SLM-19016-Eng - Indian Writing in English

INDIAN WRITING IN
ENGLISH
V SEMESTER
BA ENGLISH
CORE COURSE : ENG5 B10
2019 Admission onwards
UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT
School of Distance Education
Calicut University- P.O,
Malappuram - 673635, Kerala.
19016
UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT
Study Material
V SEMESTER
BA ENGLISH
CORE COURSE : ENG5 B10
INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH

Prepared by:
Smt. JISHINA GOPINATH,
Guest Faculty,
Department of English,
CKGM Govt. College, Perambra, Kozhikkode.
Scrutinized by:
Dr. MUHAMMED NOUFAL. K,
Asst. Professor,
Department of English,
CKGM Govt. College, Perambra, Kozhikkode.
DISCLAIMER
“The author shall be solely responsible for the
content and views expressed in this book”
Indian writing in English 2

CONTENTS
1 Section One 5
2 Section Two 42
3 Section Three 55
4 Section Four 73

Syllabus for ENGB10 Indian writing in English

Module 1: Poetry
1.Rabindranath Tagore: Two verses - one each from The
Gitanjali and The Gardener.
2. Sarojini Naidu: The Coromandel Fishers.
3. Kamala Das: Introduction.
4. Arun Kolatkar: Old Woman.
5. Agha Shahid Ali: Country without Post office
Module 2: Prose
1. B R Ambedkar: Speech at Mahad.
2. Salman Rushdie: Imaginary Homelands.
Module 3: Fiction
1. R K Narayan: The Fortune Teller
2. TemsulaAo: Laburnum for my Head.
3. Jhumpa Lahiri: The Interpreter of Maladies
Module 4: Drama and Film
1. Girish Karnad: Fire and Rain.
2. Charulatha: dir. Satyajit Ray.

SECTION ONE
POETRY
Gitanjali and The Gardener

Rabindranath Tagore
Introduction
Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, short-story
writer, song composer, playwright, essayist, and painter
who introduced new prose and verse forms and the use
of colloquial language into Bengali literature, thereby
freeing it from traditional models based on
classical Sanskrit. He was highly influential in
introducing Indian culture to the West and vice versa, and
he is generally regarded as the outstanding creative artist
of early 20th-century India.
In 1913 he became the first non-European to receive
the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was the youngest son
of Debendranath Tagore, a leader of the Brahmo Samaj,
which was a new religious sect in nineteenth-century
Bengal and which attempted a revival of the ultimate
monistic basis of Hinduism as laid down in
the Upanishads. He was educated at home; and although
at seventeen he was sent to England for formal schooling,
he did not finish his studies there. In his mature years, in
addition to his many-sided literary activities, he managed
the family estates, a project which brought him into close
touch with common humanity and increased his interest

in social reforms. He also started an experimental school

at Shantiniketan where he tried his Upanishadic ideals of
education. From time to time, he participated in the Indian
nationalist movement, though in his own non-sentimental
and visionary way; and Gandhi, the political father of
modern India, was his devoted friend. Tagore was
knighted by the ruling British Government in 1915, but
within a few years he relinquished the honour as a protest
against British policies in India. Although Tagore wrote
successfully in all literary genres, he was first of all a poet.
Among his fifty and odd volumes of poetry
are Manasi (1890) [The Ideal One], Sonar Tari (1894)
[The Golden
Boat], Gitanjali (1910)[Song Offerings], Gitimalya
(1914) [Wreath of Songs], and Balaka (1916) [The Flight
of Cranes]. The English renderings of his poetry, which
include The Gardener (1913), Fruit Gathering (1916),
and The Fugitive (1921), do not generally correspond to
particular volumes in the original Bengali; and in spite of
its title, Gitanjali: Song Offerings (1912), the most
acclaimed of them, contains poems from other works
besides its namesake. Tagore’s major plays
are Raja (1910) [The King of the Dark
Chamber], Dakghar (1912)[The Post Office],
Achalayatan (1912) [The immovable]
Muktadhara (1922) [The Waterfall],
and Raktakaravi (1926) [Red Oleanders]. He is the author
of several volumes of short stories and a number of
novels, among them Gora (1910), Ghare-Baire (1916)
[The Home and the World], and Yogayog (1929)
[Crosscurrents]. Besides these, he wrote musical dramas,
dance dramas, essays of all types, travel diaries, and two
autobiographies, one in his middle years and the other
shortly before his death in 1941. Tagore also left

numerous drawings and paintings, and songs for which he
wrote the music himself. His compositions were chosen
by two nations as national anthems: India’s “Jana Gana
Mana” and Bangladesh’s “Amar Shonar Bangla”. The Sri
Lankan national anthem was inspired by his work.
Some important quotes from Tagore

1.. Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry
rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”
2. “If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life,
your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.”
3. “It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to
be simple.”
5. “You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring
at the water.”
6. “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw
that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”
7.“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers,
but to be fearless in facing them.Let me not beg for the
stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it”.
8. “The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has

time enough.”
9. “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the
dawn is still dark.”
10. “Love's gift cannot be given; it waits to be accepted.”

