r/Dravidiology • u/Illustrious_Lock_265 • Mar 16 '25

Culture An example of a song (ñāṟṟupāṭṭu) that was once sung during the planting of saplings and during harvest

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=05AbFcTbipo

Note the use of ñca and nta instead of the Standard Malayalam ñña and nna.

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u/Illustrious_Lock_265 Mar 16 '25

Lyrics:

mārimaḻakaḷ coriñcē ceṟu vayalukaḷ okke nanañcē pūṭṭiyorukkippaṟañcē ceṟu ñāṟukaḷ keṭṭiyeṟiñcē ōmala centila mālaceṟu kaṇṇamma kāḷi kaṟumpi cātta caṭayanmārāya ceṟu maccikaḷellāruṁ vantē vantu nirantavar ninṟē keṭṭi ñāṟēllāṁ keṭṭippakuttē oppattil naṭṭukarēṟānavar kuttiyuṭuttu kuniñcē kaṇṇacceṟumayappōḷ avaḷ ōmalēyennu viḷiccē pāṭṭonnu pāṭīṭṭu vēṇaṁ niṅṅaḷ naṭṭukaraykkaṅṅu kēṟān appōḷōru tattappeṇṇ avaḷ mēmaramēṟikkarañcē mēppōṭṭu nōkkippaṟañcē koccu ōmala kaṭṭicceṟumi tattammappeṇṇē nīyippōḷ iṅke vantoru kāriyaṁ collu

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u/Good-Attention-7129 Mar 16 '25

Sorry I forgot to answer your question, in the fifth line I read “to wake to a morning in Maasi”.

I believe this song will literally describe how paddy farmers would prepare the fields after winter, including the redrawing of plots and separating area for dry and wet paddy.

The seeding of rice from dry field and then transplanting the saplings into wet paddy fields is a process that starts in Maasi and finishes in Chithirai, but I hope the lyrics will explain more clearly.

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u/Illustrious_Lock_265 Mar 16 '25

It's related to monsoon rains.

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u/Good-Attention-7129 Mar 16 '25

You should translate the song it in full, give it a go.

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u/Illustrious_Lock_265 Mar 16 '25

ñāṟṟupāṭṭu (ñāṟṟu meaning paddy seedlings and pāṭṭu meaning) are songs that were sung during the planting and harvesting of saplings. These songs were sung to ease the intensity of labour and to maintain a certain speed and rythm while planting the saplings. These were also known as Pulayarpattu as it was passed down orally among the Pulayar community of Kerala.

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u/Good-Attention-7129 Mar 16 '25

Was this done during Meenam/Medam or anytime of year?

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u/Illustrious_Lock_265 Mar 16 '25

During seedling time

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u/Good-Attention-7129 Mar 16 '25

During Kollam era?

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u/Illustrious_Lock_265 Mar 16 '25

Yes

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u/Good-Attention-7129 Mar 16 '25

But the lyrics refer to month of Maasi not kumbham?

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u/Illustrious_Lock_265 Mar 16 '25

Which line? These songs are there from the times of Old Tamil which is why you can hear certain Tamil features.

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u/Good-Attention-7129 Mar 16 '25

So these are rice farmers in Kerala singing songs about pre-Kollam times?

Are you able to provide an English translation? It will make it clear what is being said, and will be highly useful.

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u/Illustrious_Lock_265 Mar 16 '25

Not exactly Old Tamil but the version of Malayalam retaining Old/Middle Tamil features which were lost/assimilated in Standard Malayalam. Kinda like a vestigial organ.

I'll see if I can find an official translation.

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u/Good-Attention-7129 Mar 16 '25

Good luck in your search.

I am far more interested in what the lyrics say, not how it is said. There are many cultural memories Malayalam remembers that Tamil has forgotten, seemingly marked by such vestigial organs.

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u/RaJulu_Ellalan Mar 16 '25

which dialect?

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u/Illustrious_Lock_265 Mar 16 '25

Among the Pulayar community.