36th ALL INDIA CONFERENCE OF DRAVIDIAN LINGUISTS

Please remember the 36th A.I.C.D.L. takes place at Sri Vasavi College, Erode from 19th to 21st June 2008. The Governing Council of I.S.D.L. meets on 18th June 2008 at 3 p.m. The I.J.D.L. Annual Meeting also takes place on the same day at 5 p.m. The D.L.A. General Body Meeting is on 19th June 2008 at 5 p.m.

Scholars are requested to bring copies of their papers and abstracts for circulation, if they are late in sending them to the Secretary.

Dravidian scholars in Malaya, Singapore, etc. are encouraged to attend the Conference.

DRAVIDIAN TRIBAL LANGUAGES IN `ENCYCLOPAEDIA
OF DRAVIDIAN TRIBES'

The details of Dravidian tribal languages mentioned in the Encyclopaedia of Dravidian Tribes is given below in the order of: Language (Tribe) Name, Volume Number, Page Number(s), Contributor (if any) and Author(s) and Title(s) referred to (if any).

1. Adiyan: II, 7-8, Nil, Nil (Probably unpublished thesis)

2. Aranadan: II, 18-19, Nil, Nil

3. Chenchu: II, 29-31, Nil, Trivedi G.M.: Linguistic Survey of the Chenchus of Andhra Pradesh

4. Cholanaikka, II, 41-46, Muralidharan, R., Muralidharan, R.: A Descriptive Study of Cholanaikka

5. Irula: II, 72-76, Nil, None cited but Zvelebil: Erla Language depended on.

6. Kadar: II, 92-93, Nil, Zacharias Thundiyil: The Language of the Kadars

7. Kanikkar: II, 110, Nil, Agesthialingom: Kanikkar Dialect; Somasekharan Nair: Kanikkarude Samsarabhasha

8. Kasaba: II, 116-18, Nil, Chidambaranatha Pillai: Phonology of Kasaba with Vocabulary; Same Author: A Grammar of the Kasaba Language

9. Koraga: II, 126-32, Nil, Bhat, D.N.S.: The Koraga Language

10. Kota: II, 144-46, Nil, Subbiah G.: Grammar of Kota; Emeneau, M.B.: Kota Texts

11. Kurichiya: II, 169-70, Nil, Kumaran Vayaleri: Kurichiyarude Jivathavum Samskaravum

12. Kuruba (Betta-Kadu): II, 182-86, Nil, Jayapal: Descriptive Grammar of Kurumba

13. Kuruba (Jenu-Kattunaikka): II, 184, Nil, Zvelebil: The Tenseless Verb of Jenu Kuruba

14. Mala Muthan: II, 210-11, Somasekharan Nair, Somasekharan Nair: Malamuthante Malayalam

15. Malaveda: II, 233-36, Nil, Vimalakumari - Syntactic Analysis of Veda; Vimala M. - Noun Morphology of Malaveda; Kumari Nirmala - Internal Reconstruction of Veda Language; Thankachi R. - Noun Morphology of Veda Language; Radhakrishnan S. - Verb Morphology of Veda Language; Hyrunusa Begam - Language of Mala Vedas

16. Mannan: II, 262-63, Annie Monsy, Annie Joseph: Description of the Tribal Dialects of Devikolam

17. Muduga: II, 274-76, Nil, Rajendran: Muduga Language

18. Mullukuruma: II, 285-86, Nil, Robert Sathya Joseph: A Descriptive Study of Mullukuruma

19. Muthuva: II, 294-95, Nil, Namboodiri E.V.N.: Dialect Study of the Hill Tribes of Travancore

20. Paniya: II, 310-12, Nil, Aiyyappan A.: The Paniyas; Somasekharan Nair: Paniyar

21. Soliga: II, 322-23, Nil, Gurubasave Gowda: Descriptive Analysis of Soliga

22. Thachanadan Mooppan: II, 326-28, Somasekharan Nair, Somasekharan Nair: Thachanadanmarude Samsara Bhasa; Same Author: Kinship Terminology and Social Structure of the Tribals of Kerala

23. Toda: II, 348-51, Nil, Emeneau, M.B.: Toda Grammar and Texts; Saktivel: Phonology of Toda with Vocabulary

24. Urali: II, 358-60, Nil, Sam Mohan Lal: A Descriptive Analysis of Urali

25. Urali Kuruma: II, 368-69, Nil, Somasekharan Nair: Uralikurumarute Bhasa

26. Yerava: II, 378-79, Nil, Mallikarjun B.: A Descriptive Analysis of Yerawa

27. Yerukula: II, 386-89, Sivathanu C., Srinivasa Varma: Yerukula Dialect

28. Abuj Maria: III, 14-18, Nil, Natarajan G.V.: Abujhmaria Grammar

29. Brahui: III, 45-50, Abdur Rahman Brahui, Quadri Al: All about Brahui; Dray: The Brahui Language; Emeneau, M.B.: Brahui and Dravidian Comparative Grammar

