The Avvaiyars: The Elderly Female Poets of Tamil Nadu
Avvaiyar is a Tamil word which means respected elderly woman or grandmother. The Avvaiyars is not a name but a title given to three-woman poets of Tamil Nadu who lived in different periods. The Avvaiyars were older women and practised spinsterhood. 
O king, is there anything unattainable
To them who intensely contemplate
On the fragrant feet of the son
Of Ummaiyal, of sweet and comely speech?
The thunderous thud of the swift elephant
And that of the agile horse must give place
To that of the rider of this old dame!
He is none other than the mighty Mahaganapati.
One of the avvaiyars lived in the Sangam period around third century BCE. She was known and respected for her poems by everyone. Even the king revered her. She travelled from village to village living with the destitute, sharing food with poor farmers and composing her mystic poems and songs for them.
The story of second avvaiyar is more intriguing, for she was a ravishing young woman who beseeched Lord Ganesha to transform her into an elderly woman to avoid the unsolicited attention from men and avoid marriage.
She lived in the tenth century when Chola dynasty had its rule over the region. She was born in a Tamil Brahmin family. Her father, Bhagavan, was Brahmin while her mother Adi was a Dalit. Her parents were highly spiritual. So, when she was born her parents left her behind and embarked on a spiritual odyssey.
She was left alone by her parents. One day a poet was passing by from there when the abandoned child caught his attention. He felt bad for the child and carried her along with him. Avvaiyar was now raised by the poet. She had a keen interest in poetry since childhood and by the age of four she could complete difficult stanzas. Completing these stanzas was a hard nut to crack even for the well-literate scholars of that time but it was just a piece of cake for avvaiyar.
O ye troublesome
stomach of mine!
You are not agreeing
to forgo
your habitual meal
even for a day;
Nor would you accept
in one lot
food for two days –
today and tomorrow.
You do not realise
even for a moment
the travails I am put to
on your account!
All I can say,
O stomach of mine
is that it is indeed
an arduous task
to live with you!
Avvaiyar was fervent devotee of Lord Ganesha since her childhood. She was already a gifted poet. The education she received embellished her persona even more. She grew into a radiant young girl. Everyone was dazzled by her knowledge, beauty, and poetry. She started receiving marriage proposals. But avvaiyar wanted to remain unmarried. She wanted to practise spinsterhood. So, in order to avoid the unsolicited attention and pressure for marriage she supplicated Lord Ganesha to transform her into an old lady which the Lord did and she thanked him by composing a song considered equal to the vedas.
After becoming an old woman, avvaiyar freely travelled from village to village observing common man’s life. Her poetry doesn’t speak of devotion but teaches morals, ethics, and values. She admired and cherished the life of common man and she abhorred opulent people. The same is reflected in her poems. Her poems also talk about dos and don’ts and teach people how to live a happy and simple life. According to some legends it is believed that she was a court poet in the Chola monarch.
Achievements
The notable achievements of the avvaiyars are:
- Literary Contribution
The second avvaiyar wrote Atticcuti and Konraiventhan for children. The Atticcuti includessingle line quotations on moral instructions. Around 109 lines are there in these instructions. They impart moral values and ettiquettes to children such as ‘don’t forget attitude’, ‘never degrade learning’, ‘intend to do right things’. These quotations still resonate deeply among Tamil children.
She also wrote Mooturai and Nalvali for older children. They are more philosophical.
- Her poems have been translated and published by an American publication called Red Hen Press. It published some poems of the Avvaiyars in 2009 in a book named ‘Give, Eat, and Live: Poems by Avvaiyar’.
- The poems written by the avvaiyars are taught even in schools. They are a part of Tamil school curriculum. Children learn her poems by heart since a tender age.
She significantly influenced Tamil literature and language with her contributions, which have been revered and studied for centuries. Her works are considered a valuable part of the classical Tamil literary tradition.
- The Avvaiyars also played a consequential role in the promotion if Tamil language. They wrote their poems in Tamil language which has become widely known now.
Would a pillar of granite,
When it is over-burdened
bend or buckle at any point
rather than splinter and fall?
Likewise the noble ones
When their honour is confronted
would lay down their very life
and not submit to the tyrannous.
Legacy
The Avvaiyars are no more but the impact of their poetry still resonates deeply with the Tamilians. She is remembered as a maternal figure in Tamil Nadu. Everyone knows about them from kids to older generation. The Avvaiyars are nothing short of Gods for the people of Tamil Nadu. Their songs and poems teach how to live life simply and happily. It is said that the avvaiyars went to Kailash – the abode of Lord Ganesha and breathed her last breath there.
Real vision
is that which sees
the One only
beyond the many;
Real valour
is that of the person
who has conquered for good
the senses five;
Real learning
is that which places
you in the state
of Deathlessness;
And real food
is what you consume
when you are totally
Liberated
and where you are not
under any command
and where you are neither
slave nor servant…
