In this episode, we listen to a pointed question put to another, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 179, penned by Koadimangalathu Vaathuli Narchenthanaar, Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse etches the dreariness of this domain.

விண் தோய் சிமைய விறல் வரைக் கவாஅன்,
வெண்தேர் ஓடும் கடம் காய் மருங்கில்,
துனை எரி பரந்த துன் அரும் வியன் காட்டு,
சிறு கண் யானை நெடுங் கை நீட்டி
வான் வாய் திறந்தும் வண் புனல் பெறாஅது,
கான் புலந்து கழியும் கண் அகன் பரப்பின்
விடு வாய்ச் செங் கணைக் கொடு வில் ஆடவர்
நல் நிலை பொறித்த கல் நிலை அதர,
அரம்பு கொள் பூசல் களையுநர்க் காணாச்
சுரம் செல விரும்பினிர்ஆயின் இன் நகை,
முருந்து எனத் திரண்ட முள் எயிற்றுத் துவர் வாய்,
குவளை நாள் மலர் புரையும் உண்கண், இம்
மதி ஏர் வாள் நுதல் புலம்ப,
பதி பெயர்ந்து உறைதல் ஒல்லுமோ, நுமக்கே?

In this trip to the drylands, we get to hear the confidante say these words to the man, when he conveys his intention to part away from the lady and go in search of wealth:

“Adjoining those majestic mountains with sky-soaring peaks, in the scorched, stony spaces, filled with mirages, running away from the wide and formidable scrub jungle, where fire spreads rapidly, a small-eyed elephant extends its long arm and opens its wide mouth. Without receiving the satisfying gush of water, it leaves with dejection from there. In those wide spreading spaces, glory of men with curving bows and red-tipped, speeding arrows is etched on hero stones. If you wish to traverse such paths, where there is no one to end the uproarious deeds of the wicked, do you think you are capable of departing from this place and living apart, leaving the lady with a sweet smile, sharp teeth, akin to the eye of a peacock’s feather, red mouth, kohl-streaked eyes, akin to freshly blossomed flowers of the blue-lily, and moon-like, shining forehead, to lament?”

Time to experience the familiar heat of this land! The confidante starts with a vivid description of the place, talking first about the adjoining ranges, telling us this drylands region could be the transformation of a ‘Kurinji’ domain in the heat of summer. Here, she talks about how the heat paints mirages on the land, and fooled, an elephant comes rushing to quench its thirst and leaves in much disappointment, even as wild fires streak around. She points to the many hero stones that echo the glory and death of great warriors, detailing how these are abandoned spaces, away from the protecting hand of law, and there’s no one to quell the mischief of the wicked. After that long description, the confidante talks about the beauty of the lady, her smile, perfect teeth, red mouth, dark eyes, shining forehead, and ends by asking the man how he could even think of staying away from the lady, leaving her in suffering!

To put it in a nutshell, the confidante tells the man, ‘The wealth you are searching for, is nothing but a mirage. What is real is the beauty of the lady, right next to you, and that’s all the wealth you need!’. Whether the man accepts her perspective or not, it sure echoes a timeless philosophical debate about the nature of wealth and its conflict with love!