30. Dhurwa: III, 63-64, Nil, Burrow & Bhattacharya: The Parji Language

31. Dorla: III, 69-70, Nil, Dutt Kirtilata: Studies in the Language and Literature of Some Non-Aryan Tribes of Madhya Pradesh

32. Gadaba: III, 78-79, Nair, R.S., Peri Bhaskara Rao: Konekor Gadaba; Sudhibushan Bhattacharya: Ollari - A Dravidian Speech

33. Gondi: III, 111-12, Nil, Subrahmanyam, P.S.: A Descriptive Grammar of Gondi; Burrow & Bhattacharya: A Com- parative Vocabulary of Gondi Dialects; Umamaheswara Rao: Gondi Dialects

34. Kolami: III, 136-37, Nair, R.S., Nil

35. Konda Dora: III, 143-45, Nil, Krishnamurthi, Bh.: Konda or Kubi - A Dravidian Language

36. Kui: III, 164-65, Nair, R.S., Nil

37. Kuvi: III, 165-67, Nair, R.S., Nil

38. Koya: III, 177-80, Nil, Rama Subbiah Sarma: A Study of Koya Dialects and their Relationship with Gondi; Stephen A. Tyler: Koya - An Outline Grammar

39. Malto: III, 191-94, Nil, Mahapatra, B.K.: Malto - An Ethnosemantic Study; Nair, R.S.: Malto; Vidyarthi L.P.: The Maler - A Study of Nature, Man Spirit Complex of a Hill Tribe

40. Muria Gondi: III, 208-10, Nil, Bhattacharya S.: Muria Morphology

41. Kurukh: III, 241-42, Nair, R.S., Nil

42. Kurukh Kinship Terms: III, 242-43, Nil, Trautmann: Dravidian Kinship

43. Pengo: III, 252-55, Nil, Burrow & Bhattacharya: The Pengo Language

T. Madhava Menon

NO RENAISSANCE BUT ONLY HUMANISTIC MODERNIZATION

The European Renaissance was in arts, science and literature and it began in the post-Chaucerian period (after A.D. 1400). It was a revival of Greek and Roman classics. But in India what Raja Ram Mohan Roy began was an attempt at modernization based on humanism. It was a synthesis of Indian spirituality, rationalism and religion. In Kerala too, caste-based reform movement began with Vaikunta Swamikal followed by Arattupuzha Velayudha Panikker, observed Prof. T.P. Sankarankutty Nair, former Professor of History in the University College, Thiruvananthapuram while delivering the Bodheswaran Foundation lecture on Kerala Renaissance. The foundation Secretary, Prof. B. Hrdayakumari, presided over the function held at Gandhi Bhavan, Thycaud in the lecture series on Reform Movements in the South.

Velayudha Panikker, an Ezhava social reformer, was the first to consecrate the Siva temple at Mangalath, near Edakkad in the year 1854 in the year of the birth of Sree Narayana Guru, Dr. Nair added. It was Panikker who for the first time revived the Kathakaliyogam which was a monopoly of the Savarnas, side by side encouraged non-Savarnas to read Vedic texts and to wear gold ornaments. Arattupuzha Panikker was stabbed to death by an unknown person in 1874 at the age of 49, probably by one who was opposed to his new progressive reforms. The studies on this pioneer social reformer had been sidelined by historians from time to time. It was only after the period of Velayudha Panikker that the social-religious reformers like Chattampi Swamikal, Sree Narayana Guru, etc. created a spiritual halo to reform the Kerala society, explained Dr. Nair.

Dr. P. Palpu, the true founder of the SNDP Yogam, along with Barrister G.P. Pillai, made the socio-political movement for modernization of Travancore a reality by their speeches, writings, memorials and public addresses. Ayyankali, Mitavati C. Krishnan, Sahodaran Ayyappan, K.P. Karuppan, K. Kelappan, Mannam, V.T. Bhattatiripad and Brahmananda Sivayogi added vigour and strength to the socio-religious reformation in Kerala. This was possible particularly after the Vaikom-Guruvayoor and Suchindram Satyagrahas and the Abstention Movement.

