RIFLE RANGE BOY: Valluvar

We are on a journey to nowhere, travelling from womb to tomb, learning on the job as we go on. Along the way, we pick up wisdom from fellow travellers honoured by others as old hens at the job. Their thoughts are immortalised and cast in the stone as life hacks.

Call it synchronicity or that the Universe is trying to tell me something. Thiru Valluvar's name got mentioned thrice this week. Maybe there is nothing supernatural about the whole thing; it is just that the algorithm picked up Valluvar's name being mentioned and decided to recommend the same. Whatever the reason, we simply extract the succulent juice and discard the pulp.

This shoutout goes to my vegetarian friends and relatives who go under the impression that it is perfectly alright to stir a storm when the vegetarian dish is not up to mark with their palatal desires. And it is worth it to wound the egos and self-respect of fellow human beings as long as animals are protected and a meat-free utopia is created.

Valluvar was a Tamil poet and philosopher who left an indelible mark on Tamil literature and way of life. His couplets (kural) give an aphoristic look into virtue, wealth and love.

Everybody wants a piece of him.
The Shivaitte Valluvar vs the Atheist.

Scholars cannot agree on the time he existed on Earth. Studies place him to have lived anywhere between 300 BCE and the 5th century CE. Naturally, various parties lay claim to him as theirs. Jains claim that he was a Jain priest, even though some of his couplets may go well with Jain teachings. Some evangelising Christians claim him to be a closet Christian, hence including him in the armamentarium of name-dropping to convert the unassuming.

The government of Tamil Naidu, riding on their anti-theistic, specifically anti-Hindu rhetorics, seized the opportunity to appropriate Valluvar as its mascot. After all, his teachings were not religious but were religion-neutral and were more of checklists for how life is to be lived. TN now celebrates Valluvar's birthday around the time of Ponggal; both are marketed as quintessential Tamil celebrations. Of course, that is incorrect. Ponggal is a harvest festival celebrated by many agrarian societies in other parts of India and the world. They also determined that Valluvar's birth year was 32 BCE.

The couplet that appeared thrice this week is ‘peyakkandum nanjundu amaivar nayathakka nagareegam vendu bavar’ (பெயக்கண்டும் நஞ்சுண்டு அமைவர் நயத்தக்க நாகரீகம் வேண்டி பவர்). Written in classical Tamil, only Tamil scholars well versed in this area of the language would be able to give its succinct meaning. From my understanding, it advises people to accept offerings from others even if it is poison. That is the mark of a cultured person. Putting into context, a teetotaler should accept an alcoholic beverage from his host if the gesture means a lot to him. Similarly, a vegetarian should not create a ruckus at a restaurant if his vegetarian fried rice is spiced with oyster sauce.