்சு எங்க சாமி
The staple diet all season is millet (solam) koozh. It takes less water to grow that. Rice is available only during harvest season (Pongal - thai maasam). The barren lands have no choice but to look up to the sky for rain and the Gods unfortunately have gone to sleep!
அந்தி நேரம் வந்தா தலையெல்லாம் எண்ணிப் பாரு
ஆடு மாட சேர்த்து எங்க வீட்டில் ஏழு பேரு
While the literal meaning says that every evening, there is a roll call to see if all have returned from the fields, this strikes when you think that the "people" in the house include the cow and the goat. This, in addition to showing that the villagers treat the animals as their own children, illustrates the importance of the cattle. Maybe because they provide the milk too.
மழை வந்தா தண்ணி ஓடும்
மறு நாளே வண்டி ஓடும்
There is a namesake river, which "flows" only when it rains heavily. The next day, they have to run the "vandi". This line is picturized well, where the old man of the house is drawing water from a well using a string tied to two bulls. They walk quite a distance before the water container appears out of the well (illustrating the depth of the well).
என் கண்ணு குட்டியும் பொண்ணும் ஒண்ணு
கஞ்சி ஊத்தும் எங்க மண்ணு
Again, the old man "father" equates his daughters to the calf (and the earth) and says that the soil provides for all of them. Typical poor farmer setting brought out beautifully in the lyrics.
Here, in the interlude there is a female voice which sings
என் மக்க இளப்பாற மாமரத்து நிழல் இருக்கா?
கொக்கு பசி ஆற கொக்குளத்து மீனிருக்கு...
என் மக்க பசி ஆற மக்கி போன நெல்லிருக்கா?
These lines hit you hard as they show the lack of forestry and good food for humans, which seem to be available even to crows and cranes!
மாடு தத்த மாடு இது ஓடும் ரொம்ப தூரம்
வாழ்கை தத்த வாழ்கை
இது போகும் ரொம்ப காலம்
I had a doubt on what "thatha" here means. I am assuming that it is slow based on the context. Just like their cow which walks slow but can go for a long distance, their slow lives never seem to end and they go on for a long time.
காட்டு கள்ளிக்குள்ளே
உள்ளாடும் பாலப்போலே
உள்ளூர கண்ணீர் பொங்கும்
சொல்லாம உள்ளம் பொங்கும்
Another brilliant உவமை. Just like the milk hidden inside the hard and thorny cactus, our hard lives have so much tears (sorrow) hidden inside, which we never speak out.
எட்டி பார்க்கும் ஓணான் போலே
வாழ வந்தோம் பூமி மேலே
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