Father (Prafulla Roy)

The story is a conglomerate/ fabrication of various evidences cemented and compounded  in such a way that it takes us back to the time/period/instance when Hindu- Muslim riots were the call of the day and no entity was left affected by the vengeance and torment afflicted in the society. The macro theme in this long short story emphasizes on appeasement/reconciliation between father and daughter and sister and brother  who after 30 years of warfare happen to meet  in the Calcutta that took manika or khuku couple of years  hunting/ delving for her family and in return Father shekharnath though  spotted someone coming towards the house /crossing the threshold but felt  an aura of nostalgia , dismal and melancholy encompassing/embodying him and bolted his door and did not bother to open it till she left the home  . He had throb inside that was killing him for the reason he flew away and daughter being abducted, At this juncture, when he is getting an opportunity to meet his daughter he felt guilty- remorse for he had to leave his family behind in that desperate condition to save the left ones skin from the riots/uprisings/insurrections/disturbances/unrests/rebellion/revolt going out in mirpur town of Bangladesh. Narrator of the story has considerately disguised characters of story in such a moving picture that the father who believes in humility is taken over/provoked by the brutal setback when his wife was murdered and daughter being seized by rabbles.

Story delves the path of leaving behind  the  prejudices  being paved and flagged by Hindu – Muslim riots and following the turbulent trajectory of the partition.

Essayist  has vivaciously disguised the story from existing period to the primeval  times  which revives the protagonist about his doleful / mournful/gloomy /despondent memories that have seized  away his beloved wife and daughter from him due to the rage of time and cold blooded people . Title is competent and suggestive to the story as it implores 2 sub themes under it:

1.      Guilt that has left father crestfallen and down casted due to  impulsive situation that made him shift his township in no time and daughter being left abducted by mobs  ,past 1947 riots.

2.      Grief , woe , despair and misfortune that encased/wrapped/shrouded/encircled  him and his only son left , due to family being tarnished by the belligerence marked by Hindu Muslim insurgents.

Mother has been featured as the one who was always apprehensive and worried about her daughter and she played this part so well because she has been guided by such orthodox , conservative and conformist  beliefs of Brahmin folk.

*Hemlata’s thoughts and ideas , her worries and concerns , were all enclose by a strong iron frame beyond which it was impossible for her to ever stray *

These lines portrays how her thoughts were left undaunted by her husband and with the climax of the story husband felt guilty and was submerged/plunged in the forlorn of not being able to save his daughter from the hands  of throng.

The best moment can be priced as the one when Shekharnath was stimulated and provoked/triggered by the dictum of his son,*it’s terribly wrong , Father , that Didi will never come back home to us*

This led air of camaraderie recuperate/reincarnated inside his heart and in no time he leaves for airport amidst the cold blanket of fog encircling the town with his grandson. He embraced her daughter with the cuddle of pride, sorrow and joy and tendered her with the trinkets her mother has left  for daughter.

So, beginning on a peaceful and sanguine note story culminates in dynamic manner leaving behind no antipathies and resentment in heart of none of the characters pictured in the story.

THE WRITING ON THE WALL (BINOO K JOHN)

Author has been journalism for 18 years and this can be starkly seen in the essay how well he weaves the words to mark the stigma on Indian English. Hazarfundas of Indian English is nonfiction by him and the abstract /essay has been weaved from the book.

The author of this essay has immaculately throne light/poignantly ridiculed on how the use of English in Indianite way has influenced / persuaded/manipulated our mother tongue and native English. How we Indians have blissfully flouted all the rules and improvidently scampered the sovereign English. How higher echelons of government officials  has muffled the language and has boisterously ruled it on Indian papers ranging from court papers to day to day hand-outs .Author has ridiculed and rebuked the use of English in alternative forms of Hinglish, tamglish, malglish which has left the language with no logic and coerciveness.

He describes the pitiful sin of conglomeration of literal and metaphorical or idiomatic usage of English by nation’s patrons. Author has also cited various examples throughout the essay that describe the indolent/ apathetic use of this language. Getting along with splendid English seems no more a cup of tea for Indian generations. Author awfully describes the deplorable usage of English and marks pity for the concierges/STICKLERS of English language. English has been constantly twisted and curled to suit Indian needs and pander to the Indian tastes.

As far as pronunciation is considered it seems to be a pandemic problem. If you happen to read an Indian newspaper it would make you laugh out of laughter this is how we have made a blend of English and Hindi to comfort ourselves with its intensified usage of English language. How  would this line sound to a white men who happens to take a glance at morning headline *FM mange MORE*.With the influence of English in computer programming, paradoxically, Indian virus of English have made an attempt to worm their way into the heart of Queen’s language .

Even Bollywood has not left an attempt to stereotype the queen’s language into fairly/COMMONLY used pedestrian English. Author  has vividly shown the spoof of Indian English by mentioning example from Bollywood genres that says MYSELF HINDI TEACHER, MEET ME IN BACKSIDE WHEN MY PERIOD IS EMPTY. When talking about grammatical rules, Indians like other users around the world, have hiccups with punctuation marks, more so the apostrophe.

The chapter finally delves and states that how English has become the voice of the day and how it has geographically knocked out/EXTENSIVE ranging from an in nard village of Tamil nadu to the mega malls of glitzy metropolises. Lastly, off and on, efforts are made and clarion calls issued by educationalists to take to correct English. But as globalization manifests and outsourced jobs become the vogue, India is confident it is very much in picture, despite its adoption of Indian- English.

Letter to a Dear Friend (L Kharma Wphlang)

Letter to dear friend is a heart touching poem where poet nostalgically portrays the doleful recklessness done to the native land by the people ‘off ‘/‘of’ the land .The poet has used irony and vivid imagery throughout to describe the nature‘s blemishes and the innocent people’s tribute/gratitude to/for the native land.  The poet inevitably touches upon postcolonial/neo-colonial issues towards its conclusion and portrays a society devoid of sensitivity and humanity.

