TAMIL
Ballads on Maravar community
S. A. K. DURGA
MARAVAR KADHAI PADALGAL: M. Gnanathai; Kavya, 16, II Cross Street, Kodambakkam, Chennai-600024. Rs. 150.
THIS WORK is an ethnographical study on the Maravar community of Tamil Nadu which is traced back to the period of Pandya Kingdom.
As a community, the Mmaravars are hailed as patriotic, brave, courageous, and fighters for freedom.
The author deals with the subject under four main divisions - the history and life of the Maravar community, ethnographical perspective on the folk ballads; socio-cultural aspects described in the ballads; and historical information that can be gleaned from folk ballads.
The folk songs and the folk ballads are innumerable in Tamil Nadu.
They provide a wealth of information about the life and history, social and religious customs and culture of the community they speak about. This book brings out interesting facts from a study of 17 folk ballads of Tirunelveli District, some of which have not been published so far.
The ballads having story songs are in the form of Villupattu, one of the ancient folk performing arts of Tamil Nadu.
The Villupattu ballads `Poolithevan Kadai' and `Veerapandiya Kattabomman Kadai' are interesting to read. Their courage and love for freedom come out strongly.
The Kallars and Agamudayars are also studied, although not in detail, as part of the Maravar community as belonging to Mukkulathor.
Poolithevan, who belonged to the Maravar community, was the first freedom fighter from Tamil Nadu, a fact not well known.
The ballads on the Vandaiya thevar, Mechum Peruman Pandiyan, Sonamuthu Pandian, Balammal, Vannirajam, Vanniyadi Maravan and, Sappani Muthiah, among others, are used as the source material for this ethnographical study.
This is truly one of the best works of this genre coming up, of late, in Tamil on different communities.
The ethnographical study of the communities will serve their purpose if they do not induce communal fanaticism or weaken the sense of Indianess, but promote communal harmony in India.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Book Review
