THE SHOE AND THE BROOM
(SERUPPU AND VILAKKUMAARU)


DR.S.JAYABARATHI
MALAYSIA
JayBee

        Siledai Kavi is a genre of Tamil poetry. It is of a special calibre. The same single stanza may apply to two or more different subjects/objects/persons/topics.
        Aasu Kavi is one of the four types of poetry - Aasu, Madhuram, Chiththiram, and Vistharam.
        When a cue is given, the poet composes the poem without pausing to think or search for words. The formation of the poem is instantaneous and spontaneous.

        The poet KaLamEgam was an Aasu Kavi who specialised in Siledai.
        Once he met stiff challenges from the sixty four Thandikai Poets of Tirumalai Rayan's court. Tirumalai Rayan was a philanthropic king who ruled from Tirumalai Rayan Pattinam. It is now in Karaikal.

        A fuller version of the story of KaLamegam will be placed in the VisvaComplex.

        The poet Kalamegam was facing very stiff competition from the 64 pulavars of the sabai of Thirumalai Raayan. They gave him certain words and asked him to compose poems without any form of mistakes, immediately. The poem can only be recited on the spot. No time should be taken. And it should not be written.

        One of the poets asked Kalamegam to compose a venba poem starting with the word "cheruppu" and ending with the word "vilakkumaaru".

        The words "cheruppu" and "vilakkumaaru" are used as derogatory word. They are not to be mentioned in a sophisticated high class audience.
In poetic parlance, they are known as 'idakkar'.

        I have transliterated the original Tamil version. I have made it as faithful to the original pronunciation as possible.

ceruppukku vIrargaLai senRulzakkum vElavanai
maruppukku nAyaganaip pulla - thiruppukku
thaNdEn polzi thiruththAmaraimEl vIRRirukkum
vaNdE viLakku mARE

ceruppukku vIrargaLai  has to be split into ceru + pukku vIrargaLai which would mean "warriors going into the battle-field".

        This poem is supposed to be from a love-lorn lady. Velavan or Murugan is  victorious in destroying warriors who enter the battle-field. The love-lorn lady wants to embrace him. So she asks a bee to go as a messenger to him to explain to him about her love-lorn plight.

        The bee is described as being seated in a beautiful lotus which exudes cool nectar. The lotus is also the seat of Thiru or Lakshmi.

VaNde! O Bee!

ViLakkumARE = Won't you explain?

        The two words cheruppu and vilakkumaru are the 'idakkar' words here in this poem. The process of incorporating them to mean an innocent and harmless meaning is the 'idakkar adakkal'.

        This is one of the rules explains in 'aNi iyal.

        The poem also follows a class of prabantham called 'thoothu'. Hence, this should be 'VaNdu vidu thoothu'.

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