Dear friend, your letter lies on

My table, and now this reply, this

Calling to mind, your softness for

This land

The poet is replying to the last letter written by his friend who asked about his people, his land.

Here, I am well, I am older,

Sadder, perhaps, at the seasons longing

Us another day. Our limbs and

Songs are getting weary all the time

In response, The poet tells he is getting older with shades of days and night and passing of springs and autumns, in the succeeding lines the poet has used personification to mark the idea that with passage of time our songs, our ancientness, our culture are getting as drowsy and old as the limbs of an old man which are in lurch of rest every time. For this he thanks to the westernisation followed by ‘our’ people.

But I am grateful for strong mercies

A stark sarcasm for the following lines

You ask about our hills- well,

They are still there, - the stones

And rivers too—they are being

Pimped for tourists and lately,

In many places disembowelled

Mercilessly. Their clothes are carried

Away to the lowlands and

Their names are sometimes being

Changed.

In this section the poet talks about the nature and the surroundings, how they hereby mountains, hills, have been eviscerated and how mankind have intermitted with the natural courses of rivers just to welcome overseas people and keep them happy. Foreign people are not behind in the race of devastation they are the one who have mercilessly removed the clothes of nature and welcomed the aura exhaustive industrialisation.

Tell me good friend, is it

Possible to change the nature

Of a mountain spirit

Or the course of a river?

The Poet has a doubt and the mystified meaning says it is possible to alter with the outer appearance but the essence and the bliss that we get from the place is hard to change.

About my people, nothing much has

Changed. Fools parading as leaders

Distribute words to the hungry and

The rich have started importing

Dreams from the west

The poet tries to stigmatise the post and pre-colonial ruling of so called white collared officials and bureaucrats who in name of democracy are ruling since independence but their methods of ruling has been same even after 65 years of independence. They have been tagged as’ imprudent’/ ‘profligate’ who just have job of money minting and are playing a chase game. The rich and the elite class are aping westernisation and are trying to bring revolution and reincarnate the whole land

They are peculiar breed, the leaders

They have an eel for tongue

A mint for brain

Peculiar means a clumsy / weird people. ‘eel for tongue’ poet tries to bring the tool of anthropomorphism whereby animating men’s tongue with eel which is a fish with elongated tongue  who feeds on preys called predators similarly these leaders they are good in manipulating things by window dressing and alluring people to get into their rattrap with the power of word. Mint of brain signifies as mint is strong in nature so are the clever brains of such ‘peculiar’ cluster.

Since you asked, I mention these

Things. When you write next,

I may have interesting things to

Report – may be about advent

Of acid rain or even the disappearance of

Some villages for mining a rare mineral.

Please keep in touch, you shall hear

From me, this record of bitter things.

Closing the chapter of doleful verses the poet puts sarcasm and casts the reality that future is going to be a much sadder tale with the invention of life killing activities and invasion of human brains to incept new inventions.

ENTERPRISE (NISSIM EZEKIEL)

Introduction to poem and poet:

Nissim Ezekiel is a very thought provoking and coercive poet whose poem *Enterprise* is written in form of allegory ’extended metaphor’ that is suggestive of *THE JOURNEY AS A METAPHOR FOR LIFE.* With his convivial inception of the poem, the poet implores the mortals –the idea of team spirit, need of keeping alive the high energy levels at any point during any project and the role of the individual in a team project. With the high energy I remember a maxim that says something similar to this –

Life is not a 100 metre race it is a marathon that need to be swiftly and constantly trekked.

IT STARTED AS A PILGRIMAGE,

EXALTING MINDS AND MAKING ALL

THE BURDENS LIGHT.THE SECOND STAGE

EXPLORED BUT DID NOT TEST THE CALL

THE SUN BEAT DOWN TO MATCH OUR RAGE

So, in this piece of the poem, the poet talks about how the journey in quest of knowledge, wisdom, intellect and erudition started and everyone is obscured about the stride they were following. They were moving /progressing ahead in this journey of life in order to find solace and tranquillity. Unaware about their trajectory still they had reason to travel – travel in all 4 seasons of earth.

WE STOOD IT VERY WELL, I THOUGHT,

OBSERVED AND PUT DOWN COPIOUS NOTES

ON THINGS THE PEASENTS BOUGHT AND SOLD,

THE WAY OF SERPENTS AND GOATS

THREE CITIES WERE A SAGE HAD TAUGHT

The Poet explores the idea that process of self- exploration happens in the perpetual journey of life. WE  represents the throng/herd/ flock of people  drifting/ travelling as a team, as they trespassed  the threshold they penned /scripted various manifestations and incidences that glazed them in  the journey of life. SERPENTS  Vis snakes  symbolizes the evil and sinister that will be one colour of life whereas GOATS that emphasizes the peace and tranquillity will be another vibrant colour of life so how both these colours need to be concocted  in order to experience bliss of life is the lesson being learned at this juncture. By now, they have travelled/voyaged 3 cities and have started cognizing the lessons one after other.

BUT WHEN THE DIFFERENCES AROSE

ON HOW TO CROSS A DESERT PATCH,

WE LOST A FRIEND WHOSE STYLISH PROSE

WAS QUIET THE BEST OF OUR BATCH.

A SHADOW FALL ON US AND GROWS.

So, here comes whirling point –point at which they*group* started getting detached and how the differences started unveiling. As in the trespassing of desert their occurred some feud that made a friend separated from the GROUP – this friend was the one who was the most prodigious and astute of all of us and represented the strength of the group. Losing out this one marked the symbol of bad omen following us and that would halt our journey into next colourful event of life.

