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Monsoon murmurs (14)
Death is inevitable as life shows it. The early man and other animals were baffled by this phenomenon. Monkeys never accept death and carry the dead baby for days until it rots. On the other hand elephants accept death with dignity. They assemble around the dead body of the elephant and mourn. They take their proboscis (trunk) and caress the body an inch above as if they fell the soul. Common crows crowd around the dead, make farewell noises, flutter around as if a time for celebration and go back to their life.
The early Tamils wanted to remember the dead, even the pets that died during one's life time and erect a monumental stone. Sometimes sculpt it with words. This was referred as Nadukal in archeological, literary term. This aspect of Nadukal transforms itself into God. Tamils believed that through death you reach the eternal source from where you emerge ultimately, which is God. So God is death and Nadukal slowly evolved into a temple. The Buddhists think in a similar way and bring back the ashes to Buddha in a temple.
However, Hindus consider it inauspicious to bring anything related to death close to temple. The superstition over death emerged slowly and Yama the god of death was hated by people and death became fearful. Yama was dark and he rided over a black Buffalo. Tamils curse death over the enemy as it is dreadful. Nandu grew up in such an ambience. Death was hated and even talking about death at home was considered inauspicious. However, there was a crematorium on the way to the next town. Nandu will turn back his face, avoiding even the sight of a place where they burn the death.
A crematorium was considered a place of evil spirit. They never questioned themselves how a dear mother or father who was loved so much while living becomes a spirit of fearful nature after death!
Black magic was practiced there. If one sees guy with a drum (damaru) in his hand in the town, they knew he will visit the Sudukadu (crematorium) at night and walk back to the street for fortune telling. He would visit only at midnight hours with his fearsome drums. He would stand in front of every house and reveal what he saw. People are scarred whether something dreadful will befall and so wanted to avoid hearing but at the same time they were curious to know the fortune. In earlier days he would reveal if any treasure was underground in their house. That would certainly be a fortune. So, people are curious to know if there would be any good fortune for them. Pattu her cousin would wake him at midnight to listen to the fortune teller. It would indeed be a nightmare listening to the drums at midnight hours and his poetic rendering of a fortune. The only saving factor in this episode would be that Pattu would hug him tightly and listen. The touch of her little breast on this chest or shoulders would be most welcome. He would push his hands under her thighs if possible.
The next morning the same guy would appear for alms. People who heard good fortune will reward him with rice, fruits, vegetables and even money. Others who did not hear anything good will not put any alms or throw him some rice cursing him. On such occasions he would suggest a parihar or remedy to overcome a bad outcome which would eventually be visiting a temple or give him some money to appease his dreadful black magic deities or black force. Most of the times Nandu might be in the school and would not have time to listen to the Kudukuduppandi, as the witchcrafter was called. He would ask his mother or elder sisters to tell the fortunes to be befallen.
His personal interest would be on the results of his annual exams whether he would pass through the exam in colors and migrate to the next level. Naturally, the witches may not be that keen on his exams and so he had to visit the school to find it on his own. Exam results will not be sent home and one has to go and check it by oneself. Nandu was not tall. The results will be displayed on a black board from inside and only through the windowsill one could see it. The window view will be fully covered by heads of students. Nandu would jump in vain. The bigger boys would say, why do you waste you time here. You will pass anyway but only people like us should be worried. Nandu never failed any exams. But the question was who scored the highest in his class?
However, Nandu was afraid of his maths tests. There was no body to help him either. Some students tried 'group study' with a cup of tea to keep one awake. Nandu was a coffee boy and tea will make him sleep. He did the group study once and scored low marks. So he did not want to try this time. He was in the exam hall where students were placed in a row one after another. By seeing the question paper he went into a sexual ecstasy. A wrong time for such a thing, isn't ? But it occurred a few times during his school term. What would happen is a sort of masturbation without leaking and without touching the organ. His whole body will be in a state of bliss. He was however worried about it when it happens as teachers if they find out would be troublesome. Who would believe a boy could go on ecstasy in an exam hall. They may not know the spiritual meaning of it, if at all there is. Maybe it was a Kundalini surge? A new awakening! Who knows? But no body identified the Godly nature of Nandu.