Summary of the poem

Gitanjali- General introduction
It is, a collection of poetry, the most famous work
by Rabindranath Tagore, published in India in 1910.
Tagore then translated it into prose poems in English,
as Gitanjali: Song Offerings, and it was published in 1912
with an introduction by William Butler Yeats. Love is the
principal subject, although some poems detail the internal
conflict between spiritual longings and earthly desires.
Much of his imagery is drawn from nature, and the
dominant mood is minor-key and muted. Famous English
writer Yeats was deeply influenced by this composition.
Verse 35 Gitanjali-Where the Mind is Without Fear
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards
perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into
the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening
thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country

awake
Summary of the poem

The poem ‘Where the Mind is Without Fear’ is a
translated version of Chittojethabhoyshunyo. It is taken
from Gitanjali in English as poem 35. The poem is a
prayer to the God to grand a country where people can live
freely, without fear and logically.
Paraphrase of the poem
A person who is truly independent should be allowed to

think freely, without any kind of fear. The lives of people
with dignity and without fear that brings a healthy life.
People should live a life which has no fear. Fearful
experience of life yields no meaning in life. It gives the
people a taste of death before the ultimate demise of the
body. The poet wishes for such a nation where people
would have access to free education, a country with access
to knowledge and freedom for everyone. The poet prays
to God for such a nation which remains undivided. Where
there is no possibility in the present as well as in future of
partition within the country. The poetic persona is dead
against any kind of division among the people of a same
country. The term ‘domestic walls’ refers to-caste, creed,
religion, beliefs, political alignments…The poet envisions
a country where all the people speak truth. The poet tries
to inspire the people to work hard for a better nation or a
perfect land for all. The countrymen should strive for
betterment in all aspects of the human world. This is his

exhortation. He also prays to Eeshwar, to impart reason

and logic, enlighten the minds of the people so that they
would not leave the path of reason to carry out day-to-day
affairs.Thus, the poet sums up the prayer with final words
that he wishes our country, India, should awake and taste
the heaven that freedom can bring to us, under the
guidance of our Parampita Parmeshvara (Indian idea of
the divine).
Theme
It is a prayer from the poetic persona for a free, liberated,

knowledgeful country and fellow people. The poet seems
to be in a posture of thoughtful prayer. It can be said that
the poem is entirely coming out of the poet’s heart
spontaneously, without any filtering of emotions or
thoughts.
Structure, tone, poetic devices
Usually, a poem comes with many ornaments of language

like metaphor, hyperbole, irony and others; however, in
this poem, Where the Mind is Without Fear, the poet has
decided to keep things simple and instantly
communicating to the readers. A meditative tone is used
in the poem. There is no identified rhyme scheme for the
poem.

The Gardener Verse 46- You Left Me
Rabindranath Tagore
The Gardener is a song filled with the idea of love and

unity of humanity with Universe. It was one of the best
Tagore’s poetry books, also known as the book of love. It
is about the general love towards the world and humanity.
The love he feels for a woman is only a cause for him
writing magical verses in which he glorifies life, while
physical and emotional love is only one of its wonderful
elements.The Gardener was published in 1913.
The verse 46in the collection depictsthe relation between

the speaker and his beloved. The poet lost something
precious, probably his love. He feels doomed. But then he
reflects…life is something like dew drops, it is short, its
fleeting fast. And there are many more spectacular things
in the world to enjoy. Thus, it is better to enjoy the
beautiful things around and do away those evil thoughts.
Youth will wane before that the speaker has so many

things to do. So instead of wasting his time, he should get
engaged. There ae so many things to enjoy in the world
like rainy nights, golden seasonal changes, lovely spring
etc. So, the speaker makes himself ready to enjoy the
season and nature instead of mourning for the lost love.
He tells the spring that, let me love you dear spring … I
feel you are mortal and you are more precious than the
lost thing

Moreover he feels that it is really sweet to sit in a corner,

musing on pretty things and write beautiful verses about
the fresh and happy world. The speaker thinks that he can
be melancholic by writing melancholy. That maybe heroic
too. But he is determined to enjoy all those fresh thoughts
and feelings peeping to his mind.
The poem is written in an optimistic manner or the poet

has used a positive tone.
Theme
The brevity or transitory nature of life is highlighted by

Tagore on this verse. Just like the concept of carpe diem,
poet urges his readers to live the life and enjoy the world
in all possible manner, instead of carrying the ghost of
past forever.
Structure
The poem is written prose like manner and Tagore has

used a very simple language. The verse is divided into
four stanzas without any particular rhyme scheme or
rhythmic pattern.
Short answer questionsfromGardener and Gitanjali
1. Whatis the meaning of the word Gitanjali?
2. The English translation of Gitanjali is a
combination of different poems by Tagore. Which are
those?
3. What is the theme of the verse 35 of Gitanjali?
4. In what ways the title Gitanjali is appropriate?

5. What qualities does the poet wish to inculcate in
his countrymen?
6. Explain the phrase Where knowledge is free?
7. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem Where the
Mind is Without Fear?
8. What are the images used in the poem Where the
Mind is Without Fear?
9. How does the poet describe reason and its
relevance in the poem?
10. To whom the poem Where the Mind is Without
Fear is addressed?
11. How does the poetic persona consoles himself in
the grief of a loss?
12. How does the poet compare the life in the poem
The Gardener?
13. Whatis the warning of the wise men to the
speaker?
14. What are the major factors in the nature, that the
poet wants to focus in order to forget his pain?
15. What is poet’s conclusion in verse 46 The
Gardener?

Paragraph questions from Gardener and Gitanjali
1. Explain the idea of freedom expressed in the poem

verse 35 Gitanjali
2. What are the specialities of language used in the

Where the Mind is Without Fear?
3. Bring out the significance of the Gitanjali and how

the verse 35 goes along with it?
4. Write a short note about the poetic devices used in

verse 46 The Gardener?
5. How does poet recover from the pain of loss in

verse 46 The Gardener?
Essay questions
1. Explain Tagore’s vision of his country expressed

in the poem Where the Mind is Without Fear
2. The Gardener presents a universal love and it is

philosophical meditation on the fleeting nature of human
life. Substantiate.

