Thursday, March 6, 2014

Kodambakkam Dead Poet's Society

Vanakkam makkaLe.

We are back to business after long break again. Enga constituency-la slight prachana happened. By the time we dealt with that... Adhu ennaachu na, the goats decided to go on strike because they felt they were being fed underrated grass. To quote - "<pointing to Jaggu and Sorna> avanga meyara pul edho vidhyaasama irukku. Engalukkum venum. Andha grass-oda sandhosham should be accessible to goats, as well." So we were forced to make decision between no aatu-kal soup or sharing with the goats our own stock. (Major buzzkill of a problem, literally).
An Indignant Billy

Aana, adha epdiyo resolve pannitu, here were are, the terrible two, with a new topic - kavignargaL. Adhu enna na, our poets are very post-modern, you see. Bayangaramaana inter-textuality happening; they feel the need to borrow from other poets. Or at least name the other poets. So we thought we'd point out some instances where we've brought in other great poets.

Ippo, going back to one of our favourites, in Kadhal Website Ondru, from Dheena, Ajith vekkeme-illama, Laila-va paathu, "Nee oru Sunflower, kavidhaiyil undhan azhaginai paada, naan oru Shakespeare.." nu paadraaru. Sornaakka was quite offended at the thought of thala calling himself Shakespeare. <She was heard to have said, "Not that I love thala less, but I love Shakespeare more">

Turned out her anger was justified by Ajith's so very articulate lyrics later on, that ran.. " Tonntadoiin, tontaodoiin. Tontadoiin, tontadoiin"
<"wah wah besh besh" sounds in the background. Courtesy : the goats on our grass>

You see, the British influence doesn't seem to have left us. We still thought Shakespeare and his English comrades were fantastic poets. Take for instance, couple of years earlier in Jeans, with DiamondPearl uncle's penmanship. In the song "Hai re hai re Hairabba", the enchanted couple sing, "Nam kaadhalai kavipaadave, Shelley-in Byron-in kallarai thookaththai kalaithiduvom". I think we can all agree that these two Romantic poets would have only pulled the bedsheet higher and slept deeper at being requested to do so. However, it turned out to be unnecessary because Vairamuthu-avargaL did a good enough job of it himself.

However, we do pay respects to our own poets. In some of the most beautiful lines written for Tamil films, we sing, "Un pudavai mundhaanai saayndhadhil indha bhoomi poopoothadhe/ Idhu Kamban paadaadha sindhanai, undhan kaadhoda yaaru sonnadhu?" Which is the same question we'd love to ask Vairamuthu sir - Kamban-kuda paadaadha sindhanai idhu, epdi sir, ivlo azhaga eluthureenga?
A Diplomatic Khayyam in an
interview about Gowri Munjal (Left) 

"Omar who?"
If not Kambar, his medieval contemporary, then. We seem to have some fondness in our hearts for the Persians, you see. Vaali wrote for Thottaal Poo Malarum, " Urdu kavignan, Omar Khayyam-in kavidhaiya nee?". Whether the heroine was actually worthy of the praise, we shall not judge. But we do understand that Vaali sir was in awe of his lineage. Avaru eppovume ippadi thaanga ahead of his times but also aware of all possible times, oru Tamil Cinema oda Dr.Who.


That's when the tables turn. When Little (supers)T(a)R sings oh-so-earnestly in Vallavan - "Vaali-pola paathu ezhudha dhaan enakku theriyalaye..". Avlo theridhu-la? Why are you still writing? Oru orama okkaandhu, let the experts write no? Yen ipdi ungalaiyum tortute panni, engalayum torture panreenga?

Enna intha post la Nair ah kaanum innu pakareengala, Nair basically
ooruku poitaru, so we were left without a tea kadai, that's why andha soup-grass-goat-not-so-high conundrum happened! Puriyale.... Naan Kadavul Arya mathiri naangalum oru dialogue vittom "Mujhe G***a Chahiye!, G***a kahan hain??"


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