Why Aikyagatha, the Song of Unity, by Ulloor is More Relevant Today
Renowned Malayalam poet Ulloor S Parameshwara Iyer (1877-1949) penned Aiykyagatha, a song of unity, way back in the 1930s when fissiparous tendencies were emerging in the society affecting the struggle for freedom from the imperial yoke. The poem, in simple Malayalam, is easy to understand even by small children at the level of Class 3. It was and hopefully continues to be part of the school syllabus. Right from the first line of the poem, in a lyrical question and answer form, the theme is revealed. ഇമ്മരത്തോപ്പിലെത്തൈമണിക്കാറ്റിന്റ്റെ മർമ്മര വാക്യത്തിന്നർത്ഥമെന്തോ? The poet asks about the meaning of the murmuring of the breeze among the tall trees in a grove and then gives the answer in the next couplet. എന്നയൽക്കാരനിൽനിന്നു ഞാൻ ഭിന്നനല്ലെന്നങ്ങു നിന്നിതു വന്നുരയ്പു. I am no different from my neighbour, the breeze that has already passed through the latter's grove reassures the poet. മാനത്തു വട്ടത്തിൽ പ്പാറുമിപ്പക്ഷിതൻ