ANOTHER PHASE WAS REACHED WHEN WE

WERE TWICE ATTACKED, AND LOST OUR WAY.

A SECTION CLAIMED ITS LIBERTY

TO LEAVE THE GROUP, I TRIED TO PRAY.

OUR LEADER SAID HE SMEALT THE SEA

So, now the line marks that life is a never ending journey as you cross one hurdle there is something next awaiting/looming for you. In this continual process the poet dolefully marks about battle of labyrinth and another section of people who were prophesying to leave the GROUP before another unarticulated hurdle in form of turbulence envelops them, at this juncture/seam leader / protagonist gives them a sign of relief by demystifying the group about the aura of sea he could smell and the beautiful and vivid colour that was awaiting to welcome us.

WE NOTICED NOTHING AS WE WENT

A STRAGGLING CLOUD OF LITTLE HOPE,

IGNORING WHAT THE THUNDER MEANT,

DEPRIVED OF COMMON NEEDS LIKE SOAP

SOME WERE BROKEN, SOME MERELY BENT

As they are roving they couldn’t see a single ray of hope – a light that would add colour of joy and tranquillity within these mortals who are in lurch of calmness and serenity. The only symbol was the straying cloud but that too intermittent by the sun. At this phase they are divested/deprived of elementary /indispensible necessities of life (soap‘s unavailability speaks of the pain and agony they are experiencing). They were lost in the forlorn with their heart broken and no hope left to embolden them to keep pace with the life.

WHEN FINALLY, WE REACHED THE PLACE,

WE HARDLY KNEW WHY WE WERE THERE.

THE TRIP HAD DARKENED EVERY FACE.

OUR DEEDS WERE NEITHER GREAT NOR RARE

HOME IS WHERE WE HAVE TO GATHER GRACE.

By the concluding paragraph, the lines leave an indelible imprint on the mind of the readers and leave them thought provoking. Throughout the voyage of life do many deeds, we make so many mistakes, face trails and travails, faces windfall and misery but the only lesson we need to learn is never put a full stop to this journey because: HOME IS WHERE WE HAVE TO GATHER GRACE-

Implies these different phases are different colours, different experiences of life and in order to knit a serene life we have to conquer / surmount every phase with dynamism and vitality. Conquer yourself first and then explore the world.

STOLEN FROM SOMEONE ON FB :P

Father -(Prafulla Roy)

Father (Prafulla Roy)

The story is a conglomerate/ fabrication of various evidences cemented and compounded  in such a way that it takes us back to the time/period/instance when Hindu- Muslim riots were the call of the day and no entity was left affected by the vengeance and torment afflicted in the society. The macro theme in this long short story emphasizes on appeasement/reconciliation between father and daughter and sister and brother  who after 30 years of warfare happen to meet  in the Calcutta that took manika or khuku couple of years  hunting/ delving for her family and in return Father shekharnath though  spotted someone coming towards the house /crossing the threshold but felt  an aura of nostalgia , dismal and melancholy encompassing/embodying him and bolted his door and did not bother to open it till she left the home  . He had throb inside that was killing him for the reason he flew away and daughter being abducted, At this juncture, when he is getting an opportunity to meet his daughter he felt guilty- remorse for he had to leave his family behind in that desperate condition to save the left ones skin from the riots/uprisings/insurrections/disturbances/unrests/rebellion/revolt going out in mirpur town of Bangladesh. Narrator of the story has considerately disguised characters of story in such a moving picture that the father who believes in humility is taken over/provoked by the brutal setback when his wife was murdered and daughter being seized by rabbles.

Story delves the path of leaving behind  the  prejudices  being paved and flagged by Hindu – Muslim riots and following the turbulent trajectory of the partition.

Essayist  has vivaciously disguised the story from existing period to the primeval  times  which revives the protagonist about his doleful / mournful/gloomy /despondent memories that have seized  away his beloved wife and daughter from him due to the rage of time and cold blooded people . Title is competent and suggestive to the story as it implores 2 sub themes under it:

1.      Guilt that has left father crestfallen and down casted due to  impulsive situation that made him shift his township in no time and daughter being left abducted by mobs  ,past 1947 riots.

2.      Grief , woe , despair and misfortune that encased/wrapped/shrouded/encircled  him and his only son left , due to family being tarnished by the belligerence marked by Hindu Muslim insurgents.

Mother has been featured as the one who was always apprehensive and worried about her daughter and she played this part so well because she has been guided by such orthodox , conservative and conformist  beliefs of Brahmin folk.

*Hemlata’s thoughts and ideas , her worries and concerns , were all enclose by a strong iron frame beyond which it was impossible for her to ever stray *

These lines portrays how her thoughts were left undaunted by her husband and with the climax of the story husband felt guilty and was submerged/plunged in the forlorn of not being able to save his daughter from the hands  of throng.

The best moment can be priced as the one when Shekharnath was stimulated and provoked/triggered by the dictum of his son,*it’s terribly wrong , Father , that Didi will never come back home to us*

This led air of camaraderie recuperate/reincarnated inside his heart and in no time he leaves for airport amidst the cold blanket of fog encircling the town with his grandson. He embraced her daughter with the cuddle of pride, sorrow and joy and tendered her with the trinkets her mother has left  for daughter.

So, beginning on a peaceful and sanguine note story culminates in dynamic manner leaving behind no antipathies and resentment in heart of none of the characters pictured in the story.

Train To Pakistan- Khushwant Singh

The novel 'Train To Pakistan' sheds light on the atrocities of the partition of India and the trials and tribulation faced by both the Hindus and the Muslims during the dissection of India which was brought about by the British.

