Raudri

The Goddess works in mysterious ways. Forgive me if the comparison invokes great distaste, but the speech on Andal that got heads roiling has brought about the same effect that Mr. H. Raja's speech had on Mersal the movie- Andal is trending now! So when everybody is busy picking sides or watching the clash between the fervent believers, and the intellectual agnostics, the hallowed dame walks in unnoticed to get herself acquainted with the group of newbies abuzz with one ringing question: who is Andal ? I will refrain from taking you all the way down my memory lane to how my cousin and I as young girls were ushered by our late grandmother into the 4'o clock Margazhi mornings, abuzz with the sound of the alluring Thiruppavai verses sung with raw devotion by those unassuming women in that small, brightly lit Krishnar Kovil in Uthamapalayam. But this was where I first encountered Andal. Andal to many Tamils like me is synonymous with her works of poetry. Some see the...