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Sept 2018 10052018.Indd VAASAL - thry; Edition 06 September 2018 Vanakkam. Vaasal symbolises many things in Tamil culture. When we enter through the vaasal of any house, the first gesture we come across is Vanakkam. While one utters the word Vanakkam, they join both palms together to greet. The general reason behind this tradition is that greeting by joining the palms means respect. However, scientifically speaking joining both hands ensures joining the tips of all the fingers together; which are denoted to the pressure points of eyes, ears, and mind. Pressing them together is said to activate the pressure points which help us remember that person for a long time. And no germs since we don’t make any physical contact, as with a handshake! In this edition of vaasal, we visit the architectural marvel the Big Temple in Thanjavur and learn about its unique pathbreaking design. Later, we become part of Manimekalai and witness the making of a female spiritual leader. With the emotions riding high, we delve into a young mind that fought her disabilities and used it as her strength to become a poet. Kavithai Sathiya’s poem on Rising High comes from personal experiences. Celebrating women power, we share the story of another strong woman behind Auroville Temple. As we travel along, we happen to hear onomatopoeic sounds of Tamil language. Intrigued to tickle our “funny bone”, we look into some Tamil onomatopoeic phrases. While there were flamboyant celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi, we tried to decipher the legend and the science behind it. We look forward to knowing more about another festival,Navaratri in our upcoming edition. The festival holds significance in Auroville as the festival of evolution. We did not forget this month’s riddle for our readers. So readers, let’s go on a fun-filled, culturally rich route of exploring Tamil heritage. Enjoy! Ilaignarkal Team Ganesh Chathurthi Clay idols, multicoloured umbrellas and delicious of nature and paying respect to them. snacks, I am referring to the extravagant celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi a few weeks ago. During the festival, people carry clay idols of Ganesh with an umbrella and offer Him goodies. After three Culture and rituals of India have always been a days, they immerse the idol in a water body, usually matter of interest to the world. Being one of the oldest rivers or oceans. There is a scientific reasoning cultures of the world, India has been called a land behind this ritual. Generally, Ganesh Chathurthi of Gods. Like the much recent successor Egyptians, is celebrated during the month of September just Indians have ‘Gods for Everything’. As I started to before the setting of Northeast monsoon in October, look more into that, I understood that ‘Gods for the fourth day after the full moon in the Tamil month Everything’ simply means worshipping all elements of Avani. 1 The dry summer would have made water sources The idols are worshipped with 21 herbs and leaves to porous and rivers might have been running shallow. avoid water-borne diseases that are generally spread Thus the clay from the idols when suspended in during this season due to heavy rains and floods. It water would form a colloid that would coagulate the is believed that these leaves when they are thrown in pores and form a layer that has very fine pores. huge quantity into the water, helps in purifying the water due to their medicinal properties. Water would find it difficult to move towards gravity in such a condition and thus sort to lateral Food is an important part of every Indian festival imbibitions. This would naturally lead to an increase and each one has a specific menu. For Ganesh and rise in the groundwater level on the setting up Chathurthi, keeping in mind the climate and its of the monsoon. effects on human anatomy, steamed dumplings with jaggery and sesame seeds are offered. In Ayurveda, Although there are many reasons explained to the the steam cooked food is said to have natural practice of dissolving clay idols in a water source, curative properties and are easy to digest. Jaggery the one that is largely believed is that being agrarian is a remedy for various ailments and sesame seeds based culture, our forefathers wanted to inculcate purify the arteries and help to improve the vision. the basic meaning of life to the future generations. Other snacks are like boiled lentils (chick peas, The implication that life began on the earth and bengal gram, etc), puffed rice, rice flakes with honey ends in it, is the common explanation given. and milk are also prepared. However, due to advancement in science, people Children love