Sugandhi Alias Andal Devanayaki

by T. D. Ramakrishnan

  ‘Don’t make food for me. I only drink breast milk. I heard that there is breast milk in this house, that is why I’m here.’

  Devanayaki sensed that it was a trap. But she squeezed some milk into a glass and gave it to him.

  ‘This is foolishness. Does anyone drink breast milk from a tumbler? Your breasts are brimming with milk. You should come to me naked and allow me to drink. That is how I receive alms.’

  Devanayaki grew red with anger.

  ‘You are not a sage but a trickster. Please leave. I am a chaste wife. Do not harm me.’

  ‘I have come because I know that you are not a chaste wife. You are Devanayaki, the youngest wife of the king of Kanthalur. When the king was killed, you ran away with this sage.’

  ‘Don’t to be absurd. I am Anasuya. I am Thanumalayan’s wife. Please don’t trouble me.’

  ‘No. I will not leave without receiving alms.’

  Shutting her eyes, she prayed to the trinity. They advised her to sprinkle the water with which she had washed the sage’s feet on the visitor. When she did so, the Chola emperor became a six-month-old baby. She took the child in her arms and suckled him. Thanumalayan, who saw all this with his divine vision, rushed home to find the gods blessing Devanayaki. The gods restored the emperor to his real form after he begged for mercy. Humiliated, he ran away from the place.

  The temple Thanumalayan and Devanayaki built on the spot where the gods appeared later came to be known as the Thanumalayan temple. Devanayaki gave birth to two more sons and a daughter, and they all lived happily together for a long time. This was the Kurava dynasty that later ruled Nanjinad. After the rule of the Konangi Kuravas and the Nanji Kuravas who ruled in the twelfth century, the Kurava dynasty slowly declined. Brahmins took control of the temple. The high-born Brahmins, who had only contempt for the Kuravas, transformed Devanayaki’s story into the legend of Atri and his wife Anasuya. The story of Devanayaki was successfully Aryanized. Their version was that the gods wanted to test Anasuya’s chastity and so they came in the guise of sages and asked her to serve food to them naked. She sprinkled the water with which she had washed her husband’s feet on them, transforming them into babies.

  The third story is the diametrical opposite, and goes like this:

  When the Chola army forced its way into Kanthalur fort, the queens jumped into a funeral pyre in the courtyard. It was when the seventh queen jumped into the fire that the army reached the courtyard. Devanayaki, wearing a white garment and only her thali and waist-chain as jewels, was waiting for her turn to give herself up to the flames. They dragged her out, tied her up and brought her to King Mahendravarman. Unable to summon the courage to look at her, he bowed his head. The commander of the Chola army tied her hands behind her back, broke open her chastity belt and raped her brutally in the presence of the king.

  As she wailed helplessly, the musicians from Thanjavur played their instruments loudly to drown out her cries. The guards whipped Mahendravarman who stood paralysed. When, at midnight, they were butchering the king and throwing the remains of his body into the sea, the commander of the Chola emperor was raping her again.

  In the morning, only the hair and bones of the commander remained. In the next few days, the same fate overtook the rest of the war chieftains. Concluding that Devanayaki had become a bloodsucking monster, they set fire to the palace and its surroundings, and left. When the humans deserted the place, the vampire also left. Later, she came to be known as the fearsome Neeli.

  These three stories, which give different versions of Devanayaki’s life after the war, belong to different geographic territories. The people who made up these stories manipulated the details to suit themselves. Why this story has so many versions is a big question in cultural history. But in a 900-year-old manuscript written in the Pali script discovered in Sigiriya, Sri Lanka, in 2001, Devanayaki’s story is told accurately. It was when I read an article in English about this text that I realized the historical importance of the wall paintings in Sigiriya, and the Gnana Saraswathi idol in Gangaikonda Cholapuram. I would like to read the text before I write in detail about Devanayaki.

  Comments

  Thamizh Selvan: Meenakshi Rajarathinam shows us a hitherto unknown part of history. It is not clear whether it is history, or imagination mixed with history. Anyway, it is a good story. Congratulations.

  Karpoora Nayaki: History texts tell us very little about Kanthalur. I had recently read a newspaper report claiming that a historian from Chennai had discovered evidence that the ships anchored in Rajaraja Chola harbour as well as the town had been set on fire. Where did Meenakshi get the rest of the information from? It’s a shame that it stopped abruptly, just when it was getting interesting. Anyway, it is a good effort. Congratulations.