Coromandel fishers
Sarojini Naidu
Introduction
Sarojini Naidu is known as “the Nightingale of India.”
She was a celebrated poet, freedom fighter, political
activist, she was the first woman to become President of
the Indian National Congress and the first woman to
achieve the post of Governor of Uttar Pradesh state. She
was born on 13th February 1879. Her family at that time
lived in Hyderabad, India. Dr.AghomathChattopadaya,
her father was a scientist and philosopher. VaradaSunderi
Devi, her mother, was a poet. Sarojini was an extremely
intelligent child, becoming fluent in five languages and
wrote poems from a young age. She wasgranted a well-
deserved scholarship so that she could study at King’s
College in England. Here she expanded her writing to
produce articles featuring themes such as the great
temples and mountains of India and the complex details
of Indian social life.
She returned to India when she was nineteen to be
married. Her husband was Dr.MuthyalaGovindarajulu
Naidu from southern India. Theirs was not a singular
caste marriage which was not tolerated at that time. She
joined the Indian freedom struggle after the 1905 partition
of Bengal and met noted figures such as Mahatma Gandhi
and Pandit Nehru. She travelled extensively to other parts
of the world, including Europe and America, in order to
speak about the Indian Nationalist cause.

Sarojini Naidu also led an active literary life and attracted

notableIndian intellectuals to her famous salon in Bombay
(now Mumbai). She acquired the sobriquet Bharat kokila
-the Nightingale of India from Rabindranath Tagore due
to the melodious, rhythmic poetry she penned on a wide
variety of themes such as Indian myth, India’s great myth,
India’s great mountains, rivers and temples. Mrs Naidu is
often compared to English metaphysical poets like John
Donne and Andrew Marvell. She was a prolific writer.
Her first volume of poetry, The Golden Threshold (1905),
was followed by The Bird of Time (1912), and in 1914 she
was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Her collected poems, all of which she wrote in English,
have been published under the titles The Sceptred
Flute (1928) and The Feather of the Dawn (1961).
Coromandel Fishers
Rise, brothers, rise; the wakening skies pray to the
morninglight,
The wind lies asleep in the arms of the dawn like a child
that has cried all night.
Come, let us gather our nets from the shore and set our
catamarans free,
To capture the leaping wealth of the tide, for we are the

kings of the sea!
No longer delay, let us hasten away in the track of the

sea gull's call,
The sea is our mother, the cloud is our brother, the
waves are our comrades all.
What though we toss at the fall of the sun where the
hand of the sea-god drives?

He who holds the storm by the hair, will hide in his
breast our lives.
Sweet is the shade of the cocoanut glade, and the scent

of the mango grove,
And sweet are the sands at the full o' the moon with the
sound of the voices we love;
But sweeter, O brothers, the kiss of the spray and the
dance of the wild foam's glee;
Row, brothers, row to the edge of the verge, where the
low sky mates with the sea.
Word meanings and explanations

1. Catamaran: a type of water craft.
2. Leap- jump or spring long way
3. Hasten – hurry away
4. Comrades- fellow workers or colleagues
5. Toss- row of the boat
6. Verge- end or border
7. Mate- friend or companion
8. Full o’ the moon - the full moon
9. The wakening skies- the early morning sky which
compared to someone waking up from sleep
10. The low sky – the horizon

Summary of the poem

Coromandel fishers is a poem that focuses on the
fishermen. Sarojini Naidu motivates the people through
this poem. Though the poem is written for the fishermen,
it metaphorically focuses on the Indian people. The
poeturges the people to hastentheir freedom
struggle. Coromandel fishers is a poem that focuses on
the fishermen. Sarojini Naidu motivates the people
through this poem. It depicts the relationship of fishermen
with nature. Nature stands as a symbol of beauty that
expresses the optimistic view of life.
She asks the fisher folks to wake up and offer their prayers
to the morning light. The wind is calm and quiet like a
child that sleeps soundly after crying the whole night. She
asks the fishermen to gather the nets and set their
catamarans free and set out into the sea to gather the
leaping wealth of the tide as they are the kings of the sea.
She asks the fisher folks not to delay and quickly set forth
in the track of the sea gull’s call.
She comforts the folks by saying that the sea is their
mother, the cloud is their brother and the waves toss their
boats at sunset and drive them far, God who controls the
storm will protect their lives from its rage.
Short answer questions

1.What is the rhyming scheme of Coromandel Fishers?
An. aabb
2. What is the wind being compared to?

An. The wind is compared to a child that has cried all

night but now asleep in his or her mother’s arms.
3. What does the caller ask his brothers to do?
An. The caller asks his brothers to wake up from sleep.
4.In what sense are the fishermen the ‘kings of the sea?’
An. Like kings who have both powers to rule and
responsibility to take care, the coromandel fishers too
have their own power to rule the sea they go for fishing
and their responsibility to take care of the mother-sea.
5.How and when does coconut shade appear sweet to the
fishermen?
An. With their shade falling on the hot sand, the coconut
trees cool the sand. After a day’s horrible work, the
fishermen return and take rest under these coconut trees.
6. What is the track of a sea-gull’s call? Why should the
fishermen follow this track?
An. The track of the sea-gull’s call is the track by which
the sea-gull has gone in search of fish. By following the
sea-gull’s track, the fishermen can easily get big catches
of fish.
7. Why does the poet say:
a) the sea is our mother
b) the cloud is our brother
c) the waves are our comrades all?
An:a) The sea is their mother because it is the source of
their livelihood.
b) If there are a lot of clouds and it willbe raining, they
cannot go into the sea.
c) The waves also help them to go into the sea. If the sea
is rough, they cannot venture into the sea.
8. ‘The wind lies asleep in the arms of the dawn’ Which
figure of speech is used in the given line?
An. The figure of speech used in this line is metaphor
9. Why do the fishermen prefer the dangers of the sea to
the comfort of the land?
An. The sea provides the fishermen livelihood and
presents them scope for adventure. Hence, they prefer the
foam of the waves and the kiss of the salt waters of the
sea.
10.Write the lines that show that the fishermen are not
afraid of the sea or of drowning.
An. He who holds the storm by the hair, will hide in his
breast our lives.
Paragraph Questions
1. Write a paragraph explaining the literary devices
in the poem Coromandel Fishers by Sarojini Naidu
An. Literary/Poetic device is a technique a writer uses to
produce a special effect on their writing. It adds beauty
and elegance to the poem and also contributes to the
thematic exhibition. Poets use different types of poetic
devices to highlight different characteristics of a poem.
There are different types of poetic devices like metaphor,
simile, anaphora, personification, enbjambment etc.
Coromandel Fishers itself is woven with technique of
personification. Wakening skies pray to the morning light,
wind lies asleep in the arms of the dawn, sea gull’s call,
the sea is our mother, the cloud is our brother, the waves
are our comrades all, he who holds the storm by the hair,
dance of the wild foam’s glee,low sky mates with the sea.
We can see the usage of personification in all these lines.
Simile is the comparison of two things using the words
like/as. The line “The wind lies asleep in the arms of the
dawn like a child that has cried all night” is an example
for simile in the poem. Another poetic device which is
also based on the comparison of things is metaphor,” The
sea is our mother, the cloud is our brother, the waves are
our comrades all.” This is an example for metaphor.
Repetition of same letters in same line is said to as
alliteration. In the line ‘He who holds the storm by the
hair, will hide in his breast our lives.’ The letter h is
repeated several times which can be considered as
alliteration. The rhyme scheme used by the poet is abab.
Essay questions
1. What is the theme of Naidu’s poem Coromandel

