Our Poet

"I just read in the NYRB a review of your book, Endless Song: Tiruvāymoli.  And, of course, I had to write to you immediately ;)  After sending this message, I will order a copy of the book."

Tiruvāymoli is a poetic and religious work in Tamil, and dates back about 1,200 years.  Especially because I was raised in a religious orthodox environment, I am familiar with the name of the work and its author--Nammālvār.  The ālvārs were poet-saints devoted to Vishnu.  Though we were raised as followers of Shiva, the family worshiped Vishnu and his avatars also.

My parents were also serious fans of carnatic music, and we--yes, we kids too--sang a few Thiruppavai that were authored by the only female ālvār, Andal.  As an elementary school kid, I sang one of the Thiruppavais at the music competition in school and won a prize, I think.

However, what I knew about ālvārs and Nammālvār was absolutely superficial.

There was also another reason why Nammālvār was special.  His life was in the geography that is all too familiar to me.  The town Alwarthirunagiri, where he lived, is along the banks of the river Thamirabarani--the same river near Pattamadai and Srivaikuntam.   Nammālvār, meaning our ālvār, was literally ours.

So, naturally, I immediately emailed the author, Archana Venkatesan, with whom I had had prior correspondence because of the Pattamadai connection.

The book arrived a couple of days ago.  In the email to Professor Venkatesan, I wrote:

Lacking an intellectual grounding in these topics means that most of your book will be way, way, way over my head.  I am so delighted and thankful that you are doing such fantastic work.  Thankful that you are unearthing the poetry and history of a place that is so dear to me, and helping me and the world appreciate the richness through the English language that is now practically the lingua franca.

Venkatesan's translations of Nammālvār's verses are poetic.  Here's a sampler that will appeal to readers anywhere:

As I wrote in the email to Venkatesan, I am in for a treat.

I wish I could engage my father about all these.  But, a serious conversation over the phone with a 91-year old man is not easy.  I will do that in person, in December, when I will also play Ali Akbar Khan's treatment of the raag Sindhu Bhairavi.