மடலொன்று அனுப்பினேன்.

மடலொன்று அனுப்பினேன்.

Innamburan S.Soundararajan <innamburan@gmail.com>	5:10 PM (1 minute ago)

அன்பார்ந்த ருத்ராஜி,

உமது விருப்பம் எனது பணி, உடனக்குடன். வாசகதோஷ க்ஷந்தவ்ய:

இனி எனது விருப்பம் தலை தூக்கும். ஆலிவர் கோல்ட்ஸ்மித் மற்றவர்களுக்காக வாழத்தெரிந்தவர். தனக்காக வாழத்தெரியாதவர், என்னை போல! போறப்போக்கிலே சிலர் என்னை புறம்போக்கு என்று சொல்கிறமாதிரி எழுதிட்டேன். இல்லை! போனால் போகட்டும் போடா!

ஆலிவர் கோல்ட்ஸ்மித் படைத்த LETTER CIX ஐ கீழே இணைத்திருக்கிறேன். இனி என் போக்கு.

இந்தியாவின் முதல் தேர்தலில் ஆலிவர் கோல்ட்ஸ்மித் சொன்னமாதிரி சோத்துக்கடை கிடையாது. கொடுத்த காரை காறி துப்பி விரட்டிவிடுவார்கள், மக்கள். தாத்தாவும் பாட்டியும் போட்டிப்போட்டுக்கொண்டு ஓட்டுப்போட்டார்கள். எல்லாம் காங்கிரஸ்ஸுக்கே; நேருவுக்கே. வர வர மாமியார் கழுதை போல் ஆன மாதிரி, சில தேர்தல்களுக்கு பிறகு “ கானா பீனா சோட்கே, தஸ் ருப்யா”. ஐய்யயோ! இந்திலே எளுதிப்பிட்டேனே! என் செய்வேன், நாத்திக தெய்வமே! முளிச்சுக்கிட்டு கேளுங்க, நான் எளுதறதை. ‘பிரியாணியும் ஆட்டுக்கால் சூப்பும், ஒரு பட்டை சாராயமும் கொடுத்து, பத்து ரூபாய்.’ இது மாமூலாகி, அவ்வப்பொழுது விஷம் போல் விலை ஏறி, இட்லி, சாம்பார், வடை, வடகறி, கல்யாண சமையல் சாதம் எல்லாம் போக வள்ளிசா ரூபாய் ...’ (எவ்வளவு என்று சொல்ல நாளைக்கு கடைசி நாள். இப்ப சொல்லி  நத்தமாகலாமோ? அது போகட்டும். அந்த மருதை சாமி அமங்கலமா திருமங்கலம் செய்த கதை அறியீரோ? அதனால் தான் முன் கூட்டியே நான் 1934லிலேயே அந்த ஊரை விட்டு ஓடிவிட்டேனாக்கும்.

ஆனா ஒண்ணு, தாய்மார்களே! அப்பன்சாமிகளே! நம்ம குடிமகன்கள் விவரமானவர்கள். கவுக்கிறவனை நிமித்தி, நிமுக்கிறவனை கவுத்து, கவுக்கிறவனை கவுத்து, நிமுக்கிறவனை நிமித்தி களேபரம் செய்து விடுவார்கள். மோடி மஸ்தானும், ஜான்ஸி ராணியும் மிளிற, எல்டர் கர்டரும், கவரிங் தங்கமும்  உளர, ஆட்டிப்படைத்து விட்டார்கள்.

வாழ்க! நீ எம்மான்ஸ்!

நன்றி, வணக்கம்

இன்னம்பூரான்

29 09 2016

சித்திரத்துக்கு நன்றி: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2m6gAxU4bY/UGkAQg2gVgI/AAAAAAAAAOM/icmyjDJmB9c/s640/feast.jpg

பின் குறிப்பு: நீவிர் ஆலிவர் கோல்ட்ஸ்மித்தின் City Night Pieceக்கு ஒரு கவிதை படிக்கலாகாதா? அப்பா இதை எனக்குக் கண்ணீர் மல்க சொல்லிக்கொடுத்தாராக்கும்.

இன்னம்பூரான்http://innamburan.blogspot.co.uk

http://innamburan.blogspot.de/view/magazine

www.olitamizh.com

***

LETTER CIX.

THE English are at present employed in celebrating a feast which becomes general every seventh year; the Parliament of the nation being then dissolved and another appointed to be chosen. This solemnity falls infinitely short of our feast of the lanterns in magnificence and splendour; it is also surpassed by others of the East in unanimity and pure devotion, but no festival in the world can compare with it for eating. Their eating indeed amazes me: Had I five hundred heads, and were each head furnished with brains, yet would they all be insufficient to compute the number of cows, pigs, geese and turkeys, which upon this occasion die for the good of their country!