  Nallur Gopal: I read that report too, Karpoora Nayaki. The ruins of a fort without cannonball holes have been discovered near Vizhinjam. Is this Meenakshi Rajarathinam a Malayali from Trivandrum? How did she get into Karupu?

  Charles Murukesh: If the Chola king that Meenakshi mentions is Rajaraja of Kanthalur, it’s a shame.

  Dr D’Silva: Meenakshi is looking for new ways to humiliate the Sinhalese.

  Kovai Kuveni: I doubt that Meenakshi Rajarathinam is a woman. I perceive a male gaze throughout the narrative.

  Karpoora Nayaki: That is the innate female characteristic of fault-finding. Kuveni, I urge you to emulate Anasuya.

  Nanchil Gouthaman: I was surprised when I read about the temple of Suchindram. Nobody knows of these things.

  Kovai Kuveni: It is not jealousy. I was merely sharing my anguish at seeing a woman portrayed in a negative light. I felt ashamed when I read about a woman like Devanayaki, who had studied the Arthashastra and political science, obeying Mahendravarman’s commands without a murmur. And she actually sings on her way to the palace! She drinks the water after washing Thanumalayan’s feet! Meenakshi is conveying a message that women should bow before authority – it’s not right.

  Karpoora Nayaki: Kuveni, Meenakshi was writing about what happened a thousand years ago. That might have been how people lived during those times.

  Kovai Kuveni: Can’t you smell the stench of Brahmanism in the Thiruppavai and the Soundarya Lahari?

  Karpoora Nayaki: Kuveni, that’s your olfactory problem. Also, stench is not a bad thing. Listen to the song Andal sings in the Thiruppavai. She asks Krishna’s conch whether camphor stinks.

  I didn’t feel like reading any more comments. I shut the laptop. Should I call Manju? It’s past midnight. She might be in a casino with some rich guy. Or in his bed. Though she had promised to ask the rap singers about Devanayaki, she hadn’t called back.

  I quite liked Meenakshi’s story. It would be nice to read the book they claimed was discovered in Sigiriya. I decided to send an email to Meenakshi. But, as someone commented, is Meenakshi Rajarathinam a man? Or is it Eezhathachi writing under a pseudonym?

  6

  I am sad sad

  I am mad mad

  I had just gone to bed when Manju rang. I had been waiting for her call since morning. She had texted yesterday, telling me that she was coming to Colombo and would like to meet me. Her job was to entertain rich men. Her luck turned when some gamblers, mostly from Kerala, felt that her presence at the gambling table brought them good fortune. She used to fly from Kochi to Colombo two or three times a week.

  When she had entered the film world eight years ago, she was considered a promising actress. But when her movies flopped, she was labelled an unlucky one – even though the failures could not be attributed to her. Succumbing to the temptations of money and luxury, she lost everything. She used to joke cruelly about herself – ‘Wrong pictures, wrong roles, wrong company.’ When I asked her whether I was also on the list of people she thought of as ‘wrong company’, she would laugh. I knew the meaning of her laughter. She used to often accuse me of being her first pimp. The world behind commercial cinema is a strange one. It is very much like a casino. Very few people win at gambling. It
’s the same in the world of cinema. It was ironic that one who was labelled ‘unlucky’ in movies was considered lucky in casinos. As she still took good care of her appearance, there were men who considered it prestigious to be escorted by her to Bally’s or MGM.

  ‘Were you sleeping?’

  ‘No. Where are you?’

  ‘Very close to you. On the fifth floor. Right below your room. The hero who brought me here flew to Singapore after a good harvest at Bally’s. I’m returning by the morning flight to Kochi. We were celebrating his winning four lakhs in three hours.’

  ‘Did the celebration stop with drinking?’

  ‘Are you mad? Will they bring me here just to look at me? Today, there were no problems. But usually, they go mad when they win. He was so happy that he just lifted me up right there in the casino and gave me one-fourth of his takings.’

  ‘No wonder the gamblers vie for your company. You are a lucky star. You want to come up or…?’

  ‘I’ll come up. That’s better.’

  She reached my room within minutes. The scent of her expensive perfume wafted in with her. She was wearing a light yellow gown and a black hat. Her face was heavily made up. She came and kissed me before falling upon the bed and taking off her hat.

  ‘What’s up with your movie? Have you found Sugandhi?’

