My Tamizh Connection
Growing up, the Tamil language had a great influence on life in general. It helped to grow-up in a locality which is largely Tamil-dominated. Listening to Tamil music was part of the growing years. Mostly devotional songs.
There were these three songs I recall: ‘Ettupatti Raasa’ (title song) and ‘Mariyamma Mariyamma’ from Karakattakkaran (1989) and ‘Oru thaali varam’ from Purusha Lakshanam (1993).
I would get goosebumps hearing ‘Ettupatti Raasa’ particularly.
An interesting fact was I never knew the origin of these songs back when I was a kid. Just heard them playing through the deck during the annual Thiruvizha (திருவிழா) yatra of the local Muthu Mariamman Kovil (Temple).
Post my 12th exams, my family left the locality and moved places. From a largely Tamil-dominated area, we were now residing with a mixed but Marathi-dominated demographic.
While growing up there was an inner urge to locate these songs. That continued even after leaving Trombay with me trying to find these songs but in vain. The intra-migration didn’t help this mission. But there was another problem. I wasn't aware of the song title. Couldn’t even recall the lyrics of these songs. Once in a while, I would search online to locate these songs. Internet wasn’t as big a universe as it is now.
I didn't even know whether these were from a devotional album or a song from a film. Obviously, now I know they are the latter. But the way it was consumed by the Kovil and associated people and many ‘followers’ of the Thiruvizha, one wouldn’t brush it aside as a commercial song.
Anyway thanks to YouTube I bumped into these songs almost accidentally a couple of days back. It was the appointed day, I guess. Years earlier, I tried the same route through YouTube but not knowing what the title or makers or the album/film, the search was a trying one.
Somewhat I feel this find was also possible because of the democratisation of entertainment options on the Internet. Gone are the days where the Internet in India provided a readymade output for Hindi and English only. Over the years, we have an increasing range across mediums and various languages.
Anyway, the long and short of this is the relatability I still feel with Tamil language and customs. When I was a kid, Amma would make it a point to visit the Kovil every Friday evening. It became kind of a ritual. My brother and I particularly liked the shade of the banyan tree in the temple premises centred around the Navagrahas. That fond memory has stayed.
Come to think of it, my consciousness and identification as a south Indian is less to do with being a Tuluva than to do with my association with Tamil language and culture. No, I am not disowning my roots. Basically it’s a domino effect. One led to another. One shaped another.