Nandu could not appreciate Siva with damaru in his hands and living in the Sudukadu (crematorium). He holds a begging bowl and a dog as a company as well. All the depiction of Siva in association with death and his consort Kali with a garland of human heads with fearful appearance was distasteful. Nandu preferred his Krishna with charming flute, Gopis, cows and friends. So, Krishna was his favourite God since childhood.
© nanu
The early Tamils wanted to remember the dead, even the pets that died during one's life time and erect a monumental stone. Sometimes sculpt it with words. This was referred as Nadukal in archeological, literary term. This aspect of Nadukal transforms itself into God. Tamils believed that through death you reach the eternal source from where you emerge ultimately, which is God. So God is death and Nadukal slowly evolved into a temple. The Buddhists think in a similar way and bring back the ashes to Buddha in a temple.
However, Hindus consider it inauspicious to bring anything related to death close to temple. The superstition over death emerged slowly and Yama the god of death was hated by people and death became fearful. Yama was dark and he rided over a black Buffalo. Tamils curse death over the enemy as it is dreadful. Nandu grew up in such an ambience. Death was hated and even talking about death at home was considered inauspicious. However, there was a crematorium on the way to the next town. Nandu will turn back his face, avoiding even the sight of a place where they burn the death.
A crematorium was considered a place of evil spirit. They never questioned themselves how a dear mother or father who was loved so much while living becomes a spirit of fearful nature after death!
Black magic was practiced there. If one sees guy with a drum (damaru) in his hand in the town, they knew he will visit the Sudukadu (crematorium) at night and walk back to the street for fortune telling. He would visit only at midnight hours with his fearsome drums. He would stand in front of every house and reveal what he saw. People are scarred whether something dreadful will befall and so wanted to avoid hearing but at the same time they were curious to know the fortune. In earlier days he would reveal if any treasure was underground in their house. That would certainly be a fortune. So, people are curious to know if there would be any good fortune for them. Pattu her cousin would wake him at midnight to listen to the fortune teller. It would indeed be a nightmare listening to the drums at midnight hours and his poetic rendering of a fortune. The only saving factor in this episode would be that Pattu would hug him tightly and listen. The touch of her little breast on this chest or shoulders would be most welcome. He would push his hands under her thighs if possible.
The next morning the same guy would appear for alms. People who heard good fortune will reward him with rice, fruits, vegetables and even money. Others who did not hear anything good will not put any alms or throw him some rice cursing him. On such occasions he would suggest a parihar or remedy to overcome a bad outcome which would eventually be visiting a temple or give him some money to appease his dreadful black magic deities or black force. Most of the times Nandu might be in the school and would not have time to listen to the Kudukuduppandi, as the witchcrafter was called. He would ask his mother or elder sisters to tell the fortunes to be befallen.
His personal interest would be on the results of his annual exams whether he would pass through the exam in colors and migrate to the next level. Naturally, the witches may not be that keen on his exams and so he had to visit the school to find it on his own. Exam results will not be sent home and one has to go and check it by oneself. Nandu was not tall. The results will be displayed on a black board from inside and only through the windowsill one could see it. The window view will be fully covered by heads of students. Nandu would jump in vain. The bigger boys would say, why do you waste you time here. You will pass anyway but only people like us should be worried. Nandu never failed any exams. But the question was who scored the highest in his class?
However, Nandu was afraid of his maths tests. There was no body to help him either. Some students tried 'group study' with a cup of tea to keep one awake. Nandu was a coffee boy and tea will make him sleep. He did the group study once and scored low marks. So he did not want to try this time. He was in the exam hall where students were placed in a row one after another. By seeing the question paper he went into a sexual ecstasy. A wrong time for such a thing, isn't ? But it occurred a few times during his school term. What would happen is a sort of masturbation without leaking and without touching the organ. His whole body will be in a state of bliss. He was however worried about it when it happens as teachers if they find out would be troublesome. Who would believe a boy could go on ecstasy in an exam hall. They may not know the spiritual meaning of it, if at all there is. Maybe it was a Kundalini surge? A new awakening! Who knows? But no body identified the Godly nature of Nandu.
Nandu could not appreciate Siva with damaru in his hands and living in the Sudukadu (crematorium). He holds a begging bowl and a dog as a company as well. All the depiction of Siva in association with death and his consort Kali with a garland of human heads with fearful appearance was distasteful. Nandu preferred his Krishna with charming flute, Gopis, cows and friends. So, Krishna was his favourite God since childhood.
© nanu
