What a rain!!! Thunder and lightning... The fiery Indian summer rain, thanks for showing up in Pittsburgh!! :D <3 it...
As I watch the lightning and thunder from inside, these thoughts that have been inside me for quite long, ( the first seeds of it probably had been sown by mom ) flowed out through my pensieve. Like many other posts, this shall have no editing.
Growing up near Srivilliputhur, Aandal has had an influence on me, a huge one. I admire the woman she was - for all that she dreamt of, all that she did, all that she sang, all that she was. The best example being,
ஆழி மழைக் கண்ணா! ஒன்று நீ கை கரவேல்
ஆழி உள் புக்கு முகந்து கொடு ஆர்த்து ஏறி
ஊழி முதல்வன் உருவம் போல் மெய் கறுத்துப்
பாழியம் தோளுடைப் பற்பநாபன் கையில்
ஆழி போல் மின்னி * வலம்புரி போல் நின்று அதிர்ந்து
தாழாதே சார்ங்கம் உதைத்த சர மழை போல்
வாழ உலகினில் பெய்திடாய் நாங்களும்
மார்கழி நீராட மகிழ்ந்தேலோர் எம்பாவாய்....
All I see in this is her love for grandeur. Her love for magnificence, her desire for the powerful. It is not the soft drizzle that she wants. Its the dark clouds, frightningly shiny lightning, resounding thunder, rain drops falling like arrows from His bow... Not the fleeting white clouds, gentle breeze and a soft drizzle. That's as meticulously detailed it can get. What a personality! And it can't manifest any better in words!
To quote another example, its every woman's fantasy to be married the way she dreams in Vaaranam Aayiram, only to be limited by the practical constraints of the world we live in. Who wouldn't want the man of dreams to come surrounded by the gradeur and majesty of a thousand elephants? Again, this is an exemplification of the character of Aandal, she doesn't want a silent, sober marriage. She is not the drizzle person, remember? Everything is amplified, in its best avatar. Maybe the T-storm isn't the first thing you'd want during your day, but coming to think of it, yes, I would definitely want that opulence, that splendor and majesty in everything about life, the most of it in the man of my dreams. Aandal is very much right, only that I am limited by modern day practicality issues. Be it the man of dreams or just about anything in life, the best is just what the doctor ordered for us! Dream big, Aandal showed us the way, after all.
Well, what can I say, make way for the man, chocolate boys!
P.S : In retrospect, I think I would be terribly wrong if I mention this thirupaavai and not talk about the science here. Look at this woman in love, explaining the water cycle in beautiful detail at a time when most of mankind wouldn't have even dreamt of it, let alone use it as an analogy. Simply amazing how she could connect an intricate scientific concept to religion and to the man of her dreams, isn't it?