Fishers?
An.Sarojini Naidu in the poem, 'The Coromandel
Fishers', has described the beauty of nature and the folk
culture of the Coromandel Coast of India. It depicts the
relationship of fishermen with nature. Nature stands as a
symbol of beauty that expresses the optimistic view of
life.
She asks the fisher folks to wake up and offer their prayers
to the morning light. The wind is calm and quiet like a
child that sleeps soundly after crying the whole night. She
asks the fishermen to gather the nets and set their
catamarans free and set out into the sea to gather the
leaping wealth of the tide as they are the kings of the sea.
She asks the fisher folks not to delay and quickly set forth
in the track of the sea gull’s call. She comforts the folks
by saying that the sea is their mother, the cloud is their
brother and the waves toss their boats at sunset and drive
them far, God who controls the storm will protect their
lives from its rage.
In the poem 'The Coromandel Fishers', she addresses the
fishermen as brothers. She considers herself one among
them. The poem is a call to the fishermen to gather their
nets and set to catch fish. Addressing them as their
comrade, she calls them to join her on the fishing
expedition. She expresses her concern for them and asks
them to rise and at the break of dawn to catch the leaping
wealth of the tide. This helps in building a rapport with
the fishermen. She considers them as her own kith and
kin.
The poet Sarojini Naidu possesses a sharp aesthetic
sensibility and is an admirer of the varied colours of
nature. She has beautifully said that the fishermen set out
for the sea at dawn when the wind is still sleeping as
quietly as a child that sleeps after crying the whole night.
Everything around is quiet and calm. It is the most suitable
time for the fishermen to set out on their fishing task. This
is an appropriate time for the fishermen to set out their
fishing task. This is an appropriate time for the fishermen
to set out for the sea gathering their nets and setting their
catamarans free.

An Introduction
Kamala Das
Introduction
Kamala Das /Madhavikutty/ Kamala Surayya is a well-
known Indian writer who wrote in English as well as
Malayalam. She is notable for her candid and open
writings about relationships and female sexuality. Das
was part of a generation of Indian writers whose work
centred on personal rather than colonial experiences, and
her short stories, poetry, memoirs, and essays brought her
respect and notoriety in equal measures. Kamala Das was
born in Punnayarkulam near Thrissur in Kerala as the
daughter of NalapatBalamani Amma, was a well-known
poet, and, V.M.Nair, who was an automobile company
executive and a journalist. Her maternal uncle, the famous
author Nalappatt Narayana Menon had great impact on
her literary career where as her grandmother or
ammamma like she fondly called influenced in her growth
as an individual. She spent her girlhood days in Kerala as
well as in Kolkatha. She was married to Das when she was
15 years old and moved to Bombay with her husband. She
had three sons with Das.In 1999 she controversially
converted to Islam, renaming herself Kamala Surayya.
Das’s poetry collections included Summer in
Calcutta (1965), The Descendants (1967), and The Old
Playhouse, and Other Poems (1973). Subsequent English-
language works included the novel Alphabet of
Lust (1976) and the short stories “A Doll for the Child
Prostitute” (1977) and “Padmavati the Harlot” (1992).
Notable among her many Malayalam works were the
short-story collection Thanuppu (1967; “Cold”) and

the memoir Balyakalasmaranakal (1987; “Memories of
Childhood”). Perhaps her best-known work was
an autobiography, which first appeared as a series of
columns in the weekly Malayalanadu, then in Malayalam
as Ente Katha (1973), and finally in English as My
Story (1976). A shockingly intimate work, it came to be
regarded as a classic. In later life Das said that parts of the
book were fictional.
Her poetic work could be classified under the genre of
confessional poetry— not a common style for Indian
poets, least of all women. She was quite the pioneer in this
respect and also for using English to pen her verse. Her
English poetry has been compared to that of Anne
Sexton and won her both recognition and literary awards
during her lifetime. The poems cast a critical eye on
Indian society, with its strong patriarchy and notions
about how a woman should conduct herself. Interestingly,
while her poetry is replete with feminist yearnings, there
is a strong sense of spirituality running through them.
Summary of the poemAn Introduction
The poem Introduction was included in Kamala Das’s
collection Summer in Calcutta. This collection is all about
love, betrayal and the pain which follows it. The particular
poem Introduction is a very clear feminist statement that
advocates for free choice for all women. This is in regards
to every aspect of life, but the poet puts a special emphasis
on marriage. She compares and contrasts the roles of men
and women in society and explains for the reader how her
life, the rules she’s forced to obey, infringe on her
freedom. Readers should be able to ask themselves while
moving through the poem how, if at all, the things Das is

