Of an unsung people and a forgotten language

Set in the Sangam period, Manoj Kuroor's The Day the Earth Bloomed, a tale of common folk in an era of abundance, recognises the shared linguistic heritage of Kerala and Tamil Nadu

- Akankshya Abismruta

In the history of southern India, the Sangam period (300 BCE to 300 CE) is known for its glorious ecological poetics that portrayed nature and humanity's connection to it and love and war, through heroic and romantic poetry.

The period saw the rise and fall of three major dynasties: the Cheras, the Cholas and the Pandyas. Manoj Kuroor sets his story, The Day the Earth Bloomed, translated from the Malayalam by J Devika, in this classical period. Divided into three parts narrated by Kolumban, Chithira and Mayilan respectively, the novel is remarkable for its gripping prose and characters whose thoughts come across as strikingly modern.

In Part 1, Kolumban introduces his tribe as "paanar who sing and koothar who dance". Extremely poor, they leave their lands behind to make a living by performing in the courts of kings. They are also in search of Mayilan, Kolumban's eldest son, who, despising their poverty, left early on.

As the paanars cross the forests and mountains, they meet many tribes who invite them to dine with them and rest for the night. They also come across one of the "great masters of song," Paranar, a fellow paanar who rose to wealth by singing the praises of kings. He advises them on the workings of the court: "Cruelty and compassion are twins born of the same womb. Separating the two in the act of ruling is difficult. Compassion towards one may be cruelty towards another. When you make songs about the powerful, remember this."