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"Kappal kavizhndhalum kannaththil kai vaikkadhey"

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“ Kappal Kavizhndhalum Kannaththil Kai vaikkadhey” – Proverb


"கப்பல் கவிழ்ந்தாலும் கன்னத்தில் கை வைக்காதே"


Literal meaning as understood by majority : Even if your ship full of merchandise capsizes, please do not keep your hand on the cheek. More refined one being, please do not sit dejected, resting your chin on your hand, brooding over the calamity.


This was one proverb that bugged me as an young boy . Normally, while doing home work etc, I tended to support my chin with left hand and write with the right. This would promptly draw rebuke from elders with the saying “KKKKV”. I used to wonder as to what relevance a hand on your chin has with a ship’s capsizing. Why should the owner of a capsized vessel be barred from touching his cheek alone, when he was allowed to freely meddle with other parts of his anatomy?


Also, why should my elders get cheesed off with me touching my cheek? ( I could understand had it been our neighbors’ young daughter’s cheek, which was no doubt an attraction during adolescent years. He, he, he.. )


Now back to the proverb and it’s interpretation.


A ship owner cum merchant in import-export trade, suffered a huge loss due to his vessel, carrying high valued goods, sinking mid sea. A calamitous development. He didn’t know how to settle his creditors who had advanced for the goods. Also, his main stay in the business, the ship, in which he had invested his entire life’s savings had also gone down the sea literally with no hope of any salvaging. (Those days there were no insurance companies, maritime or otherwise, for mitigating such accidental losses.) How to make a living with so many committments? He was at a loss. Depressed, he sat with his hands supporting his chin, a sign of dejection.
A wise man, who happened to pass by, pitying his condition advised him ‘not to get depressed and sit, doing nothing’. “Instead of sitting idle with your hands on your cheek, better use them , for doing things productive. Work hard with determination & you will succeed” he said, “KKKKV”.
This interpretation, highlighting importance of hard work, is the most common one and is accepted by many.


But for me, this interpretation was not fully satisfactory. Why only cheek & not head when ‘hand on your head’ (thalayiley kaiyai vaiththukkondu) would be more appropriate for a depressed soul?


This mystery continued till I took to Tamil Literature. Now, I know what this proverb meant and propose to share the meaning with you so that at least your kids could be free to feel their own cheek any time, uninterrupted.


By ‘kannam’ many of us think of only cheek. What if it means something else more appropriate in this context? In those days, thieves used iron bars (kadapparai) for making a hole in the walls of buildings at night. Through these holes they entered the houses and robbed them. These bars were known as ‘kannak kol” and the method of such thievery was known as ‘kannam”. Now, you will immediately realize what the wise man had advised our grieving merchant. ‘Never even think of even touching ‘kannam’ business – robbery or ‘kannakkol’ used for that purpose. That is someone else’s hard earned money like yours that you had unfortunately lost. Never reduce yourselves to doing such things that are looked down upon by society, for your livelihood. Instead, work hard and you will prosper”.


By this, the proverb means that “even if you have lost everything suddenly due to quirk of fate, never think of resorting to stealing. Instead, believe in yourselves, work hard & prosper.” This interpretation, appeals to me more, as all inclusive - laying importance on both good conduct even during adverse times as well as hard work.


Dear Friends,
please feel free to comment and suggest improvements on the interpretation as well.
Anbudan
RRG /
 
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