talking about apply to their own life. If nothing matches
up, they might ask themselves why and if some kind of
unaddressed or unacknowledged privilege is making their
lives better. The author depicts how a woman is forced to
be fit into some boxes and never gets an opportunity to
express herself wholly. As an author, an individual, a
creative person, she explores the boundaries a woman has
to face in a patriarchal society. The poet Kamala Das
proudly announces her identity as an Indian; she is brown,
born in Malabar, Kerala. She speaks three languages, she
is a bilingual writer who writes both in her mother tongue,
Malayalam, and in English as well and she sees her
dreams only in one. She is possibly trying to be boastful
about her competence in academics. In a way, she is
proving that she is no lesser than a man. “An Introduction”
by Kamala Das encapsulates her personality as it
expresses some incidents of her life, her rejection of
patriarchal norms, and her rebellion against the gender
role as well. This revolt ends with the assertion of her
identity by recognizing herself with ‘I’.

1. Distortion: the act of twisting or altering
something out of its true or original nature.
2. Queerness: oddity or strangeness
3. Caw: the harsh cry of a rook, crow, or similar bird
4. Sprout: to grow
5. Shrank: become or make smaller in size or amount

6. Schizophrenia: a long-term mental disorder of a

type involving a breakdown in the relation between
thought, emotion, and behaviour, leading to faulty
perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal
from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and
delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation.
7. Nympho: a woman with strong sexual desire.
8. Jilted: cheated
Short answer questions and answers
1. “Don’t write in English” who orders to whom?
An. The critics, friends and visiting cousins command to
the speaker to not write in a foreign language.
2. Name three works of Kamala Das.
An.), The Descendants, Padmavati the Harlot, Alphabet
of Lust
3. What do you mean by the metaphor ‘hungry haste
of rivers’?
An. It refers to the impatience and selfishness of man in
love.
4. What does the poet introduce in the poem “An
Introduction”?
An. A notion of independent self.
5.What do you mean by the phrase ‘All mine, mine
alone.’?

An. The speaker’s sense of individuality is expressed

through thus phrase.
5. What do you mean by ‘sword in its sheath’ from
the poem “An Introduction”?
An. Every individual has created a world of their which
they do not want to break.
6. What is the main theme of the poem “An
Introduction” by Kamala Das?
An. The oppression faced by a woman in a highly
patriarchal society.
7. Why did the speaker started to wear her brother’s
trousers?
An. To deny her womanliness.
8. What happened to the speaker when she asked for
love?
An. That questionended with her marriage at sixteen and
the closing of a bedroom door. Although her husband
did not beat her, her, sad woman-body felt so beaten.
9. To what does the poet compares her language?
An. She compares it to the cawing of crows and roaring
of lions.
Paragraph questions
1. Write a paragraph based on the theme of
confessional mode in the poem An Introduction

An. For most contemporary critics, confessional poetry

marked a revolutionin poetic style as well as specific
subject matter and the relationship between a poem’s
speaker and self. Confessional poets wrote in direct,
colloquial speech rhythms and used images that reflected
intense psychological experiences, often culled from
childhood or battles with mental illness or breakdown.
They tended to utilize sequences, emphasizing
connections between poems. They grounded their work in
actual events, referred to real persons, and refused any
metaphorical transformation of intimate details into
universal symbols. Kamala Das is often compared with
confessional poets like Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath, in
her open and candid expression of internal conflicts. She
wrote about female sexuality and urge for love without
any restrains in the poem Introduction. Introduction by
Kamala Das is based on her experiences as a woman in
patriarchal society. “An Introduction” by Kamala Das
encapsulates her personality as it expresses some
incidents of her life, her rejection of patriarchal norms,
and her rebellion against the gender role as well. This
revolt ends with the assertion of her identity by
recognizing herself with ‘I’. One of the common features
of Das’s poetry is the honest expression of her privacy.
This honest expression of Das’s personal life is what Mary
Erulkar called “the bitter service of womanhood”. But a
closer observation it becomes clear that it is not a “Nudity
on sheets of weeklies,’ nor a wanton display of ‘thigh and
sighs’, nor yet merely a case of ‘from bed to verse’,
Kamala Das’s persona is no nymphomaniac; she is simply
‘every woman who seeks love’; she is ‘the beloved and
the betrayed. However, she remains the eternal Eve who
proudly celebrates her essential femininity. The speaker
of the poem openly admits about the ruined nuptial knot

she had, how she was forced by the society to keep certain
standards especially as a woman and a female writer. She
also opens up about how her language was even controlled
by certain sects around her. All these declarations and her
final statement of self -assertion makes the poem an
Indian version of confessional poem.
Essay questions
1.Explain the depiction of patriarchy in Kamala Das’
poem An Introduction
An. Kamala Das was one of the most prominent
feminist voices in the postcolonial era. She wrote in her
mother tongue Malayalam as well as in English. To her
Malayalam readers she was Madhavi Kutty and to her
English patrons she was Kamala Das. On account of her
extensive contribution to the poetry in our country, she
earned the label ‘The Mother of Modern Indian English
Poetry’. She has also been likened to literary greats
like Sylvia Plath because of the confessional style of her
writing. On the occasion of her birth anniversary, we look
into the remarkable life of this literary icon.
Kamala Das's poems show strong sense of consciousness
towards the feminine psyche.An Introduction voices the
longing and complaint of a woman who represents all
women and she complains against Man who represents
every man. The poetess claims that India is her
motherland; her colour is brown, very brown not fair. She
is born in Malabar and speaks three languages, her own
mother tongue, Malayalam; national language, Hindi and

