Varalotti pays his "tribute" to Cauvery in his unique way !

Dear All,
Please go to
The rich delta of Cauvery’s music - Deccan Herald - Internet Edition

Dear Sridhar,
Without going into "politics", you have brought out beautifully, the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu, when it comes to Cauvery. Yes, we do associate all the lofty aspects of life with Cauvery. In our land, is is prestigious to be born on the banks of Cauvery.
We lovingly call her Ponni in our own tamil, implying that she is as much a treasure to us, as gold.
It goes to her credit, when we say
சோழ வள நாடு சோறுடைத்து
On reading your middle, I feel as though I am taking a stroll on the banks of Cauvery, listening to " entharo mahanubhavu" !
I could not have started a day, more "musically".
Great article, my dear Sridhar.
Love,
Chithra.

Dear Chitra,
Thanks a lot for posting about my article in today's DH. DH approached me on Tuesday giving hardly a day's time to write an article on Cauvery. I first refused because as a matter of policy I do not write on any political issues. Only when the editor repeatedly assured me that the article would have nothing to do with politics did I accept the assignment.

Thanks also for the kind words you have about the article. In fact what has come in the paper is less than half of what I have written.

As a special gesture to the ILites I am posting the full article here in this thread.

Dear Friends,
You are most welcome to comment on my article, but only after reading the full article given below.
regards,
sridhar

THE LEGENDARY CAUVERY – A RIVER OF LOVE

An Article By Varalotti Rengasamy

The Cauvery is a river of love. She was born out of the love a man had for his fellow beings. Once the kingdom of Thondaman was gripped in severe drought. Sage Agasthya, on behalf of Thondaman, sought the help of King Kavera - the ruler of Coorg. Kavera diverted the newly-born river to Thondaman’s country. The river took her name from the giver, Kavera and became the timeless Cauvery.

Like a virtuous woman who brings honour to the house where she is born and happiness to the house where she goes to live, Cauvery ennobles the culture of Coorg where she originates, and endows bliss on the banks along which she flows.

Have you noticed how the women of Coorg drape their saree? It is done in a unique manner, unusual in South India. That is Cauvery’s gift.

Legend has it that the women of Coorg climbed up the hills to see the just-born river. The waters gushed down with such force that they had to pull up their sarees and clutch them in a particular way to secure them in place. Mother Cauvery assumed the form of a woman and told them, “From now on you should wear your sarees like this. You are special to me.”

And then she flows along her way to Srirangapatnam once ruled by the Tiger, the courageous King Tipu Sultan.

Like righteous people who emanate nothing but goodness, while in prosperity or adversity, Cauvery when she falls at Shivasamudram offers her strength to us in the form of electricity. Shivasamudram houses India’s very first hydro-electric project.

Cauvery is also hailed as Dhakshin-Ganga, the Ganga of the South. When it comes to culture she is fore-runner of l all the rivers of India, Ganga included.

When Cauvery sweeps musically into Tamilnadu from Karnataka, we have a glorious series of temple towns famed for philosophy, art and music. Cauvery and her temples gave rise to a whole new culture of medieval temple urbanism.

The Srirengam temple, where reposes Sri Renganatha , and where Ramanuja first propounded his hallowed philosophy, Visishtadvaitha, and the Brahadeeswara temple of Tanjore, the largest in the country built by Raja Raja Cholan would not have existed but for Mother Cauvery.

When she flows downwards creating a delta extending to about 140 kms along an extraordinary straight coast line, she gives birth to cultures, legends, myths and epics. Of the epics, the memorable epic is Bejeweled Anklet or Chilappathikaram of Ilango Adigal.

The epic’s dynamic heroine, Kannaki, was an epitome of fortitude and devotion to her husband. A wronged Kannaki convincingly argued her own case before the Pandya King, brought down the kingdom and razed his capital city.

The early part of Chilappathikaram was set in Kaveripoompattinam, which as the name suggests, was a city on the banks of Cauvery. Even in those days, this city traded with the then flourishing Roman Empire. Apparently, the Roman Senate complained bitterly that the gold of the empire was being drained by the fetish for luxury originating from the Coromandal coast.

In Chilappathikaram, the hero sitting on the banks of Cauvery, sings her praises

When the Chola king, who has the parasol
White and shining as the moon herself
By his prowess won over the Ganga!
Jealous you were not, and hate him, you did not
May you live long, Cauvery!

The ballad alludes to the supremacy of Cauvery even over Gaga, in the kingdom conquered by the Chola King up to the Ganges.

And the most resplendent chiming jewel in the crown of Mother Cauvery is music. She is feted in the classical music of South India, for Thiruvaiyaru, the land of five rivers, (Cauvery, Vadavar, Vennar, Vettar and Kudamurutti) is the heart of grand musical and cultural tradition. The Musical Trinity, Thiagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshithar and Shyama Sastri were all born in Thiruvarur and lived in this region. Thiagaraja sang in Telugu while the other two in Sanskrit. But as language has never been a barrier to music, these three masters are celebrated throughout South India. Their tradition is still the absolute bench mark in Carnatic music.

