Narrating Absence: The Aesthetics of Separation in Neithal Thinai through Kurunthokai

Amongst the five major landscapes of Tamil Sangam Literature, Neithal Thinai convolutedly expresses the theme of separation in love, displaying the thematic set of emotions set against the backdrop of the seashore and related imageries. The seashore, with its vastness, ebb and flow of waves, and ceaseless horizon, becomes a metaphorical canvas for exploring longing, despair, and the distance between lovers. In Kurunthokai, a classical Tamil anthology, the Neithal Thinai engages natural imagery pertaining to coastal areas, their cultural symbols, and poetic devices to narrate absence. The recurring motifs of fishermen, sea-birds, boats, and the sea itself serve as symbolic reflections of emotional detachment and yearning. The poems in this Thinai capture the emotional turmoil of lovers parted by circumstances, often presenting the female voice as the site of suffering, while the male presence is signified through absence, distance, and delayed reunion. This duality not only highlights the personal anguish of love but also mirrors the cultural values of Sangam society, where love and separation were deeply intertwined with ecological surroundings. The element of thinai thus functions as both a physical landscape and a psychological space where nature resonates with human experience. This article narrates the aesthetics of separation as mentioned in Neithal Thinai, beautifully crafted through the interplay of landscape, metaphors and the human emotions along with the social and cultural experiences of the coastal community. By situating absence within the natural and cultural framework of Neithal, the study seeks to demonstrate how Sangam poets elevated the pain of separation into a timeless aesthetic discourse.