Avvaiyar & Vanja Pugalchi Ani — A Tale from Tamil Sangam

Avvaiyar, the expert at “subtle sarcasm” poems

You may recall “vanja pugalchi ani” from school. There is no proper English translation to it, but it can be loosely translated as a style of Tamil poetry for “subtle sarcasm”. For a casual observer, this type of poetry could sound as flattery, but the hidden intent is criticism. Before we dive further into how Avvaiyar employed this, did you know that there were at least three Avvaiyars over the history of Tamil? Read on!

The Three Avvaiyars

1. Avvaiyar I — Legendary Avvaiyar, with who Murugan played pranks (“Sutta pazhama sudaadha pazhamaa”)
2. Avvaiyar II — Sangam poet (200 BC — 100 AD). Friend of Adhiyamaan (who gave her nellikkani)
3. Avvaiyar III — (12th century AD) who wrote Aathichoodi and Kondraivendhan.

Now, back to our topic, Avvaiyar II, the Sangam poet was one of the most amazing poets of ancient Tamil Sangam times — AND, she was an expert at subtle sarcasm!

Avvaiyar at Thondaimaan’s Fort

The ancient Tamil King Adhiyamaan who ruled Thagadur was one of the “Kadai ezhu vallalgal” or the last seven great philanthropists. Poet Avvaiyar was his friend and a close…