Partition that has left many scars in the hearts of several Indians and those tragic  days which still haunt the new India, the memories of that tragic period still makes people shiver,  are brought alive through a great novel by Khushwant Singh. This story is set across during the time when India was butchered into two nations of India and Pakistan. This book was first published in 1956 when the horrendous memories of the holocaust were still afresh in everybody’s minds. The present edition released on the occasion of its 50th anniversary includes the heart-rending photographs contributed by Margaret Bourke-White (who is?). The Images provided by her go very well go with the inner sense of the story and show the intensity of the Partition and the exodus of over a million immigrants, the largest in human history. It is well known that the Partition was carried out upon instigation of the British and based on communal lines. While  the politics behind this tragic incident is what is most talked about,  , this piece of fiction by the author has attempted to bring forth the sufferings faced by commoners.

The story primarily revolves around a fictional village located along the borders, named by author as Mano Majra. The story begins with a vivid description of how the village was like. It is followed by a dramatic incident that took place there one night. Ram Lal, the village money lender is killed by a neighbouring village’s dacoit, Malli. Now the story shifts to its main characters Juggut Singh, Iqbal and Hukum Chand. Juggut Singh is arrested as murder suspect by the police. He is portrayed as local badmaash of the village who loves only daughter of half blind mulla of the village named as Nooran. On the other side, Iqbal, a social reformer, is a visiting commie in disguise who wants to mobilize support for the socialist party of India. Then we come across the character of Hukum Chand who is the village magistrate.

The descriptions of various characters in the story are presented in great detail that may allow the reader to form picture of what all happened. The village is portrayed to be a peaceful and harmonius place until the seeds of hatred and suspicion were sown . The story can be viewed from different angles. If it was a love story between a Sikh boy and Muslim girl, it was also a story that depicted the brutalities suffered by the people generated as a result of partition. Not just this, it also tried to show how people viewed famous personalities like Mahatma Gandhi in some way or the other. The bravery of Juggat Singh is brought about in the story, when he attempted to save several innocent lives and his lady-love, Nooran too. The crisis began when the horrifying train with corpses entered the village. Moreover the brutally mutilated bodies evoked the furies and drove the Hindus of Mano Majro to shoo away the Muslims who were till then their good friends and kin-like. Various situations that lead to one incident from another and the author weaves a heart-wrenching story in the backdrop of Partition.

The story by Khushwant Singh even being a work of fiction is very close to reality in terms of the scenes that are created. The story has a tone that is quite depressing and touches the core of the heart. This book is a must read for all those who want to get a glimpse of what had happened as consequence of one of the most saddened episodes of not just of  the history of the subcontinent but also in human history.

Content Provided by :  RAPIER

Comparison (The Patriot VS The Mistress)

In the poem ‘The Mistress’, by keki n Daruwalla, the poet personifies the language ‘Indian English ‘ and calls her as his mistress. The poet is well versed in British English and hence finds Indian English as his mistress.

The poem’ the patriot, written by Nissin Ezekiel, is a good example of a poem written in colloquial language and depicts the characteristics of Indian language which are attributed by keki in his poem. . While Ezekiel has Indianized the English language, Daruwalla expertly anglicises Indianness and brings it out in the form of his mistress.



Keki calls Indian language ‘half caste’. This is because she doesn’t have a specific origin. “She” is rather a culmination of Indianness and English. Few lines depicting the Indianness from the poem ‘the patriot’ are as follows

“how one goonda fellow

threw stone at Indirabehn”

“you want one glass lassi?”

“ one day Ram Rajya is surely coming”

In the above lines, the words ‘goonda’, ‘lassi’ and ‘Ram Rajya’ gives a flavor of Indianness. Keki refers the usage of such words as the ‘one night contributions’ of babus and professors of English.



Nissim Ezekiel in his poem “The Patriot” talks about patriotism, but he portrays the poem in a way such that it reaches the common Indian. So he uses “Indian English”. This can be understood from the few lines below :-

“Why world is fighting fighting”

“I am simply not understanding.”

“Other day I'm reading newspaper”

While speaking Indian English, there is a tendency to use bombastic words unnecessarily. Ezekiel has shown the same when he says,

Everything is coming -
Regeneration, Remuneration, Contraception.

Daruwalla’s poem stresses more on the Indianness that comes out profoundly rather than the word usage. There is a tendency of mixing English and relating it to the most common things in India and her culture. Daruwalla says

Despite this she is vain,

Flashes her bangles and her tinsel;

Wears heels even though he feet

Are smeared up to the ankle with henna

Henna is something very close to India and her culture. When people speak “Indian English”, they cannot refrain from using Indian words and phrases for the most trivial things, however unnecessary it may be.

The Mistress presents the poet`s sense of wit at the distorted and improper use of English words by the Indians. Where as The Patriot shows how language can be mended and modified to suit different purposes.

Comment on the professional approach Subroto Bagchi takes in his essay "Social Responsibility."

Bagchi says that his state of the art camera makes him feel professional. Then he considers other so-called experts who might be considered professionals (by themselves or by others) simply because they have the technological abilities that real professionals have. This leads Bagchi to contemplate on what professionals (of all areas) will be like in the future. His camera, Lens, categorizes Howard Gardner's necessary attributes of a future professional. These five categories (minds) are discipline, synthesis, creativity, respect, and ethics.

Owning state of the art technology is not enough. Lens says that 10 years of practice are required to master an art and this will take discipline.

The future professional will have to be able to synthesize information from many disciplines. For example, a photographer is not a professional unless he/she knows things about the ecology and/or culture of the landscape or scene being photographed.

The professional will have to be creative and innovative since the world is moving so quickly and technological devices have short shelf lives.

The professional will respect the knowledge of professionals from other disciplines. So, collaboration will be very useful in the future, as it has always been. This ties in with the synthetic mind. Since the world is more connected, integration and interdisciplinarity are parallels to interpersonal and international collaboration.

