How Tamil folk ballads served as the news network of rural Tamil Nadu for centuries

 “Tamil communicative telling is thousands of years old, with galore people tales becoming  broadside stories successful epics specified arsenic Silappadikaram and Manimekalai,” says Prof. Aru Ramanathan, a Ph.D student successful people songs, and erstwhile caput of the Department of Folklore, Tamil University, Thanjavur. Ramanathan has authored much than 55 books. “In 1981, I decided to people a compilation of each disposable people ballads. The task was completed recently, with the assistance of my pupil P. Saktivel. The publication is titled Tamizhar Kathai Marabu- Kathai padalgal,” says Ramanathan.

What is the quality betwixt people songs and people ballads? “Folk songs are short, and bash not needfully incorporate a story. Short ballads are called kurunkathai. And ballads with much than 500 lines are called nedunkathai. Some person 30,000 lines. Most ballads, but immoderate kummi ballads, are performed for an audience,” elaborates Ramanathan. 

Temple worship has kept live the ballad contented done villuppattu. “Villupattu ballads were mostly astir temple deities. They began to beryllium written down sometime successful the 18th century, and successful 1 colony I recovered 18 copies of the Sudalai Madan ballad.”

“In the Kongu region, ballads are presented to the accompaniment of the percussion instrumentality udukkai. Kaniyan koothu artistes of Tirunelveli clasp much than 35 ballads successful their memory. In areas astir Tiruchi, ballads are presented to the accompaniment of pambai. Therukkoothu, which has a important ballad repertoire, is present performed mostly successful Chennai, Chingleput, Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri, Salem, Villupuram and Cuddalore. But determination was a clip erstwhile it was communal successful the Southern districts of Tamil Nadu too,” says  Ramanathan. 

At a clip erstwhile newspapers were not easy disposable successful villages, ballads informed radical of disasters similar bid accidents, fires, execution and suicide.  “Tappe ( a percussion instrumentality ) was played erstwhile specified ballads were presented. Often these ballads were printed and sold wherever determination was a ample gathering of people,” helium adds.

When did ballads originate? “Scholar Vanamamalai says people ballads began successful the 14th century. But astir were written from the 16th to aboriginal 20th century. Ramappayyan Ammanai was, perhaps, the earliest to beryllium written. Ramappayyan’s clip was 1623 - 1659 CE. Ramayana, Mahabharata ballads indispensable beryllium earlier, but we are incapable to hole a day for them. The archetypal printed ballads were Chithiraputhira Nayanar Kathai and Amaravati Kathai, published successful 1868 by Kondalakan Pulavar. Till 1900, astatine slightest 65 ballads were published.”

Was immoderate peculiar metre utilized for the verses? “Ballad writers utilized meters that would convey the halfway thought of a ballad. In Desingurajan Kathai, the metre suggests the galloping of a horse, which is apt, since the ballad is astir Desingu’s heroism connected the battlefield.”

Ramanathan points retired that the ballad Vellaikkaran Kathai, shows the writer’s cognition of geography, too galore different subjects. In Vellaikkaran Kathai, a Britisher (Parangidurai) asks carpenters to physique a vessel for him. For the emblem post, helium chooses a histrion successful which Senkidaikkaran resides, acknowledgment to a boon from Shiva. The vessel is built successful London and begins its travel from Dover Port reaching Kayankulam successful Kerala, wherever it is loaded with assorted things. But arsenic it proceeds connected its instrumentality journey, Senkidaikkaran takes the signifier of an eagle, shakes the ship, and overturns it. All Englishmen connected committee die, and with the grace of Senkidaikkaaran they go gods.

“The ballad indispensable person been written aft 1869, due to the fact that it mentions the Suez canal, which was opened successful 1869. The ballad mentions 79 places that the vessel visits specified arsenic Corsica, Sicily, Naples, Greece, Cyprus and Beirut. This ballad was written by Sivan Anainja Perumal Nadar’s lad Muthayya Nadar of Pooviyoor, which is adjacent to Kanyakumari. Folklorist A.N. Perumal  records that adjacent today, offerings are made successful Pooviyoor to Senkidaikkaaran and past to Vellaikaara sami (the Britishers connected committee the ship), showing that the ballad was not wholly imaginary. During worship, a antheral dances, peering done an imaginary telescope. He speaks a fewer sentences successful English and mimics the shooting of the eagle. This enactment tells america that the wood of trees specified arsenic manjanathi, maamarudhu, teak, sandal, karunaangu, punnai, kaariluppai and vennaangu were utilized for gathering ships.”

Through ballads we larn that successful immoderate instances women, defying tradition, performed ceremonial rites for dormant relatives.  Some ballads amusement america however definite customs continued implicit the centuries. In Purananuru (verse 249), a widow covers the crushed with cowdung paste, and past offers pinda for her dormant husband. In the people ballad Kuruvi paattu, the pistillate kuruvi besides covers the crushed with cattle dung paste earlier offering pinda to its departed partner. “So we find a Sangam epoch signifier continuing for galore centuries aboriginal ,” says Ramanathan.

While studying the root of people deities, Ramanathan recovered that determination were much temples for goddesses than antheral gods, due to the fact that much women died of termination oregon were killed. The perpetrators of injustice against women were acrophobic that the dormant women would instrumentality revenge connected them, and truthful promptly deified them arsenic a signifier of atonement!

“Ballads are a bully root of history,” says Ramanathan. He points retired that British records specified arsenic Colonel Wells’ memoirs, and Tinnevelly Gazetteer portrayed Kattabomman arsenic a antagonistic character. After Kattabomman’s death,  Britishers demolished his fort and exiled his family. Panchalankurichi, wherever helium had ruled, was shown successful maps arsenic wasteland (paazh nilam). But Kattabomman could not beryllium erased from the minds of the people. Stories and songs astir Kattabomman were sung, and koothus astir him were enacted crossed South Tamil Nadu. “The ballads astir Kattabomman springiness america his broadside of the communicative and indispensable beryllium included erstwhile the past of that play is recorded.” 

We larn from ballads that children began studying astatine the property of 5 oregon seven, and get details astir what subjects were taught. Eenamuthu Pandian Kathai says that erstwhile Eenamuthu was nine, helium was taught hard mathematics problems (kodiya kanakkugal). He completed his acquisition erstwhile helium was thirteen.  Paramasivasivanu Pandiar Kathai tells america that astatine property 7 a miss studied multiplication tables. From Pennarasiyar Kathai, we stitchery that girls were fixed subject grooming too.

Ballads amusement america that words from different languages made their mode into Tamil. Ramanathan says that kullaara successful kullaara vandi (covered cart) astir apt came from the Sanskrit connection kulaaya meaning cage. Savurusangi is the Tamilisation of the Urdu Jabarjangi meaning tiny cannon.