Dear Rain, where are you??

People say a disaster like flood is manageable; not drought. But a disaster is a disaster, so why say drought is even more disasterous. The reason they give is that flood can be mitigated to some extent; it is not so easy in the case of a drought. People of Tamil Nadu, especially Chennai know that better. TN was hit severely both by drought (From 2001 to 2004) and floods (In 2005-2006).

With soaring prices of metro water, the struggle we had to put as a result of water scarcity in the city was profuse. Scenes of women squabbling on the streets were quite common; there were instances where the local police had to arrive, to settle the issue smoothly. I still remember this: we were advised by the apartment association to use only 3/4th a bucket for bathing, and only a mug for a face wash!

It was in the year 2003 that the government of TN made the rainwater harvesting scheme mandatory : 

"Through an ordinance titled Tamilnadu Muncipal Laws ordinance, 2003, dated July 19, 2003, the government of Tamil Nadu has made rainwater harvesting mandatory for all the buildings, both public and private, in the state. The deadline to construct rainwater harvesting structures is August 31, 2003. The ordinance cautions, "Where the rain water harvesting structure is not provided as required, the Commissioner or any person authorised by him in this behalf may, after giving notice to the owner or occupier of the building, cause rain water harvesting structure to be provided in such building and recover the cost of such provision along with the incidental expense thereof in the same manner as property tax". It also warns the citizens on disconnection of water supply connection provided rainwater harvesting structures are not provided."

MTC buses plying across the metro carried advertisements urging the need for rain water harvesting. Slowly it became a people's movement.  After the implementation of this scheme, a significant increase in both the quality and level of ground water was noted. The water quality in Chennai is a long way to reach International standards. After an Indian Ocean tsunami lashed the shores of TN, the weather pattern changed drastically. Bay of Bengal which could withstand not more than one or two cyclones, witnessed 4 to 5.  During the year 2005-2006, the highest rainfall of 2356.5 mm was recorded in Chennai district.

2012 was a disappointment for Chennai. TN is one of the states which receives rain from both South-West and North-East monsoon. Usually when the city records less rainfall, the south-west monsoon bridges the gap. This year it fell short by nearly 7 cm of the season’s normal of 41 cm. Overall shortage is estimated to be 33%.

I was taken aback when people were literally praying that it should'nt rain during the ARR concert or during the cricket matches. Short-term pleasures, unmindful of long term ones, seem to be the need of the hour. People, its high time we change our mindset. Why do we often hear the king in dramas uttering the words "நாட்டில் மும்மாறி பொழிகிறதா  அமைச்சரே ??" (Minister, is there enough rainfall in our country?) 

Although water provides no calories or organic nutrients, it is essential for every known form of life. It is considered as a purifier in most religions, philosophy and literature. For the crops to grow, for the agriculture and plains to flourish and for us to sustain on this planet we need water. And what is the purest form of water? Rain.

Water Cycle - Teacher

“Aazhi Mazhai(K) Kannaa Onru Nee Kai Karavel

Aazhi Ul Pukku Mugandhu Kodu Aarthu Eri

Oozhi Mudhalvan Uruvam Pol Mey Karuththu(P)

Paazhii Am Tholudai(P) Parpanaaban Kaiyil

Aazhi Pol Minni Valamburi Pol Ninru Adhirndhu

Thaazhaadhe Saarnga Mudhaiththa Sara Mazhai Pol

Vaazha Ulaginil Peydhidaay Naangalum

Maargazhi Neeraada Magizhndhelor Empaavaai”

A beautiful Tamil poem that would describe Water Cycle! Read it once and I decided to write a blog on it immediately!
Let me translate the Tamil poem line by line! It should be very interesting!

Aazhi Mazhai(K) Kannaa Onru Nee Kai Karavel
“Aazhi Mazhai(K) Kannaa” refers to the rain God!. “Onru Nee Kai Karavel” – Do not miss out anything! It means “You should make sure without exception that the entire land gets a good uniform rainfall regularly!” [Such is the noble soul of the poet]
Aazhi Ul Pukku Mugandhu Kodu Aarthu Eri
“Aazhi” stands for Sea. So the line means “Enter the sea and take lots of water” [Evaporation]
Oozhi Mudhalvan Uruvam Pol Mey Karuththu(P)
This refers to the cloud formation! The poet describes how dark the clouds should be – “Oozhi Mudhalvan Uruvam”. It refers to Lord Krishna who has a very dark skin. So the poet wants the clouds to become as dark as Lord Krishna! “Oozhi Mudhalvan means the sole savior and the material and instrumental cause of this universe! [Cloud Formation]
Paazhii Am Tholudai(P) Parpanaaban Kaiyil
The above line describes how strong the shoulders of “Oozhi Muthalvan” are. “Am Thol” means beautiful skinned shoulders! [To be read along with the next line as something special exist in his hands]
Aazhi Pol Minni, Valamburi Pol Ninru Adhirndhu
The next is the symptoms of rain. “Aazhi Pol Minni” – Here “Aazhi” refers to the discus that Lord Krishna has in his right hand. Here the poet requests the God of Rain to shine like the discus in Lord Krishna’s hands. [Lightening] Then, “Valamburi Pol Ninru Adhirndhu” – Valamburi is the conch that Lord Krishna has in his other hand. Here, she requests for the clouds to reverberate. [Thunder]
The poem is “Aazhi Pol Minni [lightening], Valamburi Pol Ninru Adhirndhu”[thunder] and not the other way round! It is because of the fact that light travels faster than sound! [light – 3 x 10^8 m/s, sound – 330 m/s]
Thaazhaadhe Saarnga Mudhaiththa Sara Mazhai Pol
Obviously, the next process is the rain! Saarngam is the bow that Lord has! And the poet wants rain down like the arrows shot from His bow! [Raining]
Vaazha Ulaginil Peydhidaay Naangalum
The poet also clarifies clearly that there should be heavy rain, but that should not cause floods. “Vaazha Ulaginil Peydhidaay” – Rain should satisfy all the people’s need.
Maargazhi Neeraada Magizhndhelor Empaavaai
Continuing from the last line, only after the world is happy (Vaazha Ulaginil Peydhidaay) the poet wants to enjoy! [Naangalum Marargazhi Neerada Magizhnthu] and the poet enjoys the bath in the river. Therefore, the complete water cycle is narrated in just 8 lines!
Very interesting poem right? And to all your surprises, this poem was composed by a 5 year old girl of 6th century! Just imagine what a 5 year old would say today, when asked about Water Cycle! The reply would be – OUT OF SYLLABUS! By this, I am only trying to justify the poet’s extreme intelligence and love for this planet!
The letter "zha" is specific only to Tamil. No other languages has that! The poet has used "zha" 12 times in the above poem! This also shows how good the poet was!
The above explanation does not covey the inner meanings of the poem! The inner meanings of the poem are as follows:
A guru or a teacher or an Acharyan is the one who is full of knowledge. He is the one who performs the ordained duties without fail and sheds tears of joy. Just like how a cloud takes away pure water from the salty waters of the ocean and showers it as cool potable water, an Acharyan preaches all good deeds to his students [Sishyas]. Similar to how the clouds tend to move with breeze and cause rains at different places, so does an acharyan move from place to place and cause rain of wisdom and truths. Just like a water bearing cloud, an Acharya is one who gives knowledge but does not expect anything in return. Thus, more than the water cycle explanation, the above explanation is given more credits!
Hope it was interesting. Please send your comments….
- ∫.∫rikrishnan