In the future, all problems will require interdisciplinary solutions. Whether it is about negotiating a nuclear treaty or removing a cancerous cell from the pancreas, if anything qualifies to be called a problem, then chances are high, the solution would have to be interdisciplinary.

Finally, the benchmark is to be globally acceptable. This requires a combination of all five minds. The last virtue is to be ethical. The professional must have a humanistic and practical approach to his/her work. In collaborating with others from different disciplines and different countries, the professional's product or work must appeal to all parties in its usefulness to to world; not just at a local level. Therefore, a professional must be innovative but to appeal on a global scale, ethical and "social responsibility" will be required.

What are the five minds of the future that Subroto Bagchi talks about in his article on Social Responsibility?

The article begins with Bagchi's speculation on what it takes to be a professional. He is an experienced but amateur photographer and wonders if, in the future, people will considers themselves professionals of some discipline simply because they have the same equipment and software most career professionals have. The rest of the article illustrates that it will take much more than that to be a professional, currently or in the future.

The first mind of the future is the mind of discipline. Bagchi notes the many empirical studies which suggest that at least 10 years of practice are required to become a professional.

The second mind is that of synthesis. The future will require a professional to be able to correlate and compare ideas from many different disciplines: not just the ideas from your professional discipline (i.e. photography). Bagchi uses the visual metaphor of depth to describe the awareness of things beyond the immediate focus. Bagchi (well, Lens, the personified camera in the essay) also uses the ecology and economy of spaces he might choose to photograph to show how the professional must know something about the environment in which his/her profession is practiced.

The third mind is creativity. Lens (Bagchi) says that "tried and tested" applications are, by definition, "past." Therefore, the future professional will have to be creative, an innovator.

The fourth mind is the respectful mind. Lens claims that any significant problem in the future will require collaboration. Therefore, each professional must respect and learn from professionals in other disciplines in order to work together and solve a problem.

The fifth mind of the future is the ethical mind, which is the "capacity to certify the completion of one's own work." That is to say, the professional will be able to declare his/her work is true: empirically true, practically true, and/or of some universal truth.

Lens concludes that the future professional will also have to be globally relevant since the world is becoming more connected. This goes hand in hand with the respectful mind and the mind of synthesis which require the professional to be aware of the depth and integration of his/her profession with other professions, and the respect required to be open to interdisciplinary (and international) collaboration.

If you want to thank the person who shared the link with me you may send chocolates to Room no 417 B in Jhonas hall  in Christ University.

Father -Prafulla Roy

"Father" written by Prafulla Roy is considered to be a Partitionstory. The story stems from 1947 when the British Colonial government left south Asia.  From that event, Pakistan was created  taking lands from  eastern and western India.  The diversity of the people involved led to rioting, killing, sexual abuse, and abduction of women and children. 

The primary setting is Calcutta.  The story's narration is third person looking at the story through the main character's eyes.  

Suffering from arthritis, the protagonist Shekharnath has lived eighty years.  His family now consists of his only living son Sandip and his wife and two children.  Sandip's wife, Shobhana, takes tender care of her  father-in-law.

Looking back in the past has become easier than it once was. A flashback takes the old man back to the time when his wife Hemlata wanted to leave their home in Mirpur because she was afraid for her children, particularly their 5 year old daughter Khuku. Riots and murder were occurring everywhere with disagreements between Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. Shekharnath disregarded his wife's fears.  

In 1963, during a riot, Hemlata was burned to death in their house and their daughter Khuku was kidnapped.  Khuku was never seen again. This event brings the conflict to the story of the man fighitng within himself against his guilt.

Many years later, a woman comes to the house. Shekharnath recognizes the woman's voice.  It is his long-lost daughter. The old man had hoped she was dead. The tradition of purity and chastity kept the daughter's memory at bay. She was better off dead. The old man refuses to see his daughter, now called Didi.

There are several themes that run throughout the story.  The honor of the family finds importance to the old man. Didi's husband is Muslim.  Her husband saved her life and has provided a home and family with her. Still, Shekharnath remembers the old dissension between their people.

Even though she was a child and had nothing to do with her predicament, if she had been raped or molested it would bring shame to the family.  That is why the old man had wished his daughter to be dead.  Through her death, she would stay forever pure, and the family would not be dishonored. 

The importance of family surrounds the entire story. The son and his family enjoy each other. They work together to take care of the grandfather because he is their ancestor.  Before his wife was tragically killed, Shekharnath's family was happy. When the old man realizes what he will miss if he allows his daughter to leave, he goes to her and proudly welcomes her and her husband into his arms. 

Another theme is the old man's guilt.  He could have taken his family away when his wife wanted him to go.  He ignored her; and she died and his daughter was taken.  Part of his difficulty in seeing his daughter is not the honor, but the shame that he feels for all the years that were taken from her because of his arrogance. The daughter has searched him out; she wants the relationship.  Through this acknowledgement, the old man is set free to enjoy his new found family.

Shekharnath took from the bag a gold necklace and a diamond ring. Giving his daughter the necklace, he said, 'I've not given you anything.  Your mother had these made for your wedding.'

The story comes full circle with the promise of  reuniting the family in the future.  Sandip will be proud that his father was able to put aside the old ways and greet his daughter.