Mitavati who entered the Tali Temple of Kozhikkode in 1917 is a long-forgotten hero in the history of Kerala's temple entry movement. Newspapers like the Mathrubhoomi, Malayala Manorama, Kerala Kaumudi, The Hindu, The Mail, etc. educated the general public about the need for social emancipation. The Kerala Model of modernization is more based on Humanism, Rationalism and Democracy rather than the European model of Renaissance or Reformation. Here it was only a humanistic modernization by western educated intellectuals like Barrister G.P. Pillai and Dr. Palpu, side by side with vernacular stalwarts like Ayyaguru, Vaikunta Swamikal, Velayudha Panikker, Chattampi Swamikal, Sree Narayana Guru and Ayyankali, Dr. Nair concluded.

In the discussions, poetess Sugathakumari, Dr. N.N. Panicker, historian K. Sivasankaran Nair, Prof. E. Sreedharan and ex-MP P. Viswambharan participated.

B. Hrdayakumari

30th A.I.C.L. AT DECCAN COLLEGE

The thirtieth All India Conference of Linguists and Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Commencement of Postgraduate Teaching in Linguistics will take place from 26th to 28th November 2008 at the Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute, Pune. It is being organized by Department of Linguistics, Deccan College, Pune, The Linguistic Society of India and Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore.

Research papers on all aspects of Linguistics related to Indian languages, covering phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, typology, historical and comparative linguistics, clinical linguistics, translation studies and literacy studies are welcome. In addition, survey-articles to (i) assess the teaching of Linguistics in the country and (ii) trace the inception and growth of teaching departments in the country are also invited.

The last date for receiving abstracts is 30th August 2008.

For more details, please contact Prof. K.S. Nagaraja, Head, Department of Linguistics, Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute, Pune - 411 006. (Mobile: 09923-266218)

NATIONAL SEMINAR - THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR
TAMIL CULTURAL STUDIES

The International Society for Tamil Cultural Studies, Palkalai Nagar, Madurai conducted a three-day national seminar on the Contribution of the Tamils of the Post-Sangam Period to Indian Culture in the aspects of Bhakti Cult, Literature and Arts from 21st to 23rd March 2008.

Prof. P. Marudanayagam, President of ISTCS and Prof. T. Murugaretnam, General Secretary of ISTCS were in charge of conducting the seminar.

TREATMENT OF `WOMAN'S BEAUTY'
IN SANGAM SONGS

Based on the theme the Tamil rhetoricians divided the Sangam songs into two parts, viz. akam and puram. Akapporul (subject related to mind) deals with the various stages of love between men and women, while the Purapporul narrates the external matters like war and social life. Further Akapporul accounts seven stages of love based on its intrinsic nature such as punartal (sexual union), pirital (separation), iruttal (waiting), irankal (mourning), utal (petty quarrels between lovers), kaikkila (one-sided love) and peruntinai (improper love). Love has two levels, viz. love before marriage (kalavu) and love after marriage (karppu). Each stage of the love has its own geographical situations. They are called tinai (earth, place etc.) and each tinai is reserved for enacting a particular stage of the love. Thus kurinci (hilly tract) stands for punartal, mullai (forest tract) for iruttal, marutam for utal, neytal for irankal and palai for pirital. Tamil is the only culture that attributed such an ecological backing for the intrinsic stages of sexual passion. Tinais are named after the flowers which blossomed in that land tract. How the entire plants, animals, men and women of these tinais coincided with each other and in which way they should be depicted in literature were clearly discussed in Tamil rhetoric works right from Tolkappiyam.

The chief literary category which deals with the theme of love is Ettuttokai. It includes Narrinai, Kuruntokai, Ainkurunuru, Kalittokai and Akananuru. Though Sanskrit rhetoric concepts have certain traces in Sangam, they invariably possess their own poetic ideas that are alien to Sanskrit aestheticism. Generally speaking, Tamil rhetoric is simple and non-artificial but theoretically complex in nature.

