மழசசமகததல பஞசஙகள பறறய பதவகளம அவறறன தககமம / Records of Famines and Their Impact on Tamil Society

This article examines the impact of famine and drought on Tamil society from Sangam literature to modern times. Since the Sangam age (300 BCE–300 CE), Tamil literary and oral traditions have recorded climatic changes through the intellectual knowledge of traditional astronomical knowledge to predict droughts. The Paalai Thinai (arid landscape) is one of the five ecological zones in Sangam poetics that emerges as a symbolic representation of famine-related displacement from Kurinji (mountains) and Mullai (forests). It reflects the socio-environmental consequences of resource scarcity in ancient Tamil society. Tamil communities followed adaptive strategies with nature. It includes seasonal migration and water conservation to mitigate the effects of famine. The Sangam texts like “Purananooru” and “Agananooru document these sorts of crises and the interplay between the natural cycle and human survival. Nowadays, technological advancements in weather forecasting have reduced natural drought-related famines. But new challenges have emerged such as climate change, flawed economic policies and geopolitical conflicts that have created artificial famines and poverty. This study employs a comparative literary analysis and historical approach to define ancient and contemporary famine narratives. It highlights how Sangam-era ecological wisdom contrasts with today's anthropogenic crises. So, there is a need to create optimistic policies that integrate traditional knowledge with modern science to overcome the dangers. Hence, the article reveals the constant patterns of vulnerability and adaptation to sustainable crisis management by Tamil society.