If you want to thank the person who shared the link with me you may send chocolates to Room no 417 B in Jhonas hall  in Christ University

Summary of Nissim Ezekiel’S “Enterprise”

‘Enterprise’ is an allegory of human condition on this planet and of the frequent efforts, failure and frustrations to which man is subject by the very nature of earthly life. The poet describes a spiritual pilgrimage where each pilgrim faces difficulties and disillusionment along the way. Thus, in the ‘Enterprise’ a group of people undertake a journey moved by noble aspirations, but it all ends in failures and frustrations as is usually the case with human attempts at some noble achievement. The pilgrimage becomes a weary trek, by the time the goal is reached. The goal is alluring but the process of reaching it empties the victory of its glamour and glory. A number of people, including the poet decide to go on a pilgrimage. They are city dwellers and the journey they undertake is to some romantic, primitive hinterland. They start with hope, courage and determination, with their minds full of noble ideas and ideals. They are out to make some heroic effort, which will lead to some noble achievements. Their minds are exalted and they are not afraid of any dangers and difficulties. This stage of the journey symbolizes the stage of innocence that man enjoys in his boyhood and early youth, when he is entirely unconscious of the frustrations and failures which life brings at every stage.
        
  But this innocence is lost and in the next stage of the journey the pilgrims face dangers and difficulties. They continue on their onward journey of exploration. The objects and forces of nature are out to frustrate human endeavor like the oppressive heat of the sun. The group of travelers is able to put up very well with the dangers and difficulties for sometime and continue to journey in hope. They note down the goods being bought and sold by the peasants and observe the ways of serpents and goats. They pass through three cities where a sage had taught, but does not care to find out what he had taught. But soon there are distractions and diversions. The difficulties and dangers posed by man’s physical environment are not as damaging as those that result from his own insufficiency.
          
Soon there are differences of opinion among the travelers and they began to quarrel over petty matters. They had to cross a piece of wasteland a ‘desert patch’, and they could not agree as to the best way of doing so. One of their friends-rather proud of him stylish prose-was so angry that he left their company. The shadow of discord fell on their enterprise, and it has continued to grow. Bickering over petty matters, needless quarrels over trifles, hatred of, and hostility to, those who hold different opinions, is ingrained in human nature, and thus man carries the seeds of his failure and frustration within his own self. So do these pilgrims who, despite their quarrel, continue their onward journey.

          But none the less, they are divided into groups, each group attacking the other. Engrossed in their quarrel, they lose their ways and forget noble aspirations which had motivated their enterprise. Their goal and their purpose were forgotten and their idealism is all gone. Some of them decide to leave the group. Frustration and difficulties overwhelm the human spirit and many do not have the courage to face the realities of life. They seek relief in escape and withdrawal. Many of us are such introverts. Some try to pray and seek Divine assistance and blessings, forgetting that God help those who help themselves. Their leader feels that he smelt the sea and he feels that they have reached a dead end, and must go back. Their pilgrimage must end.
          
Still they persist, though their journey has lost all its’ significance. They are dirty and shabby for they have been deprived of such common needs as soap, are broken in spirit and bent down physically. Such is the ultimate end of all human enterprises; this is the essential truth of human life. Absorbed in their pretty quarrels and tried and exhausted, frustrated and at bay, the travelers do not even hear the thunder and even if they do so, they ignore their significance. The thunder is symbolic of spiritual regeneration and fertility but they do not care for it. The extreme hopelessness of man at the end of life’s journey is thus stressed.
          
The pilgrims even come to doubt the very worth and significance of the journey. It seems to them to have been meaningless and futile. All their noble aspirations are forgotten, there is sorrow and suffering on every face, and they are conscious of the fact that their actions have neither been great nor even. Efforts to escape from the realities of human existence are futile. We must accept the limitations of our lot and do our best within those limitations. Heroism means the acceptance of our lot in life and the doing of our best in the service of God and humanity. Therefore the poem concludes on a note of exultation and optimism when the pilgrims realize that it is not by undertaking long hazardous journeys but by doing the right deeds that everyone can receive God’s grace.

If you want to thank the person who shared the link with me you may send chocolates to room no 417 B in Jhonas hall  in Christ University

OF KITCHENS AND GODDESSES - Shashi Deshpande

This essay basically talks about the space what a woman has in kitchen. It throws light on the importance she has relating to cooking and the status of being called as ‘ANNAPURNA’, the goddesses of food and fertility. Shashi Deshpande expresses how her point of view of a kitchen shifts as she grows up n gets married. The kitchen no longer seems a safe and secure world for her as it did when she was a little girl. She uses instances from her life to explain how rigidly confined the space in the kitchen becomes. After getting married, she is given a statue of Annapurna which meant that she had to prove herself of excelling at cooking, taking care of the house and following all the rules. It shows how a woman is tested at every step, as if every day was an exam for her.
A kitchen not just signifies cooking and serving, but also the oppression, the suppression, the testing, the hard work the suffering, the tedious labour and the pain which a woman undergoes monotonously. It is as if her entire world revolves only around the kitchen. The women submit their life completely to their house. Even when they are fasting, they aren’t exempted from cooking for the rest of the house. They work tirelessly just to give their best and all they want is just little appreciation and respect for themselves and their work. But this just remains as a dream as most of the times their work is not recognized. There is a common thing among women, that is, self-denial. There is a notion in their head that if they prove themselves in the kitchen and in managing the house, they are fit to be called Annapurna. But they don’t realize the fact that it is the external forces and ages old superstitions and beliefs which is making them do so.It is basically the traditional and emotional trap which they are trapped into. It isn’t what a woman sees herself as but it is what the world sees her as