global language, English. She asserts her choice to write

in English despite social restrictions:
I am Indian,
Verybrown, born in Malabar, I speak three languages,
write in Two, dream in one. Don't write in English, they
said, English is not your mother-tongue. Why not leave
Me alone, critics, friends, visiting cousins,
Every one of you? Why not let me speak in
Any language I like? The language I speak,
Becomes mine, its distortions, its queernesses
All mine, mine alone. It is half English, half Indian, funny
perhaps, but it is honest, It is as human as I am human,
don't.
The poet sheds light upon the temporal sequence of
growth and maturity of hers who represents every woman.
She candidly writes about the process of maturity and
manifestation of changes in woman’s body. When a girl
gets matured, she longs for love. In a traditional society
like India, she gets married to a man who is inexperienced
in the art of love making and is in dark about the psyche
of woman. Hence in Das’s first sexual encounter with her
husband she gets irritated and feels that in matters of sex
male dominates. This sense of subordination makes her a
rebel. Whereas in the poem she was forced to get married
off when she asked for love.
In a patriarchal society marriage is also a masculine
activity. A legal act to get a slave who is always obliged
to satisfy the needs and wants of the husband and his
family. To be the best bride and wife become a necessary

action in a every girl’s life. It gets implanted in her mind

right from her girlhood days. The poem also depicts such
a patriarchal society which compels the speaker to fit into
one personality which will fit into the husband’s need and
wants.
Das also writes about the oceanic difference in the ways
in which men and women involving in love. The natural
desire of man and woman is to fall in love with each other
but the way woman feels loved is different from the way
man feels loved; the distinction in tendency is due to
different psyche. The poet uses metaphors just to show the
way man or woman chooses to be loved. The ‘hungry
haste of rivers’ points to impulsive love of male and
patient love of females. In matters of love Mrs. Das feels
that woman is superior to man; that is why she uses ocean
in the context of woman and river in context of man. Das
demolishes male’s supremacy in the matters of
relationship.
An OldWoman
Arun Kolatkar
Introduction
Arun Kolatkar was an Indian poet who wrote extensively
and prolifically in both Marathi and English, capturing the
soul of Mumbai in his poetry. Born in 1932, in Kolhapur,
Maharashtra, Kolatkar grew up in a home that
he described as “a house of cards — the rooms had mud
floors which had to be plastered with cow dung every
week to keep them in good repair”. A graphic designer by
profession, he earned his reputation in the advertising

world and it wasn’t until the 1960s that he began to write.
Kolatkar, with his ‘two-headed pencil’, was one of the
pioneers of modern poetry in India. His work is reflective
of other contemporary poets such as Vilas Sarang,
DilipChitre and VindaKarandikar. A critique of a post-
colonial India, combined with a dark humour, was an
unmatched skill he possessed. His first collection of
English poetry, Jejuri won the Commonwealth Poetry
Prize in 1977. His Marathi verse
collection BhijkiVahi won a Sahitya Akademi Award in
2005. Marathi devotional poetry and popular theater
(tamasha) had early influences on Kolatkar.
American beat poetry, especially of William Carlos
Williams were later influences. Along with friends
like DilipChitre, he was caught up in the modern shift in
Marathi poetry which was pioneered by B. S. Mardhekar.
He was a reclusive figure who lived even without a
telephone. He was died in September 2004. His poems
tend to offer a whimsical tilted commentary on social
mores. Many poems in BhijkiVahi refer to contemporary
history. However, these are not politicians' comments but
a poet's, and he avoids the typical Dalit -Leftist-
Feminist rhetoric.ArunKolatkar’s major poetic
collections are Kala Goda poems, Sarpasatra, Jejuri,
BhijkiVahi.

1. Hobble: walk in an awkward way, typically
because of pain from an injury.
2. Burr: (loosely) a regional accent.

3. finality: the fact or impression of being final and

irreversible
4. Crone – an ugly old woman
5. Clatter – the sound of the hard objects
6. Wretched – miserable
Summary of the poem An Old woman

The Poem ‘An Old Woman’ shows the society and
surrounding place of Khandoba temple at Jejuri. Here an
old woman tries to earn something from the pilgrims. She
wants only fifty paise and if anyone shows indifference in
giving the paise, then the old woman shows her some
places like horseshoe shrine. She also takes the help of
religion and takes the opportunity to use the pilgrims’
blind faith. The woman is very eager to earn and does not
want to leave the pilgrims. Really this is the picture of the
society and social surroundings and the poet portrays this
very beautifully. It is such a society that if anyone fails to
do something it haunts him or her. The pilgrim’s inability
or disinterest in giving fifty paise to the old woman haunts
at such extent that he feels like a very minor person like
that minor fifty paise. It is the society for the commercial,
money minded people and inability to cope up with these
can make one alienated. Few lines from the poem show
these. The old woman the poet has tried to create is the
one who represents our culture, our heritage and our
natural beauty. Initially, it seems that she is a little
adamant when speaker refuses to give her any money. But
it also shows how she does not resolve to beggary. She

wishes to take the speaker to the horseshoe shrine; in

return, she demands a mere fifty paisa coin.
Poverty and old age are two curses that can cripple a
person and make him utterly helpless. The old woman is
shown as a helpless woman who laments saying “What
else can an Old Woman do on hills as wretched as these?”
The Speaker looks into her eyes and realizes that she is
right. Her helplessness because of her old age moves him.
He is also touched by the fact that she wants to earn the
fifty paisa coin by showing him the horseshoe shrine
rather than demanding it as a charity. All this brings about
a change in his approach and attitude.
The old woman the poet has tried to create is the one who
represents our culture, our heritage and our natural beauty.
Initially, it seems that she is a little adamant when speaker
refuses to give her any money. But it also shows how she
does not resolve to beggary. She wishes to take the
speaker to the horseshoe shrine; in return, she demands a
mere fifty paisa coin.

