Just completed Joe De Cruz’ Sahitya Academy winning magum opus Korkai. All 1174 pages of it in 11 days starting Feb 21. What helped was that the first week was a cruise in the Caribbean, and being isolated in a balcony overlooking the sea, was just about the perfect environment to tackle this gigantic effort.
This was my second attempt at reading this novel. About 8 months ago, I started it, and gave up after about 30 pages. All the conversations are in local dialect (vattaara thamizh) of tuticorin, and at that time, I simply did not have the patience or the urge to tackle it. But the matter was bothering me all these months, and this time, right from the start, I determined that I will go through every line every word, from start to finish. And there is now, an immense satisfaction on completion and also an increased appreciation of the author.
The story is long overdue. About the paradhavars – the seafaring community on the south east coast of tamil nadu. A very ancient community of mariners, whose history is entwined with the equally ancient historic Tamils of the Sangam age. Paradhavars built ships, manned and navigated them, and provided the brawn, for the Tamil exapnsions into South East Asia. And for trade with the distant lands of Arabia, China, Greece and Rome. Artificats regularly found in Tamil Nadu provide ample evidence of the interaction with these civilizations and Tamil lore is full of the glory of Korkai and Kaveripoompattinam, along with Musiris and other ports.
With the decline of the Tamil kingdoms around 1300s, the paradhavars lot too declined, and they basically eked out a living by fishing and pearl diving along the coastlines. Even long range shipping appers to have been abandoned and only coastal sail boat shipping to Ceylon and Western India practised. Tiruchendur Murugan is their community God, one of their daughters, Devayani. So every paradhavar fisherman to this day, on departing to their daily fishing, break a coconut to their macchaan (brother in law) Murugan of Tiruchendur, on passing that temple. And further down, another coconut to their Supreme Mother, the Kanyakumari. Such is their lore.
About 500 years ago, their life was threatened by the Muslim rulers who south prior to the European invasion. Threatened, the paradhavar chieftains sought support from the Portuguese, who embraced them, along with the Roman church, and the entire community converted to Catholicism, believing, addition of one more god to their daily worship is not all that a big deal. They realized how wrong this assumption was, when over the course of the centuries, mother church, denied them the comfort of their ancestral worships and insisted on Jesus of Nazareth as the only true messiah. To this insistence stands the monumental Church of our Lady of Snows Basilica in Tuticorin, the prime worshipping place of the community.
Joe is very much aware of the paradhavar history and has taken upon himself, to write it, legends, hand me down stories and verbal communications passed down the generations. And it is long overdue, as the community, like all others around the world, is feeling the impact of globalization. Youth are moving away from fishing and going to education and in the process emigration to cities and foreign lands. The generation that moves, returns annually to Our Lady for the festival, but with the following generation the relationship begins to become tenuous.
Korkai spans over 100 years the lives of several prominent families and I will not go into details of the saga. It is like any other massive book, spanning generations. Rich people, poor people, good nasty ambitious wastrel all are there. And in good numbers too. I was very surprised by a few things mentioned in the book.
The first was how close the community had trade and emotional links with Ceylon. Till recently ie 35-40 years ago, they appear to be joined at the hips. Not only movement, but immigrating/emigrating/marriage all appear to be common along with commercial links. Like the Jaffna Tamils, paradhavars too appear to have done well commercially in Colombo, much to the jealousy of the Buddhist Lankans, who eventually used their majority power to destroy the Tamil domination of both, the business and government service.
Joe De Cruz is also fascinated by the rise of the nadars, who gradually became the dominant business rulers of Tuticorin/Korkai. He summarizes their formula as such: Caste above everything else. Loyalty to caste superseded loyalty to religion. Hindu Protestant (CSI) and Catholic nadars intermarried and watched out for each other. The rule of the elders was absolute and the community listened to them.
Business was considered superior to education. Joint family sustained the folks while enabling to invest in businesses and also provide a cushion for any losses. The start of the Nadar Bank was crucial in ensuring community money stayed within, and also provided seed money to businesses all over India. So in less than 100 years, nadars, whose chief occupation was toddy tapping, have today among the richest communities of India, and definitely, in my opinion, the richest and most influential and respected in Tamil Nadu.