And of Clay Are We Created - Isabel Allende

Isabel Allende’s “And of Clay Are We Created” is the story of a reporter who is sent to
report on a disastrous mudslide. Carlé, a reporter known for his combat and catastrophes,
abandons his assignment to stay with Azucena, a 13 year­old girl stuck in mud and unable to
escape. Carlé and the rescuers attempt to pull Azucena out of the mud but she stuck, held down
by rubble and her siblings. Carle tries to get a pump to help remove her but to no avail as
reporters pour in asking her questions, taking pictures, and sending out video for the world to
see. Carlé begins to bond with Azucena as each share their personal life. As time goes on Carlé’s
repressed past begins to come back to him of his abusive father and his dark childhood. The
President of the Republic visits the area in his “tailored safari jacket” (62) and makes empty
promises of getting a pump for Azucena. Carlé’s lover is finally able to get a pump on its way to
Azucena but it is already too late as she is dead.  Back with his lover, Carlé is “not the same
man.” (63) And has been deeply affected by his time with Azucena. The Central idea of the story
is that we cannot move on as a person if our internal demons are not dealt with first.
 The central character of the story is Rolf Carlé. Although the story is not told from his
perspective, the story is about Carlé’s personal transformation as he spends his time with
Azucena. For this reason Carlé is a dynamic character who goes from what the narrator describes
as someone who “seemed as if nothing could shake his fortitude” (58) and as having “awesome
tenacity” (58). This all changes when he encounters Azucena. Carlé “threw down his knapsack
and the rest of his equipment” (58) removing the barrier that held Carlé at “this fictive distance
seemed to protect from his own emotions” (58). Carlé’s bonding with the girl begins to bring up
his abusive past and eventually he is able to at least acknowledge and accept his past, “’I’m not
crying for you,’ Rolf Carlé smiled. ‘I’m crying for myself. I hurt all over’” (62).  After Azucena’s
death and Carlé’s return to his lover, the narrator says, “You are back with me, but you are not
the same man” (63) showing us that Carlé has really changed from the experience.
 The most important supporting character is Azucena. Azucena is instrumental in the
change of Carlé as she is the one who bonds and connects with Carlé. “He was Azucena; he was
buried in the clayey mud; his terror was not the distant emotion of an almost forgotten
childhood, it was a claw sunk in his throat.” (62) Shows how important to Carlé’s character she
is. Regardless of how much she helps Carlé change, Azucena is a static character.  Azucena is able
to survive for three days in which she “taught Ralf to pray,” (61), talks to reporters, and even
consoles Carlé:  “’don’t cry. I don’t hurt anymore. I’m fine,”(62) all while facing her inevitable
death. Her situation is what pushes Carlé to think of his past and the pain he hid away for so
long.
 The main conflict of the story is Man versus Self as Carlé fights his past. Carlé “never
suspecting that he would find a fragment of his past, lost thirty years before.” (57) Deals with his
history that he has kept locked up.  Carlé has, for most of his life, kept the pain of his childhood
hidden from the world and himself not allowing anyone to know about the pain he feels.
Unaware that this situation could bring up old memories, the more Carlé talks to Azucena the
more he reveals to himself: “Telling her stories Carlé’s “most secret layers of memory poured out,
leveling before the obstacles that had blocked his consciousness for so long. (61) Carlé
remembers the horrors of burying dead, his abusive father and his sister Katharina.
 The most important supporting conflict is Man versus Society. In the face of so much
technology, “The television cameras transmitted so often the unbearable image” (57) and “more

Tonight I Can Write -Pablo Neruda

Poem Summary

Lines 1–4

The theme of distance is introduced in the opening line. When the speaker informs the reader,

Media Adaptations

“Tonight I can write the saddest lines,” he suggests that he could not previously. We later learn that his overwhelming sorrow over a lost lover has prevented him from writing about their relationship and its demise. The speaker’s constant juxtaposition of past and present illustrate his inability to come to terms with his present isolated state. Neruda’s language here, as in the rest of the poem, is simple and to the point, suggesting the sincerity of the speaker’s emotions. The sense of distance is again addressed in the second and third lines as he notes the stars shivering “in the distance.” These lines also contain images of nature, which will become a central link to his memories and to his present state. The speaker contemplates the natural world, focusing on those aspects of it that remind him of his lost love and the cosmic nature of their relationship. He begins writing at night, a time when darkness will match his mood. The night sky filled with stars offers him no comfort since they “are blue and shiver.” Their distance from him reinforces the fact that he is alone. However, he can appreciate the night wind that “sings” as his verses will, describing the woman he loved.

Lines 5–10

Neruda repeats the first line in the fifth and follows it with a declaration of the speaker’s love for an unnamed woman. The staggered repetitions Neruda employs throughout the poem provide thematic unity. The speaker introduces the first detail of their relationship and points to a possible reason for its demise when he admits “sometimes she loved me too.” He then reminisces about being with her in “nights like this one.” The juxtaposition of nights from the past with this night reveals the change that has taken place, reinforcing his sense of aloneness. In this section, Neruda links the speaker’s lover with nature, a technique he will use throughout the poem to describe the sensual nature of their relationship. In the eighth line, the speaker remembers kissing his love “again and again under the endless sky”—a sky as endless as, he had hoped, their relationship would be. An ironic reversal of line six occurs in line nine when the speaker states, “She loved me, sometimes I loved her too.” The speaker may be offering a cynical statement of the fickle nature of love at this point. However, the eloquent, bittersweet lines that follow suggest that in this line he is trying to distance himself from the memory of his love for her and so ease his suffering. Immediately, in the next line he contradicts himself when he admits, “How could one not have loved her great still eyes.” The poem’s contradictions create a tension that reflects the speaker’s desperate attempts to forget the past.

Lines 11–14

In line eleven Neruda again repeats his opening line, which becomes a plaintive refrain. The repetition of that line shows how the speaker is struggling to maintain distance, to convince himself that enough time has passed for him to have the strength to think about his lost love. But these lines are “the saddest.” He cannot yet escape the pain of remembering. It becomes almost unbearable “to think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her.” His loneliness is reinforced by “the immense night, still more immense without her.” Yet the poetry that he creates helps replenish his soul, “like dew to the pasture.”