1.Name two poetic collections of Arun Kolatkar
2.What does the old woman offer to do?
3. What is the real plight of the old woman in the poem?
4. What does the old woman expect for her service?
5. What is initial and final attitude of the speaker towards
the old woman?

6. The old woman’s eyes are compared to

7. What does the old woman demand in return of showing
the pilgrims the shrine?
8. What is the major theme of the poem An Introduction?
9.What are the features of the old woman in the poem?
10. “You want to end the farce” what farce is referred
here?
Paragraph questions
1. How does the society is reflected in Arun
Kolatkar’s poem An Old Woman?
2. Narrate the speaker’s experience in the poem
3. The old woman represents inhuman negligence,
greediness,
4. What is the actual status of the old woman a
beggar or a person with self- respect?
5. Comment on the language used by the poet in the
poem.
Essay question
1. The miserable plight of the old woman is a
comment on the merciless society, discuss

Country Without Postcard by

Agha Shahid Ali
Introduction
Agha Shahid Ali is a Kashmiri American Muslim best

known as a poet in the United States and identified
himself as an American poet writing in English. He was
born in New Delhi and grew up in New Delhi in an
educated family atmosphere. He earned an MA from the
University of Delhi, an MA and PhD from Pennsylvania
State University, and an MFA from the University of
Arizona. He taught at several universities inside and
outside India.Ali wrote nine poetry collections and a book
of literary criticism, as well as translated a collection of
Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry (The Rebel’s Silhouette, 1992)
and edited Ravishing DisUnities: Real Ghazals in
English (2000), a collection of ghazals (a Persian poetic
form employing repetition, rhyme, and couplets). Ali’s
collection, Rooms Are Never Finished (2001), was a
finalist for the National Book Award in 2001; The Veiled
Suite (2009), which contains selected works across the
poet’s career, was published posthumously it was
personal and political tragedy. A Walk Through Yellow
Pages, A Nostalgic Map of America, The Beloved Witness
are some other literary works by Agha Shahid Ali. At the
time of his death in 2001, Ali was noted as a poet uniquely
able to blend multiple ethnic influences and ideas in both
traditional forms and elegant free-verse. His poetry
reflects his Hindu, Muslim, and Western heritages.

Known particularly for his dexterous allusions to
European, Urdu, Arabic, and Persian literary traditions,
Ali’s poetry revolves around thematic and cultural poles.

2. minaret: a slender tower, typically part of a
mosque, with a balcony from which a muezzin calls
Muslims to prayer.
3. Wicked: evil or morally wrong
4. Refugees: a person who has been forced to leave
their country in order to escape war, persecution, or
natural disaster.
5. Muezzin: a man who calls Muslims to prayers
from the minaret of a mosque.
6. Frantically: in a hurried, disorganised or excited
manner.
7. Hone: refine/perfect or sharpen
8. papier mâché: a material that is made of paper
mixed with water, glue, and other substances and that
hardens as it dries
9. paisley: a distinctive intricate pattern of curved
feather-shaped figures based on an Indian pine-cone
design.
10.boarded up: to cover doors or windows with
windows with thin, flat pieces of wood

11.Pane: a single sheet of glass in a window or door.
Summary of the poem

The poem originally called “Kashmir Without a Post
Office” was published as the title poem in The Country
Without a Post Office (1997). Taking its impetus from the
1990 Kashmiri uprising against India, which led to
political violence and closed all the country’s post offices
for seven months, Ali’s long poem is considered one of
his masterpieces. The title of the poem derives from an
incident that occurred in 1990, when Kashmir rebelled
against Indian rule, resulting in hundreds of gruesome and
violent deaths, fires, and mass rapes.
For seven months, there was no mail delivered in
Kashmir, because of political turmoil pervading the land.
A friend of the poet’s father watched the post office from
his house, as mountains of letters piled up. One day, he
walked over to the piles and picked a letter from the top
of one, discovering that it was from Shahid’s father and
addressed to him. The poem, dedicated to Ali’s friend and
fellow poet James Merrill, is long, often complicated,
with a rhyme scheme that doubles back on itself and a
structure that works through accumulation and association
rather than narrative logic. The poem is filled with
recurring phrases and words and with haunting images of
longing and desire, which evoke the pain of one who
struggles to understand what is happening in his own land
and heart. The poem is built on repetition and association
instead of straightforward narrative logic, and consists of
several types of recurring images as well as phrases.
Dedicated to Ali’s life-long friend James Merrill, the
poem continues to maintain the integrity of feeling in the
midst of political violence and tragedy. The poem focuses

on traditional forms, such as the sonnet, canzone,
pantoum, sestina, terza rima, villanelle, ghazal.
Through the first section of the poem the speaker has tried
to develop an introduction before starting his poem and by
picturizing a person climbing the stairs and reading
“messages scratched on planets,” he introduces the image
of an astrologer, and when he starts cancelling stamps of
the letters that have doomed addresses, he picturizes the
images of a postal inspector whose function is to sort out
and distribute the letters sent to the post office. In the
second stanza, the poet brings to light the gory state of
Kashmir, which has been facing communal conflicts since
the 1990s. The violence in the state has been so
widespread and bloody that people shift to the plain areas,
or become refugees by leaving their ancestral properties.
The Kashmir Valley, which is also known as “Paradise”
for its beauty, today has become the valley of death of
innocent Hindus and Muslims. The second section uses
same images in a different context. Here he very smartly
picturizes the ceased postal delivery system in the
country. Here the speaker himself comes ahead to help
“cancel stamps” and open the lines of communication. In
the second stanza of this part, the speaker brings forth a
character that the speaker wishes to have a word with but
gets unable. The stamps have no name of the nation, this
may be because Kashmir isn’t an independent country,
and both India and Pakistan are fighting on and on to
capture this disputed territory. The narrator searches for
this person through the ruins and smouldering houses, but
can’t as “Everything is finished, nothing remains.” In the
third section of the poem, the speaker assumes the role of

the muezzin. Further, the speaker talks about his own

heart, and even talks to his different side. The inside fire
he talks about is the fire of his own, and the various
identities that he (Ali) has lived through as an Indian-born
Kashmiri. The violence between the Hindus, Muslims,
and the gory state of Kashmir has torn Ali apart. He
empathizes with both communities. In the last stanza of
the poem, the speaker finds his own voice by unearthing
“the remains” of the voices of others, particularly the
muezzin who is no more now.
Short answer question

