GEET

Song Review

'Yaray Azhagukkukku Azhagu Seivar'

The Tamil composition 'Yaray Azhagukkukku Azhagu Seivar' was composed by the eminent Tamil scholar Ku. Natesa Gounder. This lover of Tamil, Sanskrit and other languages was born to Kumaraswamy Gounder and Angammal. He spent time as a tailoring assistant in his uncle Vellinigiri's shop. The outfit was popular and hence it attracted a number of people. Scholarly chats used to take place between Vellingiri and his friends. One day, the young Natesa Gounder intervened in a discussion. The older people including his uncle though that it was impertinent. However , a famous scholar Vaiyapuri Pillai stated that Natesa Gounder was right at such a tender age. Subsequently this boy learnt under the same scholar. Over the years , he got associated with Kaumara Mutt and Santhalinga Mutt in the Coimbatore region. His younger day involvements made him great. He taught in the Government Arts College, Coimbatore City Municipal School and at the Tamil Kalluri (College) in Perur. He has composed a number of devotional works, done qualitative translations while also creating a number of eminent Tamil scholars. 

Ku.Natesa Gounder was of the opinion that language related fights and disputes over faith based on language issues were born out of ignorance. He was of the opinion that every language was a language of God and every faith was connected with the Almighty . The scholar used to state that the ones who were interested in liberation would never involve themselves in such  useless fights. 

The captioned piece is a marvelous work by this wise scholar. It talks about the married daughter visiting her parents after a long time. The worries and love of the mother and the placing of the husband on a high pedestal by the daughter have been sketched here in a beautiful manner . Here , the daughter  is Uma (Goddess  Parvathi) and the mother happens to be Mena, the spouse of Himavan. Uma had fallen  deeply in love with Parameswara and married him. She had moved over to Kailash and had come visiting her mother after a long gap. For a mother who considered expensive clothes and jewelery to be a sign of well being, it was shocking to see her beloved daughter dressed up in a simple manner. Mena is moved and she speaks to her daughter out of real anguish. Her daughter Uma had been a Princess and the worried mother stated that even a poor guy  interested in keeping his wife happy would borrow in order to deck her  with all the finery. However this husband of  her daughter had just not bothered to embellish and decorate his wife with the best. Mena gets visibly upset and passes a remark which befitted her mood. 

Uma tells her mother that she did not want to cover up her beauty by putting on heavy ornaments or make up and that her husband had felt so. The mother insists on seeing her daughter decked. Therefore she gets the best make up artists and orders them to decorate her daughter with the most expensive stuff available. The dames take  their job seriously and decorated Uma with the ornaments chosen from a large collection which was brought in a  large number of jewelery caskets. The embellishments were done well but  the work did not add to the beauty of the  daughter Uma, on the contrary it seemed to looked gorgeous  minus of these decorations . Mena understands the fact that her daughter was much prettier even without the heavy make up, clothes and jewelry. She understands as to why the husband of her daughter loved her as she looked. Mena is overjoyed at this thought. 

The author Ku, Natesa Gounder has brought out simple human nature through this composition. He has taken his literary creativity and freedom in a positive manner in the poem. This lovely piece is a real tribute to the innate beauty of the culture of our country. Wealth and embellishments were to only add to inner joy and beauty. They were not meant to be looked upon otherwise. The poet states that the bedecked Uma  looked like Pournami ( full moon )  who had been engulfed by Rahu. The mother Mena understands that her daughter , the Goddess of the Universe known as Shankari , Shyamala had no equal in terms of beauty.  

In lovely Tamil, the poet describes the status of Lord Shiva (Parameswara), Goddess Parvathi (Uma) and their celestial role. He sees and shows them as the owners of the Universe. Their ability to bestow good fortune on every single being is well brought out. There is a moral here. The inner beauty and resplendence of the soul is more important than anything else. The grace of God and right wisdom are required to realize this. Kaviyarsau Ku .Natesa Gounder needs to be accoladed for driving home this point. 

This wonderful piece of poetry can be sung or made into a dance drama. It conveys important moods and messages in an effective manner. The high level of prosperity of people these days and the  manner through  which we are getting carried away makes it all the more important to read and understand such compositions. Ku. Natesa Gounder is the true doyen for he  has thrown much light on these aspects though this divine composition . This scholarly poet has brought out several fine facets in this  and his other compositions too. His work can be compared to that of a gem cutter who has brought out the best of clarity , lustre in the most effective manner. 

The business of dressing up and making a statement or creating a historic moment in life or in the society is a given these days. The poem composed by Ku. Natesa Gounder creates the kind of awareness which tells us that none of the expensive embellishments will add beauty or value or history  unless inner joy is ever present in the individual. It goes without saying that one needs the grace of God to reach this state of mind. 