The treatment of love in Sangam songs deserves detailed discussions and analysis. As a common practice prevailed among early poets of Indian literature, Tamil poets also sung about the beauty of a woman's hair, eyes, teeth, shoulder, breasts, nipples of the breast, buttocks, thighs, feet and different kinds of dresses and ornaments but never attempted for angapratyamga varnana (limb-by-limb description) of the woman. Even `kissing the lip' is not seen narrated in Sangam songs. Ancient Tamil poets never honoured the concept of adharamruta (nectar of the lip). However there is a description about eyirrunir (sweet saliva) but it has no connection with sexual kissing. Union, elopement and separation of lovers creates situations for describing or remembering the beauty of the heroine either through the soliloquy of the lover or through narration by the lady-friend of the heroine or stepmothers' grieving. There exist so many narrations on the embracing posture of lovers in Sangam poems. In these songs, the lover embraces the shoulder of the heroine and not the entire body. The inspiring element in the affection towards a woman is her shoulder. Often, a woman's shoulder is compared with tender bamboo. For instance:

1. She who has strong, wide shoulder like an oscillating bamboo, is my beloved.
                                                                                                           [Kuruntokai - 131]
   
   Context: The remembrance of a lover who departed from his heroine.
    

2. This beautiful girl who caught my heart has shoulder equal to round-shaped bamboo and hands with shining rings.
   She is like glorious Tonti town.
                                                                                                           [Ammuvanar]
                                                                                                           [Tontippattu - Ainkurunuruu]
   
   Context: The departed lover narrates his deeds with the heroine.
    

3. Once her shoulder was like a beautiful bamboo. But now it has lost its shining and beauty due to affliction.
   
                                                                                                           [Kalitturai - 34th song]
   
   Context: A prince left his wife and went away. The bridesmaid approaches the prince and explains the sorrowful condition of her mistress.
    

4. Medicine for my love sickness is in the beautiful bamboo-like shoulder of my beloved who is the daughter of the village headman where so many flowering plants grow.
   
                                                                                                           [Orampokiyar]
                                                                                                           [Erumapattu - Ainkurunuru]
   
   Context: Here the lover believes that his affliction will extinguish only after embracing his beloved's shoulder. He compares her shoulder with golden bamboo.

Embracing the shoulder of the heroine is a poetic gesture generally found in Sangam songs. In Tontipattu, a song written by Ammuvanar, it is clearly stated that the lover in that song is living with the expectation of getting a chance for embracing the shoulder of the girl whom he loves. It is only in Sangam songs that we come across the concept of shoulder's reaction on the union and departure of the beloveds. Venmani puti, a poetess of Sangam period, in Kuruntokai 299th poem narrates as follows:

`My ears heard his words
Aftermath, whenever he comes
Soft and expanded shoulder of mine
Became throbbing
As and when he goes away
My shoulder became lean and hangs
Oh maid will you tell me the reason?'

Here the prime concern is given to the shoulder of the heroine even though her eyes and ears are involved in the love affair. On the nearness of the lover it is the shoulder of the woman that reacts. It expands with pleasure when they unite and saddens when they depart. In Sanskrit literature, it is the breast that reacts accordingly. Tamil poets of Sangam period had only depicted the throbbing of shoulders in different stages of love deeds.

A woman's shoulder is dynamic even if the hands are not in shaking mood. It can raise or lower without moving the hands. It can shake or wrinkle or roll. All these changes are related to her emotion. The shoulder raises and moves forward when she is anxious about misfortune. The shoulder comes down and moves backwards when she is vigilant and in a mood of relief. When she is cheerful, her shoulder comes down slightly from the normal position. Sangam poets were able to notice the reaction of shoulders on different attitudes. No other literature has as beautiful a description on the woman's shoulder as is found in Sangam poems.

In one of the poems of Ilanakanar (kalittokai marutattinai - song 1), the softness of the shoulder is equated with the mattress. For the poet Allur Nanmullai, dawn is a sword which separates the lovers who slept in embracing mood of the shoulder (Kuruntokai song 157). Another poetic rendezvous of Sangam songs is the concept of leaning or wearing of the shoulder and paleness of forehead of heroine in separation (vide the poems of Perunkatunko, Mamulanar, Kunriyanar). The comparison of the heroine's shoulder with glorious cities also has references in Sangam poems as is seen in Akam 113 of Kallatanar. There the shoulder is compared with a sumptuous land that had the toddy-smelling city (Neytalam ceru) as capital. A woman's nude shoulder is a sex-stimulating body part. Sangam poets eulogized its softness, shape, reactions through unique
rhetorical figures of speech.

Plaited hair

We have elaborate descriptions on a woman's hair in literature but the affinity of Sangam poets towards plaited hair is a rare poetic experience worthy of noting. Akam poems have many citations for the plaited hair of heroines. The repeated number in plaiting is five. For instance:

1. `Her five-way plaited hair'
           Katamanar - Manamitai pavalam - song 25.
   Context: Stepmothers mourning on the elopement of the heroine with her lover.
    