this festival dedicated to Ganesh as it resorted to making idols out of Plaster of Paris, gives them an opportunity to explore the wild and which not only does not dissolve in water but is collect flowers like Calotropis (Erukkam, Mother’s hazardous due to the chemicals present in it. Due given name - courage), runner grass (Arugam pul), to environmental concerns, a number of families wood apple (vilam pazham), Indian black plums now avoid bodies of water and let the clay statue (naval pazham) and different kinds of leaves, corns disintegrate in a barrel of water at home. After a of the millet kambu. All of these are used as offering few days, the clay is spread in the garden. In some to the Ganesh idol. cities, a public eco-friendly process is used for the immersion. And so, festivals have an important place in the Indian culture for its scientific and spiritual reasons. In Auroville, children made the idols themselves at As we shared previously, the season of festivals has Ilaignarkal Education Centre and placed a clay ball arrived. There is a festival every month. The next of seed inside it so when the idol is immersed, the time we come across a vibrant Indian festival, let’s clay disintegrates and the seed germinates. participate and share the joy! Speak Tamil-Language Hacking-Lession 6: Onomatopoeia in Tamil I was talking to a Tamil friend who arrived late for a me there is no meaning to it. Perplexed, I asked her meeting. She told me how she had a flat tyre and had how can it be. Then why say something meaningless to rush for the meeting. Her words were: like gibberish? Gada Gada-nnu vanden! She told me that it is meant to describe the action, I came rushing! which made me look more into it. I came across what is called “irattai k-kilavi”, onomatopoeic phrases of I know the word vanden means came. But what is Tamil language. Gada Gada? I asked her the meaning and she told 2 Agreed. Later my son came home to eagerly share scene (as for poetic effect), like the ticking of a clock what he learnt at Tamil class. He asked me why does or clicking of a camera. the rooster sound different in Tamil? According to Tholkappiyam, the grammar bible He told that his English teacher from his previous for Tamil language, there are rules laid out for British school told that a rooster sounds “Cock-a- onomatopoeia in Tamil. They are categorised as doodle-do’ but in Tamil, his current teacher told doublets ,ul;ilf; fpstp(“irattai k-kilavi”) and its “Kokka-ra-ko”. And so I decided that it becomes stacks mLf;Fj; njhlu; (“atukku th-thodar”). impertinent that I find onomatopoeia in Tamil. Doublets (“irattai k-kilavi”) Although not a linguist, Onomatopoeia has always been an interesting aspect for me. More so, because it Irattai kilavi consists of two words paired with one is associated with a funny context, comics or spoken another which does not give a stand-alone meaning language. when separated. Irattai means double also twins and kilavi means to say or a word. These are words that Onomat means ‘name’ and poios means ‘making’ describe or imitates the noise associated with the hence the word means ‘making names’. But the action.A few examples of doublet onomatopoeia dictionary meaning for the word onomatopoeia (irattai k-kilavi) states ‘The formation of the words whose sound is imitative of the sound of noise or action designated’. ka-la ka-la ve-na si-ri-thth-aal The use of such words is for poetic or rhetorical effect She laughed heartily. Sirithaal means she laughed. (according to Collins dictionary). The phrase kala kala describes the action of laughing heartily in terms of sound. According to Webster’s dictionary, the definition of Onomatopoeia is the naming of a thing or action Po-da-ve pa-Įa-pa-Įa-nku-tē by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it The saree is glittering.Podave means saree. Pala pala (such as buzz, hiss). Webster’s for children explains describes the glittering adjective. as the use of words whose sounds suggest the action/ Pa-da-ppa-da The sound of Heartbeat under pressure Ki-lu-kki-lu-ppai The sound of Rattle (baby rattler) Gu-du-gu-du-ppai The sound made by an instrument of a fortune teller Gu-du-gu-du The sound made by running Na-ra-na-ra The sound made by biting teeth Pa-ra-pa-ra The sound of hastiness Mo-ra-mo-ra The sound of crispy snacks Va-la-va-la Blah-Blah - talkative Vi-ru-vi-ru The sound of walking fast Sa-la-sa-la The sound of flowing water Many of the phrases used to describe or imitate thoroughly entertaining! We suggest all our readers the sound may sound quite unrelated as is with find Onomatopoeia words in Tamil and email it to us the English Onomatopoeia.
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