Joe narrates the nadar story wistfully, often comparing it with his own paradhavars, whom he finds, disunited and constantly quarrelling with each other. Often they gang up with other communities plotting against their own people, and as a result, today, the community finds itself disenfranchised and also in deep trouble. The disenfranchisement is due to absence of numbers. Though significant in population, the paradhavars are spread all along the coast, and as such, cannot influence the result of even one constituency, which matters a lot, in these days of caste politics and seats in the Assembly.
The vast majority, still working in the seas, find their fishing grounds raped by mechanized trawlers from other parts of Tamil Nadu and India (Andhra?). Add to it, their traditional fishing grounds now fall under the purvey of international borders with Sri Lanka. Waters where the paradhavars have moved and tended without fear and with feeling of ownership from times immemorial, are now taboo and thanks to insensitive politics from distant Delhi, makes their case even worse, when faced with the over vigilant Buddhist fanatic Sri Lankan naval forces.
The novel is full of stories and incidents between nadars and paradhavars – there is mutual respect on either side, even as paradhavars feel their grip on the land/business/fishing slowly slipping away from them. There are a couple of Muslims and Pillais. What surprised me was the presence of Tamil Brahmins. The agitation of R.H.Nathan on behalf of the paradhavars, who were held in feudal status by Muslim businessmen for over centuries, is well documented and that is the only time Tambrams come out smelling good. The other characters are either sleazy or of loose morals, and to me, it feels more like an add on which, otherwise, the book could have done without. But any Tamil book of worth today, has to mention something of the Brahmins, and since Periyar, none too favourably either. Such is that!!
I like the paradhavar women as presented in the book. Feisty lot they are, and enterprising and ambitious. Joe does not spare them either, of morality or religiosity; and for this I could name other communities of Tamil Nadu, where he would have been ostracized or whipped into submission. Though I have heard of some opposition to Korkai among the Church or in his own native Uvari, it is to the credit of the paradhavar community, that Joe De Cruz, by and large, is viewed as a hero by them, a great role model and inspirer. And rightfully so too. That he could have been another ‘Perumal Murugan’ is indeed a chilling thought, and I am personally very happy at Joe’s popularity and busy public engagements, where he ever always exhorts his youth to greater heights and a brighter future.
Thank You Joe for this wonderful book and I am eagerly looking forward to his next, supposedly about modern shipping practices in Tamil Nadu?
To end this rather long ditty, with a personal note of regret. I feel sad that we do not know the names of those paradhavar admirals who guided the Chola ships to glory in Kadaram, Sri Vijaya, Khamboj, China and elsewhere. We only know of the king's names like Rajaraja or Rajendra Chola. Unlike the Europeans who gave full credit to the mariners - everyone all over the world knows Columbus and DaGama. Maybe their names are lying around in some palm leaf in some obscure monastry around Nagapattinam or Pudukottai and all it takes is another UVeSa to discover it.
Addendum: I would be remiss, especially being a loyal and ardent tamil, albeit from west of the ghats, smile emoticon, and bearing the name of subramania, not to mention about the Santana Mariamman.
Throughout Korkai, one has been made to feel the presence of this ancient Mother Divinity who has been the caretaker and saviour of the paradhavars. Truly a great tamil tradition, like baghavathis of malabar, of whom I am somewhat familiar with, and one of whom, is my own kuladeivam.
One gets the impression, that 500 years of catholicism has not quite wiped out the feelings and reverence, for this rather abandoned temple's presence, both as a physical entity and more than that, in the hearts of the paradhavars. Considering the uncompromising attitudes of the Church, I am very surprised at this enduring and lingering worship.
Samanth Subramanian in his book Following Fish, refers to this rather forlorn abandoned but clean temple, and compares it with the bustles Catholic Basilica. Joe's Santana Mariamman is anything but that. She is there at times of trouble as a sanctuary, the non brahmin priest ever respected and above all, a succour and familiar presence, in this ever daunting and unknown career of the paradhavar fisherman.