  ‘No. What about your enquiries?’

  ‘No use. Don’t waste your time looking for her. Do the movie. Cast Janet Jackson or Cathy Graham in Rajini Thiranagama’s role.’

  ‘That’s the plan now. Even if we find Sugandhi, I don’t think she will be able to act. But I would like to meet her if she is alive.’

  I shut off the light and lay down beside her.

  ‘A man like you shouldn’t be so sentimental,’ Manju said.

  ‘You will not understand.’

  ‘I do understand, but keep your emotions separate from your professional life.’

  ‘I am not mixing both.’

  ‘Then why are you looking for her so anxiously? Talking about her?’

  ‘Manju, we are rewriting the entire script. Sugandhi and I, who were going to make a movie about Rajini Thiranagama, are now characters in this movie. It is a movie about a movie that was not made.’

  ‘Somehow I think you’ll really go mad if you carry on like this.’

  She didn’t accept my explanation. I too decided not to waste time arguing. I gathered her towards myself.

  ‘Did that gambler tire you out?’

  ‘He was a cold fish. I was bored. That’s why I called you right after he left.’

  ‘Do you enjoy all this? Or is it merely work?’

  ‘I try to enjoy it, but somehow I can’t.’

  ‘Let’s have a drink.’

  ‘No. We can drink any time. But I don’t get you often.’

  I tried not to disappoint her. Finally, as she was slipping into slumber, she asked, ‘Peter, how long has it been since you went home?’

  ‘Twelve years.’

  ‘Didn’t your mother pass away last year?’

  ‘My mother died long ago. Then she died again last year.’

  ‘It’s not wise to hold a grudge for so long.’

  ‘I will not go home before making a movie on Rajini Thiranagama.’

  ‘It’s been twelve years since you graduated from the institute. You have not been able to complete a single project. You are gambling away your career with this Tiger game.’

  ‘Yes, you’re right. But I cannot do another movie before I complete my project on Rajini Thiranagama. I will not do it in a slapdash manner. Wasn’t it you who told me that it is better to do one good film than a hundred crappy ones?’

  ‘I don’t want to argue with you. I want you to win, at least this time. Don’t be foolish and spoil this opportunity.’

  ‘No, I won’t. It’s a Hollywood production and we have full support from the government. I expect everything to go off well.’

  ‘Good luck to you.’

  She woke up early to leave and, as usual, she took a hundred dollars from my wallet. She left me a note: There is a music video on YouTube called SAD. I think that it is your Sugandhi.

  My god!

  I located SAD on YouTube. The video began with loud sounds. The visuals showed a large crowd begging the UN observers not to leave. They were the same visuals used in Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields. A singer came to the stage from the crowd. Slowly, reaching a high point of ecstasy, she discarded her clothing. The audience cried and averted their eyes. All this happened between visuals of rape carried out at gunpoint. When the singer fell unconscious, everything ended. The words ‘I am Sugandhi alias Devanayaki’ filled the screen.

  I am sad sad

  I am mad mad

  Kill me kill me kill me

  I am one who has lost her dreams

  I am one who has forgotten love

  Sad – mad

  Though I’d watched the song that criticized the Sri Lankan army harshly, using crude expletives, I couldn’t believe that it was Sugandhi. It was not the Sugandhi I knew, neither her physical appearance nor her voice. She could never dance dressed in scanty clothes. But SAD was the abbreviation of ‘Sugandhi alias Devanayaki’. I searched online and found SAD’s website.

  SAD

  The Sri Lankans in Canada created an album titled SAD in memory of Sugandhi alias Devanayaki, the Eezham Tamil fighter. The album was produced by an Afro-American company called United Records Inc. The album had ten songs, of which Sugandhi had penned the lyrics for three. It was believed that Sugandhi, who was reported missing from 27 November 2002, had been abducted by a high-ranking official in the Sri Lankan army who had sexually abused her for months before shooting and killing her. Sugandhi had worked in the media section of the Iyakkam with Isai Priya, who was killed in May 2009 when the struggle was nearing its end. Sugandhi was a good rapper, like Mathangi Arulpragasam (MIA). After her parents were killed in the genocide of 1983, she had gone to live in London with her relatives.

