This is a simple question based on one scene in the Legend of Ponnivala animated story. Again for this blog post, I have chosen something simple. Here too, my comments should be well-suited to classroom teaching for the early grades. My query has a simple answer. These men are asking the king if he has

This Legend of Ponnivala video clip is representative of the song refrains the bards used to lend extra emotional feeling to the story. You can hear the words of the original song (and tune) in the background. An English translation has been superimposed to aid a non-Tamil speaker in understanding what is being said. It

This is the first time in this long Legend of Ponnivala story where a question of social justice, a matter with extensive modern implications, appears. When Kolatta offers his wife’s labour, alongside his own, the king responds by raising the total payment he promises in return. He offers only 16 measures of grain a month

This Legend of Ponnivala video clip describes an age-old dilemma: what to do when an ecological catastrophe such as severe drought settles on the land? This is a common problem that has plagued people and civilizations around the world as far back as collective memories can reach. Of course archaeological research shows that this problem

This Legend of Ponnivala video clip is presented primarily to show and discuss a very unique traditional irrigation system used (as far as I know) only in the Kongu area of Tamilnadu, India. But first I want to say a few words about the perennial challenge of providing water to crops in this basically very

This Legend of Ponnivala video clip covers some details already discussed in my previous blog post, notably the farmers’ ready acceptance of the mandate their creatrix, Parvati, gave them. She orders that they make sure the land “prospers.” They agree to this request. We also learn from the lead farmer (in red pants) that he

This Legend of Ponnivala video clip shows the goddess Parvati in the act of creation. The question as stated is easily answered. She creates nine adult men and tells them they have been “placed” in an uncultivated area. Then she tells the nine: “I want you to establish strong farmer families that will expand and

The first two instalments of this blog about the Legend of Ponnivala story were long and somewhat scholarly essays. They were intended to provide a foundation for what lies ahead. They may not interest many readers. From now on I will focus on particular scenes in this story and also try to be briefer and

This second instalment of my new blog also features a pretty straight forward question. Who sings the Ponnivala story? But the topic is important for those who do not know the origins of this legend already. This is a traditional oral epic with no written version that is anything like as extensive as is the

I am about to start a new blog featuring themes and insights I have culled from working with The Legend of Ponnivala Video series. This set of short essays will cover everything about the story I find interesting, starting with its ecology and extending to issues of social justice, shifting technologies, economic rivalries, local politics,