This was my second attempt at reading this novel. About 8 months ago, I started it, and gave up after about 30 pages. All the conversations are in local dialect (vattaara thamizh) of tuticorin, and at that time, I simply did not have the patience or the urge to tackle it. But the matter was bothering me all these months, and this time, right from the start, I determined that I will go through every line every word, from start to finish. And there is now, an immense satisfaction on completion and also an increased appreciation of the author.
The story is long overdue. About the paradhavars – the seafaring community on the south east coast of tamil nadu. A very ancient community of mariners, whose history is entwined with the equally ancient historic Tamils of the Sangam age. Paradhavars built ships, manned and navigated them, and provided the brawn, for the Tamil exapnsions into South East Asia. And for trade with the distant lands of Arabia, China, Greece and Rome. Artificats regularly found in Tamil Nadu provide ample evidence of the interaction with these civilizations and Tamil lore is full of the glory of Korkai and Kaveripoompattinam, along with Musiris and other ports.
With the decline of the Tamil kingdoms around 1300s, the paradhavars lot too declined, and they basically eked out a living by fishing and pearl diving along the coastlines. Even long range shipping appers to have been abandoned and only coastal sail boat shipping to Ceylon and Western India practised. Tiruchendur Murugan is their community God, one of their daughters, Devayani. So every paradhavar fisherman to this day, on departing to their daily fishing, break a coconut to their macchaan (brother in law) Murugan of Tiruchendur, on passing that temple. And further down, another coconut to their Supreme Mother, the Kanyakumari. Such is their lore.
About 500 years ago, their life was threatened by the Muslim rulers who south prior to the European invasion. Threatened, the paradhavar chieftains sought support from the Portuguese, who embraced them, along with the Roman church, and the entire community converted to Catholicism, believing, addition of one more god to their daily worship is not all that a big deal. They realized how wrong this assumption was, when over the course of the centuries, mother church, denied them the comfort of their ancestral worships and insisted on Jesus of Nazareth as the only true messiah. To this insistence stands the monumental Church of our Lady of Snows Basilica in Tuticorin, the prime worshipping place of the community.
Joe is very much aware of the paradhavar history and has taken upon himself, to write it, legends, hand me down stories and verbal communications passed down the generations. And it is long overdue, as the community, like all others around the world, is feeling the impact of globalization. Youth are moving away from fishing and going to education and in the process emigration to cities and foreign lands. The generation that moves, returns annually to Our Lady for the festival, but with the following generation the relationship begins to become tenuous.
Korkai spans over 100 years the lives of several prominent families and I will not go into details of the saga. It is like any other massive book, spanning generations. Rich people, poor people, good nasty ambitious wastrel all are there. And in good numbers too. I was very surprised by a few things mentioned in the book.
The first was how close the community had trade and emotional links with Ceylon. Till recently ie 35-40 years ago, they appear to be joined at the hips. Not only movement, but immigrating/emigrating/marriage all appear to be common along with commercial links. Like the Jaffna Tamils, paradhavars too appear to have done well commercially in Colombo, much to the jealousy of the Buddhist Lankans, who eventually used their majority power to destroy the Tamil domination of both, the business and government service.
Joe De Cruz is also fascinated by the rise of the nadars, who gradually became the dominant business rulers of Tuticorin/Korkai. He summarizes their formula as such: Caste above everything else. Loyalty to caste superseded loyalty to religion. Hindu Protestant (CSI) and Catholic nadars intermarried and watched out for each other. The rule of the elders was absolute and the community listened to them.
Business was considered superior to education. Joint family sustained the folks while enabling to invest in businesses and also provide a cushion for any losses. The start of the Nadar Bank was crucial in ensuring community money stayed within, and also provided seed money to businesses all over India. So in less than 100 years, nadars, whose chief occupation was toddy tapping, have today among the richest communities of India, and definitely, in my opinion, the richest and most influential and respected in Tamil Nadu.
