Smering the Drums

[N. Ganesan]

There are many examples of gifts of cow-calf 'kaRRA' pair
to brahmins, poets, ... Let me just cite two exapmples:

a) Gifting calf-cow pair to brahmins is
mentioned in an ancient poem cited in the
TolkAppiyam commentary (tol. poruL. 90. nac.)

vELvinilai

pon2n2iRainta poRkOTTup poRkuLampiR *kaRRA*tan
tin2makizA n2antaNarai yin2puRuppar - cen2n2itan2
mAnilamE yAn2ulakam pOn2Ratu vAn2RukaLpOrt
tAn2ulaka maNNulakA man2Ru.

b) In medieval times, a bard seeking kaRRA pair
from Vallaik kALatti MutaliyAr:

  peRRA LorupiLLai yen2man2ai yATTiyap piLLaikkuppAl
  paRRAtu kaJci kuTikkun taraman2Ru pAlirakkac
  ciRRALu millaiyiv vellA varuttamun tIravoru
  *kaRRA* taravallai yOvallai mAnakark kALattiyE!

The poet describing his wife giving birth, and the
pitiable poverty description of his homefront etc.,
are highly reminiscent of Sangam poems of the
wandering minstrels. In this poem he seeks explicitly
a cow-calf pair to feed the infant.

Regards,
N. Ganesan

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