Tamil Folk Music as Dalit Liberation Theology

2 Sharing the Meal

2 sHaRinG tHe Meal A Dalit Family’s Dialogue with the History of Tamil Christian Music, 1850–1994 Virundu parimār¯ ur¯ adu (meal sharing song) from Girāmiya Isai Var··ipād ˙ u (Village Music Liturgy) composed by J. t. appavoo translated by J. t. appavoo and Zoe sherinian lead spoken: Vāṅga ellām tayārā irukkudu Come, everything is ready! ChoRus Tiruvirundu vid .utalai tandid .um arumarundu Holy meal, the rare medicine that liberates 1. Mantiramāyamilla mariccavarai ne ˉ nacci it is not magic or illusion, not the feast given Tandid .um virundumala sāttira sad .aṅgumalla in remembrance of the dead, or the rituals of sastirams 2. Sondamuya ˉ rciyālē vandid .um mīt .pumalla This meal is not redemption that comes through our own efforts Tandiramāha deva arul .pe ˉ rum lañcamalla it is not a bribe given to attain the divine grace deceptively 3. A ˉ n ˉ nakki mēla ˉ raiyil āsānām iyēsu sāmi it is the best medicine, ground that day A ˉ naittunōy pōkkid .avē araiccu vacca nalmarundu in the upper room by the great native doctor, Jesus the divine one 4. Nittiya vār¨ vu tarum uttama kāyakalpam it is the medicine, kāyakalpam, that gives everlasting life Pattiyam pahai ma ˉ randu pahundu ti ˉ n ˉ num sō ˉ ru tā ˉ nē its diet requires forgetting enmity, sharing rice, and eating together Sharing the Meal 63 in the “Virundu parimā ˉ ru ˉ radu” (literally, “meal exchange”), or “Meal sharing song,” section of the Girāmiya Isai Var··ipād ˙ u, appavoo creates a contemplative atmosphere of tension and release for a total sensory experience of the eucharist . He emphasizes three themes: (1) the transformative concept of grace given freely; (2) the possibility of unity and thus liberation through oru olai (eucharistic lifestyle of communal eating and shared labor), with the condition that people give up their differences, such as caste; and (3) positive identity reassertion for dalits through associating Jesus with traditional village roles like the native doctor or āsān. The lyrics of the “Meal sharing song” delineate what this meal is and what it is not using metaphors of promise. The chorus—tiruvirundu vid .utalai tandid . um arumarundu (“holy meal, the rare medicine that liberates”)—defines the meal as bringing liberation, vid .utalai. appavoo’s specific emphasis here, which reflects a shared ideology with most dalit theologians, is liberation from the illusions of Brahmanical Hinduisms and the false promises of evangelical Christianity . These are two important themes that reflect the shifting trajectory of appavoo’s musical life, which i describe in a subject-centered ethnomusicological biography below focusing on how appavoo (re)creates himself and his music through dialogue with the dalit and Christian communities (Rice 2003, 157). to practice this meal regularly is to be in Christ. earlier in the “lord’s prayer” of appavoo’s liturgy, he says God’s name means “let there be liberation.” Jesus and God are liberators, and participation in the holy meal facilities liberation. Thus to be in Christ is to be in oru olai or deep communion with others through shared labor and food. The chorus of the “Meal sharing song” is set to a triple meter and its melodic range covers only a minor third in step-wise motion facilitating easy transmission (puRl 2.1). The eighth-note plus quarter-note figure that happens twice in the first and fifth measure with chant-like melodic movement of a minor second give the chorus a pondering rocking movement (see appendix 1, transcription 3, Fig. 1). The rhythmically contrasting phrase vid .utalai tandid .um (“liberation given”) then stands out, articulated by four driving eighth notes and three quarter notes in measures 3 and 4 (see appendix 1, transcription 3, Fig. 2). This two-part melodic phrase in the chorus contains the folk melodic pattern of tension and release (also used in laments). The first half of the phrase (mm. 1–2), which slides down to the minor seventh (d) from the tonic (e) seems to ask the question (see appendix 1, transcription 3, Fig. 3), “The holy meal (tiruvirundu), what is it?” While the second half (mm. 3–6) resolves on the tonic in measure 6 with the answer, “freedom giving medicine” (vid .utalai tandid .um arumarundu) (see appendix 1, transcription 3, Fig. 4). 64 tamil Folk Music as dalit liberation Theology The first two...