Was every little princess treated like a doll?
Sure, some royal girls were, but certainly not all;
In the case of brave and clever Velu Nachiyar
Childhood was spent getting ready for war.
Her father taught her many a battle skill
Combat rules and using weapons to kill;
Training in Horse riding and archery
Also, martial arts – Silambam and Valari.
And since warriors also negotiate peace,
Velu was taught to talk with much ease
In languages like French, Urdu and English
And she spoke many tongues with a flourish.
Velu was kept busy by this packed schedule
An only child, she was being trained to rule;
When the talented girl was good and ready
A suitable king was found for her wedding.
Velu’s husband was respectable and kind
And a happier couple was hard to find;
But he was killed by the East India Company
Queen Velu was left alone and had to flee.
Her father’s training had not gone waste
She vowed to fight back and made haste,
To reach out for help from one Hyder Ali
the mighty ruler of Mysore principality.
Hyder agreed and so did many others –
Tipu Sultan, Pillai and Marudhu brothers;
After eight years of patient practice
Velu defeated the EIC’s army with ease.
But it took some unimaginable sacrifice
Before her kingdom’s flag could again rise;
Velu found the EIC’s ammunition depot
Commander Kuyili dealt it a body blow.
She knew that this was a suicide mission
But iron clad was the Velu army’s conviction;
Velu took charge of her dear kingdom and
In time passed it to her daughter’s hand.
People loved their Tamil warrior queen
Such valour and wisdom are seldom seen;
She set the bar, the standard so very high
She’s earned the epithet Veeramangai.
