T. Sai Chandra Mouli & B.B. Sarojini
A language
and the people are known by the literature they produce. Earlier, culture and
language of the people were preserved through oral transmission. Even today the
nuances of the language and literature are preserved through oral transmission,
not withstanding the rapid strides made in the fields of print media and
information technology. This, in turn, offers a penetrating, clinical vision
and evaluation of tradition of the languages concerned. The perspectives of the
communities in which such literatures blossomed are amplified.
Generally,
written form is accorded greater status than oral form. The former is
identified with ‘high brow’ or ‘classical’, while the latter is equated with
‘popular’ or ‘folk’ literature. Orally composed and transmitted texts are as
old as language itself for thousands of years man communicated orally, not with
the stylus or pen.
Ideas of
proven, lasting utility have immortalised certain poetic expressions in every
language. Oral literature is the material recorded from oral traditions in
every age and every language. Earlier, in India, oral literature assumed
greater significance over written form. Intellectual acumen was assessed on the
basis of one’s ability to memorise and recite at will, leading to the exquisite
poetic rhapsodies, mesmerizing masses and at the same time enlisting encomiums
from the elite.
These
exercises were characterized by spontaneity, wit and verve. Such expressions
are still remembered fondly, recited with regard and debated animatedly
revealing one’s own respect for the language and linguistic exercises of his
community.
With the
advent of printing technology, explosion of electronic media and inconceivable
impact of information technology, oral literature and oral tradition might have
looked marginalized and much forgotten. Persistent efforts of written mode of
communication to establish its mark of authenticity and authority also might
have made the oral literature look outdated, though not obliterated. It lives
in the minds and lives of ordinary people who may not look elitist.
“The legacy
of respectability attached to orality in ancient India continued in the
literatures of modern Indian languages”. (Bh. Krishna Murthy, 1995).
A good poem
is remembered and recited with love. At times it is related to new contexts or
used to recreate nostalgiac moments. They circulate in oral tradition. As
Vemana, the great Telugu poet declares:
Nikkamaina indra nilamokkati chalu
Taluku beluku rallu tattedela
Chatu padyamokati chalada bhuvilona
Viswadabhi rama vinura vema.
Suffice does
one real sapphire
What for a
basketful of glittering stones?
Thought over,
isn’t one pleasing poem enough
Beloved of
the Bounteous, Vema, listen 1
Such verses
are known as ‘chatus’ in Telugu and
Sanskrit (meaning: ‘charming utterances’) and ‘tanippatal’ in Tamil (meaning: ‘single stanza’). Great scholars
like Veturi Prabhakara Sastry (in Telugu) and M. Raghava Aiyengar (in Tamil)
have collected and published anthologies of chatu verses. C.P. Brown; however,
was the first to publish them.
The
‘Alankara’ theoreticians recognized chatus
as a free standing stanza or a cluster of stanzas; unconnected to a narrative
sequence. Many chatus were composed
as independent verses. There are some which are anthologized as independent
verses, often lifted out of context from a longer narrative poem. These are
known as ‘Muktaka chatus’.
Some ‘chatus’ which are circulated orally are
remembered poems. These are used in social communications. The chatu defines, expresses and
communicates shared knowledge and ideologies among communities.
Some of the chatus are spontaneous, some are
inspired. Srinadha, a great Telugu poet, tormented by thirst in the dry Palnadu
region addressed Lord Shiva:
sirigala vaniki chellunu
tarunula padiyarevela taga penoladan
tiripemuna kiddarandra
Paramesa Ganga Vidumu Parvati chalun.
A rich god
like Krishna can marry
thousands of
women,
For a beggar
like you, even two is too many.
Siva, let me
have Ganga.
Parvati is
enough for you. 2
(Ganga is
river ganges, Siva’s second wife, held in his matted locks. Siva is famous for
his form as Bhikshatana murthi, the wandering beggar)
A chatu is remembered, known by heart and
recalled where required in social communities. It is an integral part of shared
knowledge with strong inter textual connections. The shared chatu verses actually created a public
place for literary and cultural discussions. The chatu enjoyed patronage and popularity for some time.
Some chatus are often quoted for the subtle
humour as is the following one in Sanskrit:
‘nidra-priyo yah khalu kumbhakarno
hatah samike sa raghuttamena
vaidhavyam paadyata tasya bharya
srotum samayati katha puranam
‘Kumbhakarna
loved sleep.
After Rama
killed him in battle,
Sleep was
widowed.
Since then,
she spends her time
at lectures’.
3
(Kumbhakarna,
the demon Ravana’s brother, used to sleep six months a year. Widows often
attend religious discourses)
The chatu tradition though looked
marginalized, subsequently survived. In the twentieth century also we come
across instances of patronage extended to poets with competence to recite chatus. ‘Tirupathi Venkata Kavulu’ are
remembered even today for their exquisite poetry.
A. Rama
Krisha Rao was librarian in Andhra University for a long time. His chatus are well known and appreciated by
all. One day the Principal, Prof. Mahadevan, a geologist, advised Rama Krishna
Rao to attend a meeting convened with the Vice-Chancellor to discuss budget for
the library. As he was not certain of the venue, Rao went to the Arts College,
then to the Geology department and finally to Vice Chancellor’s residence.
Failing to find him anywhere, he composed the following verse. Those were the
days when the water scarcity problem was acute.
“bhumimida levu, bhugarbhamuna levu
minta levu, visi inta levu,
chachichi poyinavo, sambho mahadeva
etaku povu Rama Krishnaravu”
You are
nowhere above ground
nor down
below in the deeper strata.
You are not in
the V-C’s house,
and you are
not in the sky.
Mahadeva, my
lord, did you go and die?
If so, where
can Rama Krishna Rao go? 4
Apart from chatus, songs depicting family ties,
domestic atmosphere, lullabys and rain songs also enrich oral literature.
It may be
stated that oral literature is a part of our day-to-day life. It will be an
interesting and admirable task if all the available songs and verses are
recorded and translated into a global language like English. Thus, Indian life
and culture can be preserved and disseminated.
References
l. K.Srinivasa Sastry
& Usha K. Srinivas: Vemana in
English verse. Ygadi Publishers,
pp. 40, Hyderabad, 2001.
2.V.Narayana Rao &
David Shulman: A Poem at the Right
Moment, O.U.P, pp114, New Delhi, 1999.
3. Ibid: pp38
4. Ibid: pp198