  Arulmozhi Nangai and Yamuna Sridhar had sung all the songs in the album. They were both Tamil Eezham girls who had grown up in Canada. The first song written by Sugandhi, which they recorded on 21 June 2009, was ‘We hate lions’. The rest of the songs were recorded sporadically over the next one and a half years. ‘SAD SAD SAD’ was the last song to be recorded. Sugandhi had written the lyrics for ‘SAD SAD SAD’, ‘We hate lions’ and ‘Burn! Your history’. The rest of the songs were written by Arulmozhi Nangai. ‘SAD SAD SAD’ was released in November 2012 and got a place in the top hundred in the US and France within three months of its release. By 2013, it was among the top ten in most European countries and number three in Australia.

  We expect ‘SAD SAD SAD’ to win many music awards, including the Grammy, this year.

  All of this was unbelievable. When arrangements were made to help her escape on 27 November 2002, during the bustle of the Hero’s Day celebrations, Sugandhi was under protection and safe. It was impossible for a Sinhalese military general to abduct her from there. Moreover, as she was working at the media centre, she didn’t need to travel. If Sugandhi had been killed, it had to be the Tigers who were responsible. This could be a clever ruse to hide it. Though I tried to call Manju, her phone was switched off. It was when I was about to leave for the airport that she returned my call.

  ‘Was that Sugandhi?’

  ‘No. It’s a singer called Arulmozhi Nangai. She is singing Sugandhi’s lyrics. Do you have friends in Canada?’

  ‘My uncle Vinod Menon works at the High Commission there.’

  ‘Good. Mail him immediately. Two Canadian singers, Arulmozhi Nangai and Yamuna Sridhar, have sung in SAD. It will be good if you contact them. Find out where they got Sugandhi’s lyrics from. They have written on the SAD website that Sugandhi is dead. I want to know where they got that information from.’

  ‘I’ll email my uncle today and let you know if I get any information.’

  ‘When are you leaving?’

  ‘Righ
t now. Bye.’

  ‘Have a nice trip to Jaffna.’

  I felt a twinge in my heart as I boarded the flight to Jaffna. I could not forget how I had escaped from there eight years ago. Even when I pretended to laugh at Christie’s and Mary’s jokes, my mind was besieged by the memories. Rajini Thiranagama, Thambimuthu, Sugandhi alias Devanayaki. The initial days of love, karthika flowers, betrayal, trial – exodus. Jesus! What an event-filled eight months.

  For the initial work on the movie based on Rajini Thiranagama, I had stayed in a house arranged by the Iyakkam near the Jaffna Medical College with my classmate from the Institute, Bhuvana Chandra Chatterji, and Thambimuthu from the ‘Voice of Tigers’. Bhuvana was the cameraman. He had assisted a famous director, Balu Mahendra, before he joined me. Though his parents were from Calcutta, he was born and brought up in Matunga in Mumbai. With his long hair and beard, the fair and handsome Bhuvana looked like an intellectual. He was taciturn, but his ability to visually conceive any idea gave a great boost to the script. He could understand the complexities of the emotional and political dimensions of the Iyakkam.

  Thambimuthu, who had been in the military section of the LTTE, joined the media wing after he lost his left leg below the knee. Though he was experienced in camera work, editing and sound recording, he did not know much about cinematic aesthetics. He was a dark, stocky man, nearly twice our age. He was grey and balding. The energetic way in which he moved despite his artificial limb surprised me. We had a maid, Amudam, who cooked and cleaned for us. She would come to work in the morning and then again in the afternoon.

  It was Thambimuthu whom I had first approached with the proposal about a movie on Rajini. I met him quite accidentally as I was coming out of the Alliance Française in Chennai, after watching a documentary he had directed that celebrated the Eezham after the ceasefire treaty. It seemed like a commercial movie with songs and dance – a paean to the Thalaivar. When we asked Thambimuthu why he had made such a documentary, he asked us, ‘Why not?’ That was how Thambimuthu, a videographer in the media section of the Tigers, conceived of a documentary. That night at the hotel, we spoke at length. I think that I was able to convince him about the endless possibilities of the cinematic medium. When I told him that I too was a student of the Film Institute like Balu Mahendra, he was quite impressed. We met a couple of times after that. It was he who put forward the proposal about a movie based on Rajini Thiranagama’s life. But the leader of the Tigers and Thambimuthu had political motivations. For them, the movie was an effort to answer the accusation that the Tigers had been responsible for Rajini’s death, and to establish that Rajini, who had been on their side to begin with, had never shifted loyalties. It was an attempt to whitewash their anti-human-rights activities.