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“ Varappuyara Neeruyarum Neeruyara Nelluyarum
Nelluyara
Kudiuyarum Kudiuyara Konuyarum”-
Avvaiyar
Water, according to the
Americans, is poor man’s fertilizer. The
statement is true in the case of Tamils as well, as rain and water are identical
with fertility and productivity of the farms.
Water is so indispensable for growing plants and crops on soil, that it
appears, it is more important than manure and fertilizer. The rain water is the
best source of this supply and in order to create awareness about the value of
rain in Tamil country, they were using Proverbs related with rain and enhance
the knowledge on forecasting
agricultural science through the ages.
However, Modern methods of agriculture largely depend on a number of
implements and an element of technology and engineering is involved in every
agricultural operations. Ploughing,
pulverising, levelling of the soil, cleaning grading of seed, drilling, irrigating,
inter-cultivating, weeding, harvesting, threshing and finally hauling of the
crop to the markets are all operations to which the skill of the modern
technology may be applied to enhance
efficiency along with the traditional method of cultivation. But onething all should remember that the proverb used by our ancestors is the concentrated essence of the wisdom and
experience of ages, which will go a long way to help us to a knowledge of the
agriculture of the country and to
draw some useful, scientific deductions from them.
Hence this paper helps us to know
the past experience of our ancestors and lead the present and guideline for the
future generation to carriedout agricultural activities in a properway. Generally, Agricultural activities may be
classified into nine main heads such as
Husbandry, Soil, Manure, Ploughing, Transplanting, Sowing, Cultivating seasons,
Rains, and Crops. Therefore, this paper reveals only the proverbs used by Tamilians regarding Rain and how these proverbs helps the farmers to understand without scientific equipments
and forecaste the suitable weather to start cultivation. Tamil proverbs advise the farmers to take
preventive measures to save agriculture
from the natural calamities. Moreover, Tamil proverb helps the
cultivators to select the right time to start cultivation and increase agicultural production.
PROVERB
ABOUT RAIN-forecasting
agricultural science :
This
paper refers only couple dozens of proverb for this study, due to restriction
of pages. But this paper helps to
understand the contribution of Tamils to agricultural science by pridict the
future by Tamil proverbs. A few
references are as follows:
“Crops without rain and children
without mother will not thrive.”1 It
forecast the importance of rain for the crops cultivation in a simple way i.e. if the child has no
mother means do not expect repayment of a child to the society. In such a way , if there is no rain, crops
will not thrive or yield.
“Cessation of rain in Margali is just like
a place deprived of its woods.”2 If there is no rain in the month of Margali
means there is no plant can grow well. So the agriculturist can able to
understand that failure of rain in the month of Margali cause for
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the
dreary and sunburnt waste. It can
predict the future weather condition, and warned the farmer, not to carriedout
any cultivation.
“Three
rains a month are required to keep up proper agriculture.”3 This proverb advised the farmer that proper
agriculture required three times rain in a month.
“Summer commences in Thai”4 which
tells that the First part of summer starts in the month of Thai or second part
of January. This proverb urge the farmer that if the summer starts, the farmer
has to save water, foodgrains for future use.
“A great number of white butterflies
signifies heavy floods.”5 If we found more number of white butterflies in
the atmosphere which forecaste or pridict the heavy rain and flood. It forecaste the society to take
precautionary efforts to prevent flood, by desilting ponds, lake, or warter
reservoirs and storage of water and prevent flood and save men and material
from heavy loss may occurred due to flood.
“Nothing will prosper without rain.”6 This proverb teaches that the failure of rain cause for scarcity
of food and water and no sign for prosperity in life, which alert the society
and government to tackle the situation
by taking necessary steps well in advance
to store food grains and other necessay
commodities from surples areas to the deficity area or affected areas and made
an announce for the recovery measures
well in advance.
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“Excessive
wind indicates rain.”7 If the wind blow
excessively cause for the arrival of proper rainfall. If the wind blow
excessively, which forecaste the farmers to be prepare their land for cultivation.
“The greater the thunder, the less the
rain.”8
This proverb forecaste the less rainfall may occur as soon as the
greater thunder sound. If we heard the
greater thunder sounds, which is the warning bell to the people that we may receive less rain, needn’t
worry about the heavy rainfall may occur that time and change the pattern of
cultivation with the help of minimum rain.
“ Lightning forebodes rain.”9 If we can see the Lightning, after that surely expected to
gets rainfall and prepare the land for cultivation.
“Oh farmer get out of the field with the
young shrubbery in hand should you see the first Crescent Moon in Arpasi,”10 First crescent Moon
in the Arpasi observed carefully by the
farmers helps them to understand that, there is no use of transplanting in the
field. It they do it, it may cause for failure of crop in the year, led to
heavy loss to the farmers. If there is a
first crescent moon seen in the month of Arpasi, which insist that the farmers should not to do transplantation.
“No rain after Margali and no army after
Bharata War”.11 After the month of
Margali, the cultivators didn’t expect any rain for agricultural activities.
The proverb
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compare
rain with the availability of soldiers here.
No soldiers available after Bharata war, the basic truth is , if rains
in the month of Margali means the farmers have agricultural work. So if there is no rain, there is no
agricultural work to the farmers to continue after Margali.
“ No
rain after Karthigai and no donor after King Karnan.”12 The rain in the month of
Karthigai is the greatest boon to
the cultivators.If it fails, after that the cultivators didn’t expect rain for
cultivation. Here the rain is compared
with the greatest donar King Karnan.