2. `She who possesses beautiful hair plaited in five manner'.
           Paranar - Akam - song 212.
   Context: The hero's soliloquy when he knows the heroine's imprisonment by her parents.
    

3. `Like a rain cloud, her five-way plaited shining hair descends on the back side'.
           Nakkirar - Akam 126.
   Context: The hero remembers the beauty of his beloved.
    

4. `Like the fragrance spread in deep forests, her plaited fine hair blows sweet smell'.
           Nallantuvanar - Akam 43.
   Context: The hero's soliloquy.
    

5. `Oh beloveds having adorned plaited hair,
   shining foreheads and youthfulness.
   Are your mouths filled with untruthful words?'
           Tankal mutakkorranar - Akam 48.

A woman's hair is a stimulating element in sexual affairs. Akam 92nd poem gives a beautiful description on the heroine's hair where the hero slept. Here the hair is treated as a mat for her lover to sleep comfortably. See a maid's words to her lady-friend:

`He could sleep on your black and soft hair as if on a mat'.
            Narramanar - Akam 92.

Husbands are the owners of their beloveds' hair. That is why when the husband dies, the wife cuts her hair as a sign of widowhood. (This custom still prevails in certain communities.)

Fighting eyes

The description of fighting eyes is another poetic rendezvous noted among Sangam poets. In Sanskrit literature, the description of fighting chest is quite common in the limb-by-limb narration of a woman's beauty but the description of fighting eyes found in Sangam songs deserves special mention due to its extraordinary power of imagination. For instance:

1. `I remember her elongated and collyrium-like eyes which were fighting each other'.
               Nakkiranar - Akam - song 126.
   Context: The hero's soliloquy during his separation with the heroine.
    

2. Her eyes are elongated and childish
   They are like clouds that shed chilly rain
   They are splendid like the city `Param'
   protected by benevolent Mijili
   And they are in quarrel
   But shed love and kindness on me
           Paranar Narrinai - song 265.
   
   Context: The hero's romantic attitude during his separation with the heroine.

The essence of this imagination of `fighting eyes' is none other than the figure of speech showing absence of comparison.

Glorious towns

Another excellent feature worthy to note in Sangam songs is the figure of speech chosen to compare the beauty of a woman with glorious towns and regions. Tonti, Kalar, Param, Kutanatu, Neytalam ceru, Nalannati, Vilankil, Palani and Kutavayil were the places frequently referred to as objects of comparison. Each place had its own excellence. For instance:

1. Tonti: The ruler of this beautiful city was a Cera king. It was a fishing port in the western coast, most probably the modern Katalunti or Quilandy
   near Kozhikkode. During the Sangam period, this city was famous for water-thorn flowers (muntaka) also.
   
   Ammuvanar compared the beauty of a girl with this town (Akam - song 10).
   
   `This girl shines like Tonti town
   Which bears the smell of muntaka flowers
   And I wish to be blessed for
   Embracing her shoulder once.'
   `She who caught my heart is
   Like the city of Tonti
   Where reverberate the songs of
   The ocean waves and musical instrument milavu.'
           Ammuvanar Tontippattu Ainkurunuru
   
   Kutavayir Kirattanar (Akam 60) is another poet who received Tonti as an object of comparison.
    

2. Kalar: Kalar protected by Matti (name of a king) was a fertile village. Paranar in Kalirriyanai 6th song mentions kalar while describing the beauty of a heroine.
   
   `Few days ago my tender youth
   was shining like that of kalar.'
   
   Context: The heroine's words to her lover.
    

3. Param: This city owned by Minnili, a chief under Nannan of Elimalai, might be located in the west coast of greater Tamilakam somewhere near Kannur. Paranar in one of his poems wrote:
   
   `Her eyes are prosperous like the city protected by Minnili' Narrinai - 265th song.
    

4. Alumpil and kutavayil: Alumpil was an old village in Pandya territory. The present name is Ampukoyil. Mankuti Marutanar made some references to this glorious village in his poem Maturaikkanci. Kutavayil was in Cola country. Tirujanasambandhar in Tirumurai praised this village as an emporium of prosperity.
   
   Kutavayir Kirattanar in Akam 44th song referred to these places when he narrates the self-realisation of a hero who returns from the battlefield. The poet says that like Alumpil village, the heroine maintains inequitable newness. Her cheerful chilliness is equal to that of the old village Kutavayil.

[To be continued]
Naduvattom Gopalakrishnan

OBITUARY

Dr. K. Nagamma Reddy , Professor of Linguistics (Retired), Osmania University, Hyderabad passed away on 19th May 2008. The cremation took place on 20th May.