“Kettum Pattinam Ser” - Proverb

“Kettum Pattinam Ser” ​

“ கெட்டும் பட்டணம் சேர் “​

Dear All,
A good friend of mine sent the Tamil proverb “Kettum Pattinam Ser” for my interpretation.
This is the fifth in the series after :
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/s...92257-oppukku-chappani-oorukku-mankottai.html
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/s...-summa-kadantha-sangai-oodhi-keduththaan.html
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/s...kavizhndhalum-kannaththil-kai-vaikkadhey.html
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/s...ttiyil-irundhaal-agappayil-varum-proverb.html

Enjoy. .
As usual, please feel free to comment and suggest improvements on the interpretation as well.
Cheers,
Rrg

Cheers,
RRG

“Kettum Pattinam Ser” - Proverb 5
“ கெட்டும் பட்டணம் சேர் “​

This is another oft repeated Tamil proverb of yester years. This is normally taken as an advice for ‘rural folks to migrate to the city in search of a better life’. If that happens there would only be chaos both in the city as well as villages – the country as a whole. Will our wise ancestors give such a calamitous advice? Never .

The meaning of the proverb has not been fully understood by many.
Kettum - even if lost, turning bad, spoilt
Pattinam Ser – Reach the city.

As such it sounds as if the rural community needs to migrate to the cities for their betterment. Thus the word “Kettum” calls for deeper understanding.
‘Kettum’ could mean many things like physically lost (not much relevance here), spoilt, loss of character (that in a city, being a bigger place, people may not recognize you and link you up with your past; But for this, you could as well gone off to a distant village, where no one knows you ) etc. It could also mean bad times due to vagaries of nature etc.

But, I feel the kettum in this proverb is a shortened form of “Vidhi / Kalam kettum “ (or “ Vidhi / Kalam kettu irundhalum” to be more precise) - meaning ‘Even if your fate had turned bad’.
In a village opportunities for alternative employment are limited. If crop fails, the harvesters are out of employment – there by their earnings are affected. But not so in a city.

The proverb is not advising all rural folks, in general, to migrate to the city, but addresses only those who have no way of making a decent living there. It tells them, “ Don’t be disheartened by your present ‘kalam /bad time’. Don’t keep lamenting over it, doing nothing. While your present environment may not offer much scope for making a decent living out of your abilities, due to situations beyond your control, a bigger city could offer better opportunities, alternative employment, for the right minded to come up in life. Move over there and prosper”. As for me, this could be what the wise old men meant.

The story of the farm hand in “CIAV” could apply to this proverb as well.

Anbudan,
RRG

 

Dear CL,
Thanks for your comments.
Excepting we two, I think not many in this forum are keen on such proverbs.
Cheers,
RRG

 

Thanks CR.

HTML:

 So elders have defined everything very well, we are misinterupting it...... They have done Phd in life witout even going to schools...... 

You have said it right.
Cheers,
RRG