Knowing about ancient Tamil literature

K.S Sivakumaran

This country is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi -religious and multi-cultural tiny island in the Indian Ocean with a population of nearly 21 million people.

Majority of the people are Sinhala-speaking and among them majority profess Buddhism of the Theravada discipline. For a long period of time different communities native to the country had been living together as people of this country irrespective of their minor differences.

The last of the foreign powers that controlled the administration of the country since 1505 - the Bruisers- are supposed to have adopted a policy of Divide and Rule and thus the differences between and among the variouse communities were accentuated and the positive aspects of the people feeling as members of one single nation took a back seat. After Sri Lanka became a free democratic country in 1948, communal thinking slowly crept into the lifestyles of the people at large.

What followed is contemporary Lankan history. One of the reasons for this divisive tendency was the fact that the people in the different directions in the island failed to communicate with each other in favourable terms. Due to an artificial geographical separation, lack of easy transportation, smooth communications the country isolated itself even within it different enclaves. No plausible efforts were taken by the major community and other minor communities to know each others' culture and language. Political games victimised the people and basic human relationship was frozen into a static state.

One of the oldest and living languages of the world rich in pristine values, wisdom, and human relationship continues to be the Tamil language. Similarly the Sinhala language because of its adaptability and cosmopolitanism and universality of Buddhism enriched the people in all respects. However, politics took the upper hand and a majority of the people in the island hardly knows the values of Tamil and Sinhala literature. So for the benefit of the youth who do not know anything about the glories of the Tamil language and its literature, I wish to highlight only some points of the early Tamil Literature that my enthuse them to know and respect other cultures.

*The ancient Tamil literature was also known as Sangam literateur meaning that they were produced during the period before three grand conferences on Tamil literature said to have been held in Mathurai in the kingdom of the Paandiyas.

* Poetry written between 500 B C and 500 A D are said to have been collected later in two anthologies known as Paththup Paaddu (10 poems each in 10 different works) and Eddu Thokai (poems found in eight different works. The works were: Thiru Murukaarrup Padai, Peru Narrup Padai, Siru Naanarrup Padai, Mullaip Paddu, Mathuraik Kaanchi, and Nedu Nal Vaadai, Kurinchup Paaddu, PaddinapPaalai and Malai Padu Kalaam.

Of these Mullaip Paaddu, Kurunchip Paaddu and Paddinap Paalai dealt with the theme of Aham (Love) and the rest spoke about Puram (War and related subjects) in Edduth Thokai were included Narrinai, Kurunthokai, Iyngurunooru, Pathirrup Pattu, Pari Paadal, Kalth Thokai, Ahanaanooru and Pura Nannoru. Three of these works dealt poems outside personal poems.

* These poems depicted the actualities of the ancient period. There was little imagination in creativity. The poems were mirrors of the society. In consonance with the Nature the people lived simple life and maintained good behaviour.

A poet of that time declared that Yaathum Oore, Yaavarum Kealir meaning 'every country is my country, 'and all others are my relatives.' Such noble thoughts showed how the ancient Tamilians lived up to exemplary love for the humankind'

On a later date we shall know more about other literary works of the ancient period.

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