Lines 15–18

In line fifteen the speaker refuses to analyze their relationship. What is important to him is that “the night is starry and she is not with me” as she used to be on similar starry nights. “This is all” that is now central to him. When the speaker hears someone singing in the distance and repeats “in the distance,” he reinforces the fact that he is alone. No one is singing to him. As a result, he admits “my soul is not satisfied.”

Lines 19–26

In these lines the speaker expresses his longing to reunite with his love. His sight and his heart try to find her, but he notes, “she is not with me.” He again remembers that this night is so similar to the ones they shared together. Yet he understands that they “are no longer the same.” He declares that he no longer loves her, “that’s certain,” in an effort to relieve his pain, and admits he loved her greatly in the past. Again linking their relationship to nature, he explains that he had “tried to find the wind to touch her hearing” but failed. Now he must face the fact that “she will be another’s.” He remembers her “bright” body that he knows will be touched by another and her “infinite eyes” that will look upon a new lover.

Lines 27–32

The speaker reiterates, “I no longer love her, that’s certain,” but immediately contradicts himself, uncovering his efforts at self deception when he admits, “but maybe I love her.” With a world-weary tone of resignation, he concludes, “love is so short, forgetting is so long.” His poem has become a painful exercise in forgetting. In line twenty-nine he explains that because this night is so similar to the nights in his memory when he held her in his arms, he cannot forget. Thus he repeats, “my soul is not satisfied.” In the final two lines, however, the speaker is determined to erase the memory of her and so ease his pain, insisting that his verses (this poem) will be “the last verses that I write for.

The Patriot - Nissim Ezekiel

Introduction:

Nissim Ezekiel is one of those Indian poets writing in English who creates an authentic flavor of India, by his use of Indian English - Pidgin English on Bazar English, as it is often called. In this poem, the Indian flavor has been created by stressing the various mistakes which Indians commit in their use of English, by bringing in the hopes and aspirations of free India, and also the attitudes of her two hostile neighbors, China and Pakistan.

Poetic Inspiration for the Poem:

It all started as a comment by a friend who said that you write in English no doubt and you write English well but you don't seem to even know or realise that thousands of Indians speak what can only be called Indian English, So from that time in all his train journeys from Mithibai College back home, he started to take some interest in the way English was being spoken on the train. Every time he heard an obvious Indian English phrase like, "I'm not knowing only." he would take it down. When he had about a thousand of these, he thought of creating this present poem.

The Indian Living Conditions:

Ezekiel presents that the new generation is going after 'fashion and foreign things.' He presents the typical Indian make - up. The Indian living conditions are sought to be portrayed. The India of yester years is no longer to be seen here, as modernization and industrialization have speeded up the process of change.

The regrettable thing in the modern world is the act of violence and anti – social tendencies proving to be a menace. Still the positive aspects like regeneration, remuneration and contraception could be thought of as a way out of the present muddle. One can certainly hope for the better and propagate the best that is thought as unique.

Ancient Indian Wisdom:

In the second stanza, the readers get a peep into things - Indians as Gandhi's heir, he would opt for peace and non - violence. He is puzzled why others are not following Gandhi's advice - while in this estimate, the ancient Indian wisdom is correct, contrastively the modern generation takes it to whatever is western and fashionable - like other Indians, he too has to improve his English language. The student interest and petty agitations make him feel sickening line Antony's appeal to the Roman mob, he will call upon the fellow citizens to think of the past masters.

Thus in the third stanza, he pronounces, In order to get away from that which is disgusting, he wants to have a cup of wine which is very good for digestion. It can be taken as equivalent to the western wine if only a little salt is added to make it a lovely drink. The poet confesses that he is the total abstainer from drinks while it is taken by addicts to gunch themselves, he for his part would turn to simple drinks like lassi. Thus, the poet tries to receive the old Gandhian days.

The World Situation Today:

In the fourth stanza, the poet is able to think aloud and offer his comments on the world situation today. The present conditions all over the world speak of a bad trend that give an edge to the production of dangerous weapons and try to be superior to others. The countries of the world often tie with each other in keeping themselves ahead of others in this mad competitive world. This retrace often leads to conflicts resulting in loss of precious human lives. If only one considers the other as the brother; the trend could be changed.

Unity in Diversity:

India is a land where the principle of 'unity in Diversity' is practiced. Here many communities live together even though there are some problems. This ideal situation in which one Co-exists with the other is described as Ram Rajya by the poet. He gives the hand of friendliness to the visitor and expects him to come again. The poet is optimistic when he says that he enjoys every moment of good company. So, he ends the poem by saying that he does not feel the necessity of celebrating ceremonies.

Common Mistakes ‘highlighted’ in the Poem:

Substrate influence on grammar is quite common. It is often frowned upon as "wrong", but eventually becomes a regular part of the new language variant. "The Patriot" contains a number of Indian English examples: the reduplication of verbs in "fighting fighting", the lack of indefinite and definite articles in "threw stone at Indirabehn" and "all people of world", the use of one instead of the indefinite article a in "one glass lassi", the excessive use of the definite article the in "not that I am ever tasting the wine", the excessive use of the continuous tense (the -ing form) in "I am standing for peace and non-violence", the omission of an obligatory object pronoun in "modern generation is neglecting" (instead of "neglecting this") etc. Again, this is a satirical poem rather than a genuine example of Indian English, but the phenomena exemplified are genuine enough.

Conclusion:

Nissim Ezekiel occupies a unique position among Indo-Anglian poets of post-Independence era. Nissim opposed the idealism and romanticism of the earlier group of Indian writers in English, and tried to look at any typical Indian situation with an Indian attitude, with a novel and dynamic Indian insight. He cleverly manipulated Indian English to bring out the Indian worldview.

Thus Ezekiel uses 'Indian English,' or 'Babu Angrezi' in his poetry to depict the characteristics of Indian attitude. He used irony as a weapon to depict the characteristic features of Indian attitude.