Surya, Indian cinema seems preoccupied with the moon!

Well, our poets, from as early as Sangam literature times, have been obsessed with Moon because of the soft glow, grace, cool & calmness that Moon affords. Poets always compared the moon to women and the Moon is considered Female. So the natural association of a woman & moon in literature!

Really?

Also,  the moon was the beloved friend of literary heroines to whom she could confide her deepest emotions; and often her emissary! Cinema lyricists, inheriting such literary legacy, endowed the Moon in film songs.

My name is Nila!

Your parents must be quite romantic!

*Surya is the name for Sun and Nila is the name for the moon in most South Indian languages.

*In terms of film output, India ranks first in the world, followed by Nollywood, Hollywood and China!

*Sangam period is the period in the history of ancient Tamil Nadu (known as the Tamilakam) spanning from c. 3rd century BC to c. 3rd century AD. It is named after the famous Sangam academies of poets and scholars centered in the city of Madurai. In Old Tamil language, the term Tamilakam referred to the whole of the ancient Tamil-speaking area, corresponding roughly to the area known as southern India today, consisting of the territories of the present-day Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, parts of Andhra Pradesh, parts of Karnataka and northern Sri Lanka also known as Eelam. According to Tamil legends, there were three Sangam periods, namely Head Sangam, Middle Sangam and Last Sangam period. Historians use the term Sangam period to refer the last of these, with the first two being legendary. So it is also called Last Sangam period or Third Sangam period. The Sangam literature is thought to have been produced in three Sangam academies of each period. The evidence on the early history of the Tamil kingdoms consists of the epigraphs of the region, the Sangam literature, and archaeological data. The period between 600 BC to AD 200, Tamilakam was ruled by the three Tamil dynasties of Pandya, Chola and Chera, and a few independent chieftains, the Velir. There is a wealth of sources detailing the history, socio-political environment and cultural practices of ancient Tamilakam, including volumes of literature and epigraphy. Tamilakan’s history is split into three periods; prehistoric, classical  and medieval. A vast array of literary, epigraphical and inscribed sources from around the world provide insight into the socio-political and cultural occurrences in the Tamil nation. The ancient Tamil literature consists of the great grammatical work Tolkappiyam, the ten anthologies Patthupattu, the eight anthologies Ettuttogai, the eighteen minor works Pathinenkeelkanaku and the five great epics, Silappadikaram, Manimegalai, Sivaga-Cindamani, Valayapathi and Kundalakesi.

*Friday Fictioneers is talented group of enthusiasts penning down a story, a poem, a prose, etc., expressing their heart about a photo prompt, every week. Thanks for this week’s beautiful photo prompt © Ted Strutz