There is no rain in the month of Karthigai which is the greatest warning
about the experience of famine, to the farmers and the government to take
necessary recovery steps to save people from starvation.
“ If
the rain-bow appears under the auspices of Swathy star rain will not fail”13. This proverb forecast or predict the future rainfall, which create confidence
and hope in the minds of cultivators. On the auspices of Swathy star, if we saw
the rain-bow, which ensure the rain fall, which is a symbol of definite rainfall
and helps the farmers to ensure regular agricultural activities.
“The
Crescent during the month of Thai should never be slanting”14. The crescent seen in the month of Thai means which ensure
the regular agricultural activities. “Thunder storm on the 5th
Avani indicates plenty of rain during the year”15. “When Venus enters Kumbam ( One of the Zodiac)
there will be abundant rain.”16
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“ If
there be drizzling in Arpasi, there will be very heavy rains in Kartigai.”17 “The fall of rain on the 1st
Purattasy and the failure of rain on the Arpasi indicate rain.”18 “ If there is
no rain fall on the 1st of Karthigai the rains throughout the month
will fail.”19 The above mentioned proverbs
clearly mentioned about the time and month of the copious rainfall situations
and scarcity of rainfall, If the cultivator observed and understand the proverb
means no need to approach the scientific equipments to know about the weather
condition and lead him to select
suitable cultivable methods at that time. Rainfall is abundant and well
distributed, there is immunity from famine but mere abundance alone will not
secure it. Even abundant rainfall, if
unfavourably distributed, may lead to scarcity or famine. So construction of well, sinking new wells and
repairs to old ones, installation of persian wheels, Rahats and other lifting
appliances-dams and channels, tube wells, pumping installations and levers form
which will help in the reclamation of waste and the utilisation of rain
water.Moreover, In order to avoid,
untimely rainfall, we have to save environment and aware about global warming
and planting more trees to get proper rainfall in time.
“Pen your sheep if there be lightning in
one and the same time at the Elam
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“ The rains at the time when the Moon
enters the Cancer (one of the Zodiac) will pierce the stones,”21 “ Water and theif should be first secured
as both have
got a tendency to run off and then let off”.22
“ There will be 12 showers, before a cow is milked everyday i.e. Constant rain
in Arpasi.”23 “ In Karthigai the rains won’t cease to allow you to clean your
vessels i.e. there will be incessant rain.”24
The above proverbs clearly stated that the
heavy rain which cause for heavy damage
to men and material. It cautioned to take preventive measures to avoid
agricultural loss, by make the tanks really of protective value, they should first be put into good repair and be
provided with proper arrangement for controlling and distributing the water, so
that there may be not breaches of tank due to heavy rains or flood. It might be possible to start depleting the
reservoir a few days earlier anticipating floods based on rainfall in the
catchment and flood warning. Moreover,
these proverbs alert the farmers about the nature of rainfall and motivated him
to take preventive measure at the time of copious rainfall.
Hence, I conclude that The material and physical basis of agriculture
and the condition of the soil can be improved upon permanently only through the
provision of irrigational facilities.
Irrigation supplements the water supplied by rainfall, even in early
times the tamil poets who described the importance of irrigation that “a
King who brought land and water together was indeed the Creator of lives, and
bodies of
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his subjects.” So, we should follow
the Tamil Proverbs of our experienced forefathers
forecasting agricultural science and increase agricultural production
and to be the creator of nation’s
prosperity and lead other countries to
follow our agricultural science.
Endnotes
Christianna P.A. Samuel, Cropping
Pattern in Tirunelveli District 1901-1950, Chennai, 1989.
Durgadoss.S.K., TamilNattup
palamozhigal,(Tamil) Vannathi Pathippagam Chennai, 1978.
Government of Tamilnadu Public Work
Department Water Resources Organization, Institute for Water Studies, Taramani,
IWS Report No. 14/96 , Chennai.
G.O. Ms. No. 3749, Public Works (1950)
Dept. dt 6/10/1950.
Irrigation in Southern
India (ASO-B533)
Jan Harold Brunvand, The Study of
American folklore an Introduction, University of Utilit, 1968.Jayaraman.N.V.,
Palamozhikalil Velalanmai Ariviyal,(Tamil) Tamilnadu Velanmaip Palkalaik
Kazhagam, 1980.
Kumarapillai.J., Vellalar Palamozhigal
Nanchil Nadu,(Tamil) Unpublished M.Phil., Dissertation, Nagercoil, 1981.
Lall.M.G.-Vide the Indian Review, VolIV,
1954, June, 1954, Hundred Facts about Indian Agriculture.
Lurdhu.D., Tamil palamozhigal Oor Ayvoo,(Tamil) Unpublished Ph.D., Thesis,
M.K. University, Madurai, 1980.
Maclean.C.D., Madras
Perumal.V. Principles of Classification
of Tamil Proverbs, Size and Structure, Vol.I, Indian University
Report of the Royal Commission on
Agriculture in India
Ramnad District Mannual,Part-I, TNA.
Sampath.R.K., & Ganesan Jeyalakshmi,
Economics of Dry Farming in Tamilnadu,Sangam Publishers, Madras
Sastri.K.A.N., The Culture and History
of Tamils
Singarajan.S., Compedium on Agriculture-
Technological and other Improvements , TNA., Chennai.1985.
The Indian Year Book & Who’s Who,
1942-43.
Zacharias.C.W.B., Madras
Agriculture, Madras
Proverbs collected from rural villages of Tamilnadu.
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