Smearing the Drums

[N. Ganesan]

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    kan2Ru peRu valcip pANan2 kaiyatai
    vaLLuyirt taNNumai pOla  - naRRiNai 310:9-10

There are two major problems here. First of all the reading kan2Ru
peRu valcip pANan2 is an error. Both Auvai Duraisamy's edition and
the Rajam edition which forms the basis for the Cologne Data base
have only kaLiRu peRu valci. They were right to take the correct
reading as kaLiRu peRu valci. (Not having tamizar icai, I cannot
say which edition was its source.) But the error is understandable
for anyone knowing the Tamil orthography. It was not only Perumal
who has made the error, but also UVS library's 1989 edition
edited by H. Venkataraman.
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The reading "kan2Ru" (calf) in the naRRiNai poem also
has a long history.

Tamizar icai, makes use of the original naRRiNai edition
done by Pinnattuur NarayaNasamy Ayyar. The original
edition, and also  the U.V.CaaminAtaiyar Library
edition, presumably checking with the available mss.
in the UVS library, ignores A. Duraisamy Pillai's
emendation and uses 'kan2Ru'. Probably the patrons who
cannot afford to gift Elephants to bards, gave some
cattle away along with calves,

Some chieftains spent lot of energy in cattle raids
to get cattle and calves.

vaiyakam pulampa vaLaIya pAmpin2
vai eyiRRu uynta matiyin2 maRavar
kai akattu uynta kan2Ru uTai pal An2
                               - puRam 260:16-18

"He was renowned for defeating the brave men
who used to appear in battle before his walls
and seize great herds to take back to their
own city. He crossed the flood of arrows they
had loosed at him upon the raft of his war drum
and he killed them and he freed his herds.
Like the moon which escapes from between the sharp
fangs of the devouring serpent as the whole
world grieves for it, he would return with fame
with a herd of many cows and calves that he had
wrested from the warrior MaRavars."
                           -Translation by Hart-Heifetz.

Also, another vivid description of a big cattle raid
and taking calves and mature herds:

in2am talai tarUum tuLagku imil nal ERRu
tazUu piNar eruttam tAza pUTTiya
am tUmpu akal amai kamam cela peyta
tuRu kAz valciyar tozu aRai vauvi
kan2Ru uTai peru nirai man2Ru niRai tarUum
nErA van2 tOL vaTukar perumakan2

                                  - akam 253:13-18


Sangam poetry is full of the descriptions by
bards of their poverty and so on. Perhaps,
some chieftains rich with cattle after raids
donated some.

Is the consensus that maak kiNai, maak kaN taNNumai etc.
refer to a black paste, something like what we see
on one side of today's mRdangam?

Regards,
N. Ganesan

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