Bharathiyaar was a great nationalist, philosopher and a social reformer far ahead of his times. What most people miss out is that he excelled in romantic poems. Kannan Paattu contains some of his best compositions. In this collection of poems the poet visualizes Kannan or Krishna in many forms; his king, his guru, his servant, father, mother, sweetheart and lover. Despite the different manifestations of his Kannan, it is his songs on Kannan as the divine lover that stand out.
This poem talks of the intense longing for Kannan , that Kannamma goes through , followed by a description of the absolute bliss she attains on experiencing His presence .
A short distraction ;
Thirvalluvar also has devoted a complete chapter on this kind of suffering .
116. பிரிவாற்றாமை
one of the most insightful couplets, I found in the chapter:-
துறைவன் துறந்தமை தூற்றாகொல் முன்கை
இறையிறவா நின்ற வளை.
The bangles fall off her arms giving away how thin she had become
These are times when not many read poetry but everybody listens to music particularly when there are fancy visuals that go with the lyrics. The background music often drowns the lyrics and most people don’t miss the lyrics anyway.
As an old fashioned Bharathi bhakt, first, I would love to read the poem in full , unedited and unaffected by any sound or visuals. So, here’s the full version, all fifty six lines set in seven stanzas.
In 1948, the song was first popularized by AVM productions through the golden voice of DK Pattammal in the film Vethala Ulagam. Eldest of the Travancore sisters, Lalitha dances to this song. The song is full of similes, a delight to any Bharathanatyam dancer. As always , a film can popularize a song but can never do full justice to the genius of Bharathiyaar.
Generally Bharathiyaar bhakti runs through generations and there is a recording of DK Pattammal singing many Bharathi songs along her grand daughter Nithyasree Mahadevan.
Obviously, the poet did not write for films where any song has to fit into a pallavi, anu pallavi and 2-3 charanams. I feel Bhartahiyaar’s songs should be listened to , in full, with minimum accompaniments even if it takes half an hour, so that one can soak in every word and every line and be immersed in bliss with the after glow lasting for an hour or so .
The first half of the poem talks of the girl suffering the pangs of separation and longing. There is a series of similes to describe her suffering ; heart trembling like a worm in an angler’s hook or a flame exposed to winds. It goes on and on to the the agony of sleeplessness and lack of appetite. Everything that was supposed to taste great tastes so bitter and nothing at all interests her in life; she cannot even tolerate simple joyful activities, leave alone, enjoy. She cannot bear the company of her friends or her mother trying to cheer her up. The doctors and astrologers, to whom one goes in such times , have also given up all hopes.
When she had become a complete physical and mental wreck and when everyone had given up all hopes of any redemption, something wonderful happens. She, in her dream, goes through a kind of experience that leaves her absolutely ecstatic.
On waking up, the world around her becomes extremely beautiful again. She is trying to figure out what had caused this total transformation. She is musing aloud “Who was that in my dreams who touched my heart? Every time I think of his presence, and I feel a strange sense of peace pervading through my entire being ?”
Thanks to the internet and the audio /video editing software; I have a short clip of a line rendered in the soulful voice of Bombay Jayashree.
It’s so soothing whenever I listen to .
The word than or Thanmai in Tamil used to mean cool and probably even the hindusthani word Thand has originated from our Than. Today we have lost a cool word to chill about as a youngster would say today.
In the last stanza, as she keeps reliving her blissful experience , mulling on it over and over , it finally dawns on her that it was indeed Krishna who had appeared in her dream!
Here are some video clips not in any order
The singers : Bombay Jayashri, S Sowmya, DK Pattammmal and Nithyasree Mahadevan
