Save our Mother Tongue

It has been some time now since I wrote my last blog.  Since then I have been quite busy in certain official and personal exigencies. I hope to make amends in the coming months.

Our families pride themselves as “Gopalaiyer clan.   My maternal grand father Gopalaiyer was a great Tamil scholar and  Professor and Head of the Department of Tamil, in Madras Christian College which was set up by Britishers.  A large number of our family members have graduated post graduated ; and a couple of them even obtained Doctoral degrees from this college.  Our Uncle was the Head of the Department of English in the same college and obtained his PhD in American literature. My Elder brother obtained his Ph. D in Chemistry from the same college.

My thoughts wandered further to find that only my Uncle , my elder brother  and my younger brother ( who is a post graduate in Economics from the same college) inherited the genes of Gopalaiyer to keep  alive the Tamil literary legacy of our grand father.  In a recent family function in Chennai, we all discussed the Tamil works of my Uncle and were wondering how his detective serial entitled மஞ்சள்  ( Yellow) Bungalow could be converted to a Children film.  My elder brother has written a number of travelogues and books in Tamil. My younger brother who in his early college days was known as புலவர் (poet) Rajagopalan has many of his poems written down and is waiting for publishing the same. Once in a typewriting class in Tambaram, I was witness to his getting up and reciting a Tamil poem instantly to suit the occasion.  In many instances, I was recognized as elder brother of புலவர் (Poet) Rajagopalan.

My thoughts descended on our Children, and the stark reality that none of them have realized this legacy of our family struck me.  They may all speak the mother tongue and some of the elder children know how to read and write, but the younger ones do not know how to read and write.  This is a pathetic situation for which we are responsible. At this juncture,  the thought of picking up some very simple but old classical literature to be brought before the present generation manifested. I will try to do justice to this in my next few blogs.

 I would start with works of ஒளவையார் , a grand old woman of Tamil literature. In our primary school we studied the Tamil works of ஔவையார்.  (avviayar)   I am giving below a sample of her famous works – ஆத்திசூடி (Aathichoodi).  We remembered these by heart.  What is shown here is only 12 of the 109 one liners she had prescribed for children.  They followed the order of Tamil Alphabets – Vowels and consonants. ஆத்திசூடி (Aathichoodi), கொன்றைவேந்தன் Konraivendan, மூதுரை (Moodurai) and  நல்வழி (Nalvazhi) are the four ethical works associated with Avvaiyar.  The fifth one known as கல்வி ஒழுக்கம் Kalvi Ozhukam I believe has not been printed and a manuscript is available in a London Musuem?  (Can any one go and find out if this is so , get a copy of the same?).  

வி நாயகர்  அகவல் (Vinayagar Agaval) is another famous Tamil work of Avvaiyar possibly the last before She was transported to Kailash by Lord Ganesha . The story goes that  Avvaiyar  gave priority to worshipping him, when  both Cheran Senguttuvan ( a Chera King at that time) and Sundarer ( one of the four famous Tamil scholars who worshipped Shiva) were going to Kailash and they wanted Avvaiyar to join them.  She replied that her priority is to worship Lord Ganesha.  When she finished her worship and composed and sang Vinayakar Agaval at the request of Lord Ganesh, He lifted her by his trunk and put her in Kailash before Sundarer and Senguttuvan could reach Kailash.

Avviayar’s verses illustrate the simplicity of style and profoundness of the message.  People who used to find Thirukkural by Thiruvallur a little difficult to understand can look to Avviyar works to understand the richness of thought in Thirukkural.

Uyir Ezhuthu	ஆத்திசூடி	English translation
அ	அறம் செய விரும்பு	Desire to do good things
ஆ	ஆறுவது சினம்	Anger is to be controlled
இ	இயல்வது கரவேல்	Help others in any way you can
ஈ	ஈவது விலக்கேல்	Always be charitable
உ	உடையது விளம்பேல்	Do not boast about what you have
ஊ	ஊக்கமது கைவிடேல்	Do not give up hope/effort
எ	எண் எழுத்து இகழேல்	Respect learning
ஏ	ஏற்பது இகழ்ச்சி	Begging is despicable
ஐ	ஐயமிட்டு உண்	Give alms before eating
ஒ	ஒப்புர வொழுகு	Be virtuous
ஓ	ஓதுவது ஒழியேல்	Do not give up learning
ஒள	ஒளவியம் பேசேல்	Do not talk bad about others
ஃ	அஃகஞ் சுருக்கேல்	Never cheat on food

There are versions that there were 2 Avvaiyars one in the  1^st and 2^nd century BC and the other during the Chola dynasty. This should not bother us , as the tamil verses attributed to Avviayars are very profound and simple, we would simply enjoy them and try to brief our children on our Tamil legacy.

More on Avvaiyar’s life and works in my next blog!

இனிய பொங்கல் நல் வாழ்த்துக்கள் !

Sekar