In a video that was released on Saturday, Tamil film lyricist Vairamuthu asked if it was wrong and inappropriate to praise Andal, the only female Alwar among the 12 Alwar saints. “I studied about Andal for three months, collecting research articles about Andal and presented it in Srivilliputtur. Is it wrong," he asked.
Explaining that the series of articles was not just about Andal, he said, “In the last 3,000 years of Tamil literature and history, I wanted to highlight the important individuals who have contributed to this language. I want to present a bird's eye view starting from Tholkappiar to contemporary poets. So far I have written about Thiruvalluvar, Ilango Adigal, Kambar, Thirumoolar, Appar, Vallalar, Uve Swaminatha Iyer, Bharathiar, Bharathidasan, Kannadasan, Pattukottai Kalyana Sundaram," he said.
Stating that he chose Appar among Nayanmars, Mr. Vairamuthu said that he wanted to write about Andal among the Alwars. "For 40 years, it is Andal whose voice has been singing inside me. Though I am not religious, her verse gives me the power...." he said.
Underlining that he wanted to view Andal through the lens of sociology and religion, he said, “After understanding that she lived in the 8th century, it was clear she lived in a landowning, partiarchal and religious society. I wanted to understand how her unique voice came to be,” he said.
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