Joe narrates the nadar story wistfully, often comparing it with his own paradhavars, whom he finds, disunited and constantly quarrelling with each other. Often they gang up with other communities plotting against their own people, and as a result, today, the community finds itself disenfranchised and also in deep trouble. The disenfranchisement is due to absence of numbers. Though significant in population, the paradhavars are spread all along the coast, and as such, cannot influence the result of even one constituency, which matters a lot, in these days of caste politics and seats in the Assembly.
The vast majority, still working in the seas, find their fishing grounds raped by mechanized trawlers from other parts of Tamil Nadu and India (Andhra?). Add to it, their traditional fishing grounds now fall under the purvey of international borders with Sri Lanka. Waters where the paradhavars have moved and tended without fear and with feeling of ownership from times immemorial, are now taboo and thanks to insensitive politics from distant Delhi, makes their case even worse, when faced with the over vigilant Buddhist fanatic Sri Lankan naval forces.
The novel is full of stories and incidents between nadars and paradhavars – there is mutual respect on either side, even as paradhavars feel their grip on the land/business/fishing slowly slipping away from them. There are a couple of Muslims and Pillais. What surprised me was the presence of Tamil Brahmins. The agitation of R.H.Nathan on behalf of the paradhavars, who were held in feudal status by Muslim businessmen for over centuries, is well documented and that is the only time Tambrams come out smelling good. The other characters are either sleazy or of loose morals, and to me, it feels more like an add on which, otherwise, the book could have done without. But any Tamil book of worth today, has to mention something of the Brahmins, and since Periyar, none too favourably either. Such is that!!
I like the paradhavar women as presented in the book. Feisty lot they are, and enterprising and ambitious. Joe does not spare them either, of morality or religiosity; and for this I could name other communities of Tamil Nadu, where he would have been ostracized or whipped into submission. Though I have heard of some opposition to Korkai among the Church or in his own native Uvari, it is to the credit of the paradhavar community, that Joe De Cruz, by and large, is viewed as a hero by them, a great role model and inspirer. And rightfully so too. That he could have been another ‘Perumal Murugan’ is indeed a chilling thought, and I am personally very happy at Joe’s popularity and busy public engagements, where he ever always exhorts his youth to greater heights and a brighter future.
Thank You Joe for this wonderful book and I am eagerly looking forward to his next, supposedly about modern shipping practices in Tamil Nadu?
To end this rather long ditty, with a personal note of regret. I feel sad that we do not know the names of those paradhavar admirals who guided the Chola ships to glory in Kadaram, Sri Vijaya, Khamboj, China and elsewhere. We only know of the king's names like Rajaraja or Rajendra Chola. Unlike the Europeans who gave full credit to the mariners - everyone all over the world knows Columbus and DaGama. Maybe their names are lying around in some palm leaf in some obscure monastry around Nagapattinam or Pudukottai and all it takes is another UVeSa to discover it.
Addendum: I would be remiss, especially being a loyal and ardent tamil, albeit from west of the ghats, smile emoticon, and bearing the name of subramania, not to mention about the Santana Mariamman.
Throughout Korkai, one has been made to feel the presence of this ancient Mother Divinity who has been the caretaker and saviour of the paradhavars. Truly a great tamil tradition, like baghavathis of malabar, of whom I am somewhat familiar with, and one of whom, is my own kuladeivam.
One gets the impression, that 500 years of catholicism has not quite wiped out the feelings and reverence, for this rather abandoned temple's presence, both as a physical entity and more than that, in the hearts of the paradhavars. Considering the uncompromising attitudes of the Church, I am very surprised at this enduring and lingering worship.
Samanth Subramanian in his book Following Fish, refers to this rather forlorn abandoned but clean temple, and compares it with the bustles Catholic Basilica. Joe's Santana Mariamman is anything but that. She is there at times of trouble as a sanctuary, the non brahmin priest ever respected and above all, a succour and familiar presence, in this ever daunting and unknown career of the paradhavar fisherman.
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