To say the truth, eating seems to make a grand ingredient in all English parties of zeal, business or amusement. When a Church is to be built, or an Hospital endowed, the Directors assemble, and instead of consulting upon it, they eat upon it, by which means the business goes forward with success. When the Poor are to be relieved, the officers appointed to dole out public charity, assemble and eat upon it: Nor has it ever been known, that they filled the bellies of the poor till they had previously satisfied their own. But in the election of Magistrates the people seem to exceed all bounds; the merits of a candidate are often measured by the number of his treats; his constituents assemble, eat upon him, and lend their applause, not to his integrity or sense, but the quantities of his beef and brandy.

And yet I could forgive this people their plentiful meals on this occasion. as it is extremely natural for every man to eat a great deal when he gets it for nothing; but what amazes me is, that all this good living no way contributes to improve their good humour. On the contrary, they seem to lose their temper as they lose their appetites; every morsel they swallow, and every glass they pour down serves to increase their animosity. Many an honest man, before as harmless as a tame rabbit, when loaded with a single election dinner, has become more dangerous than a charged culverin. Upon one of these occasions, I have actually seen a bloody minded Man Milliner sally forth at the head of a mob, determined to face a desperate Pastry Cook, who was General of the opposite party.

But you must not suppose they are without a pretext for thus beating each other. On the contrary, no man here is so uncivilized as to beat his neighbour without producing very sufficient reasons. One candidate, for instance, treats with gin, a spirit of their own manufacture; another, always drinks brandy imported from abroad. Brandy is a wholesome liquor; gin a liquor wholly their own. This then furnishes an obvious cause of quarrel, Whether it be most reasonable to get drunk with gin, or get drunk with brandy? The mob meet upon the debate; fight themselves sober; and then draw off to get drunk again, and charge for another encounter. So that the English may now properly be said to be engaged in war; since while they are subduing their enemies abroad, they are breaking each other's heads at home.

I lately made an excursion to a neighbouring village, in order to be a spectator of the ceremonies practised upon this occasion. I left town in company with three fidlers, nine dozen of hams, and a corporation poet, which were designed as reinforcements to the gin drinking party. We entered the town with a very good face; the fidlers, no way intimidated by the enemy, kept handling their arms up the principal street. By this prudent manoeuvre they took peaceable possession of their head-quarters, amidst the shouts of multitudes, who seemed perfectly rejoiced at hearing their music, but above all at seeing their bacon.

I must own I could not avoid being pleased to see all ranks of people on this occasion, levelled into an equality, and the poor, in some measure, enjoying the primitive privileges of nature. If there was any distinction shewn, the lowest of the people seemed to receive it from the rich. I could perceive a cobbler with a levee at his door, and an haberdasher giving audience from behind his counter. But my reflections were soon interrupted by a mob, who demanded whether I was for the Distillery, or the Brewery? as these were terms with which I was totally unacquainted, I chose at first to be silent; however, I know not what might have been the consequence of my reserve, had not the attention of the mob been called off to a skirmish between a brandy-drinker's cow, and a gin-drinker's mastiff, which turned out, greatly to the satisfaction of the mob, in favour of the mastiff.

This spectacle, which afforded high entertainment, was at last ended by the appearance of one of the candidates; who came to harangue the mob; he made a very pathetic speech upon the late excessive importation of foreign drams; and the downfall of the distillery: I could see some of the audience shed tears. He was accompanied in his procession by Mrs. Deputy and Mrs. Mayoress. Mrs. Deputy was not in the least in liquor; and for Mrs. Mayoress, one of the spectators assured me in my ear that,—She was a very fine woman before she had the small-pox.

Mixing with the crowd, I was now conducted to the hall where the magistrates are chosen: but what tongue can describe this scene of confusion; the whole crowd seemed equally inspired with anger, jealousy, politics, patriotism and punch: I remarked one figure that was carried up by two men upon this occasion. I at first began to pity his infirmities as natural, but soon found the fellow so drunk that he could not stand; another made his appearance to give his vote, but though he could stand, he actually lost the use of his tongue, and remained silent; a third, who though excessively drunk could both stand and speak, being asked the Candidate's name for whom he voted, could be prevailed upon to make no other answer, but Tobacco and Brandy. In short, an election-hall seems to be a theatre where every passion is seen without disguise; a school where fools may readily become worse, and where philosophers may gather wisdom.

Adieu.