There are very few rivers in the world which have generated such vibrant culture and civilization along their path. Literature pays obeisance to the river saying,

‘Nadanthai Vazhi Cauvery! ‘
You walk along, bringing happiness to all, May you live long.

Tribunals and courts can regulate the flow of water but they can never restrict the flow of love that is unique to the people who live on the banks of this eternal river.


sridhar

My dear Sridhar,

Your original article on our Ponni is worth its weight in gold - it is written as lovingly as musically.

It is sad that it has been " brutally chopped off". You are very kind to us, I L ites, in posting your glorious tribute to Cauvery, in its "submitted" form.

Your description of the reason for Coorg ladies, wearing the sarees in a unique way, is news to me. You delve deep and go to the root of any subject that you want to write about, to share it with others - this is my tribute to you on your tribute to Cauvery.

You have smartly combined a philosophy of life, as well, in your words

righteous people emanate nothing but goodness, while in prosperity or adversity

Is it not " samatvam yoga uchyathe" of the Gita ?

It is true - Cauvery teaches us a lesson for life, in your words, beautifully.

Our own Bharathi equates Ganga and Cauvery in his words

கங்கை நதிப்புறத்துக் கோதுமைப்பண்டம்
காவிரி வெற்றிலைக்கு மாறுகொள்ளுவோம்

What a beautiful idea on national integration, so much talked about with all "infighting" !

Please continue your literary mood - the pleasure and benefit are ours!
Love,
Chithra.

HI Varalotti!

At this point in time , when so much of strikes, commotion is going on, esp in Karnataka, people have almost forgotten the beauty and the origin of this wonderful river. Cauvery has now become an "object of dispute" rather than anything else. Reading your article,now, certainly soothes our nerves, and our mind. I think this article should be posted in "The Hindu" or any other national newspaper for Indias benefit.

I am very happy to have read this article , that too in the morning, like Chitvish has rightly said we are starting our day on a musical note! :)

Thanks for the brilliant post!

Purnima

Dear Varalotti,

You are joining ChitVish in making us very nostalgic. To get to our ancestral village, we used to take a bus from Trichy to Kallanai, picnic there, catch our next bus to Thirukattupalli. It is such a delight to watch while the bus crisscrosses along the banks of Kollidam and Vennar and its small canals. The memories of the lush green fields, the aroma of Asoka halwa, the sound of the hawkers, gushing of the river waters and the melody of the music coming from the Music college in Thiruvaiyaru came to life while reading your article.

Thanks for bringing out the beauty of our Dakshin Ganga.

Regards
Vidya

Marvellous!
Could understand the way how Kaveri born and brought up! The beauty of the river and it's bank has been entered into mind with your wonderful description. Thanks for providing us a good reading.

Dear Sridhar

Your article on Kaveri made me melt into a sentimental mush ! It was like hearing one's own daughter being praised by the clan of her marital house ! We mysoreans have a visceral, emotional bond with Kaveri and never think of her as just a water source. To this day, most of us offer flowers and coins to the river whenever we cross her ( notably at Srirangapatna) while travelling. During Tula- Sankramana, many households offer her the complete traditional Tamboolam ( vastram, bangles, blackbeads, flowers, haldi-kumkum, coconut and jaggery). It is such a hearwarming sight to see the little winnowing-fans ( Muram) filled with the tamboolam, floating away with the stream ( like the floating lamps of Ganga arathi at Haridwar). (Dignitaries who visit the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam , incl. Abdul Kalam recently , always offer this form of worship .)

In your listing of her path, may I add one important sthalam that's missing : Its Thirumukkoodalu Narasipura , near Mysore. This place is sacred because of the confluence of Kaveri, Kapila and Spatikasarovara. A Dakshina Kumbhamela is held at this sangamam just as in north . Two very ancient temples ,to Agastyeshwara and Gunja-Narasimhaswami, are found here in addition to eight minor ones. Coracle rides ( parisal) in the swirling waters here is an exhilarating experience.

The quietly bubbling "Kannika" of Bhagamandala(in Kodagu) and the twin bomshells of Gaganachukki and Barachukki, revelling in splenderous youthful glory in Sivasamudram are just two faces of our ever enchanting daughter.
That she should be made the subject of so much badblood is painful for all of us who love her so dearly.

VS

Dear Varalotti,
The write up on Cauvery was soothing to the nerves which are highly strung due to the chaos created by man. Yes, nature has unbounded beauty till man interferes . It is he who worksagainst laws of nature and creates trouble! I enjoyed your flow of words so much that I could drink in the beauty of cauvery in all the places you mentioned.
Dear VS,
You write so beautifully that I read all your posts just to enjoy your expressions.Are you a writer too?
Dear Chith,
Thank you for bringing this to our notice.Actually I had no plan of reading the paper version after reading Varalotti's original article but I agree that the article has been edited so much that the extraordinary flow of Cauvery through Varalottis words has been blocked to an extent.
I did enjoy myself.
Thank you all and
Regards,
Meenu

Dear Sridhar

Your tribute to river Kaveri is really heart touching. Your way of poking through the history and bringing out the underlying reasons is really splendid, especially the reason for Coorg ladies' mode of wearing saree. As Purnima suggests it is better to publish this in national news papers so that people all over India will be able to understand what is what.

With regards
Varudhini