1.Country Without Postcard, Agha Shahid Ali’s most
significant poetic collection was published in
2. What is the historical background of the poem Country
Without Postcard?
3. How the structure of the poem helps in the meaning
establishment?
4. How the technique of repetition is used in the poem
5. What is the unconventional rhyme scheme used in the
poem?
6. What is the epigraph of the poem and how it’s related
to the theme?
7. What is the background of the poem?
8. what is the relevance of minaret in the poem?
9. How is the burning of Hindu Muslim riot is involved in
the poem?
10. What is the relevance of the images of ‘the fire’ and

‘the dark’ in the poem
Paragraph questions
1.Write about the structure and the language used in Agha
Shahid Ali’s poem Country Without Post office
2. The poem Country Without Postcard is a commentary
over the social upheavals which happened in Kashmir.
Substantiate.
3. Describe poet’s use of postcards as a central image in
the poem
4. Write a short note on the historical background of the
poem Country Without Postcard
5. What are the major literary techniques used by poet in
the poem Country Without Postcard?
Essay Questions
1.What are the aftermaths of colonialism portrayed in
Agha Shahid Ali’s poem Country Without Postcard
2. What is the theme of the poem Country Without
Postcard

Section Two
Prose
Speech at Mahad
B.R.Ambedkar
Introduction
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, who is known as the architect
of the Indian Constitution and as a lifelong champion of
civil rights for the "untouchable" dalit caste, received his
PhD in Economics from Columbia University in 1927 and
an honorary degree in 1952 as "a great social reformer and
a valiant upholder of human rights. Born of
a Dalit Mahar family of western India, he was as a boy
humiliated by his high-caste schoolfellows. His father was
an officer in the Indian army. Awarded a scholarship by
the Gaekwar (ruler) of Baroda (now Vadodara), he studied
at universities in the United States, Britain, and Germany.
He entered the Baroda Public Service at the Gaekwar’s
request, butagain ill-treated - by his high-caste colleagues,
he turned to legal practice and to teaching. He soon
established his leadership among Dalits, founded several
journals on their behalf, and succeeded in obtaining
special representation for them in the legislative councils
of the government. Contesting Mahatma Gandhi’s claim
to speak for Dalits (or Harijans, as Gandhi called them),

he wrote What Congress and Gandhi Have Done to the

Untouchables (1945).
Ambedkar was the first highly educated, politically
prominent member of the Hindu "untouchable" caste. He
is best remembered today for leading colonial India's only
autonomous struggle for Dalit rights and social
recognition; for his extensive writings that reprised caste
as a form of inequality and historical injustice; and for his
role as Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Indian
Constitution, which allowed him to leave a profound and
enduring mark on Indian trajectories of democratic justice
and affirmative action policy.
In 1947 Ambedkar became the law minister of the
government of India. He took a leading part in the framing
of the Indian constitution, outlawing discrimination
against untouchables, and skillfully helped to steer it
through the assembly. He resigned in 1951, disappointed
at his lack of influence in the government. In 1990 he was
awarded with Bharatratna posthumously. Ambedkar was
deeply influenced by buddhism
His major works are Administration and Finance of the
East India Company, The Evolution of Provincial Finance
in British India, The Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and
Its Solution, Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis
and Development and 11 Other Essays, Essays on
Untouchables and Untouchability, The Evolution of
Provincial Finance in British India, The Untouchables
Who Were They and Why They Became Untouchables,
The Annihilation of Caste (1936), Pakistan or the
Partition of India

Summary of the speech

Indian caste system is always oppressive of Dalits. The
system which was based on chaturvarnya considered Dalit
equivalent to shudras. They were considered as
untouchables in the society. They were denied for basic
human rights like, right to live, right to travel free, drink
water from public source, to enter into religious places etc.
India witnessed a major uprising for freedom from 1850s
itself. But the plight of Dalits was similar even after
independence. They still lead a life of struggle, poverty
and marginalisation. Ambedkar was one of the first
prominent sound raised for the emancipation of dalit
community. He used his entire political and social
influence for the upliftment of the down trodden
community. He himself has experienced extreme level
caste oppression in his entire life.Mahad, located in the
Raigad district of Maharashtra, is situated on the banks of
River Savitri. The people of high castes banned the entry
of ‘untouchables’ to Chavadar Lake in Mahad on the
ground that it was a private tank, reserved for the so-called
high caste people of the society. As a result of such
repression continuing for ages, Dr. Ambedkar led an
agitation with his fellow Dalits, in March 1927, in an
attempt to draw water from the same tank.
Mahad Satyagraha or Chavdar Tale Satyagraha was
a satyagraha led by B. R. Ambedkar on 20 March 1927 to
allow untouchables to use water in a public tank
in Mahad (currently in Raigad district), Maharashtra,
India. The day (20 March) is observed as Social
Empowerment Day in India. But that was not simply an
act of drinking from a tank but an assertion of equality
(“We are going to the Lake to assert that we too are human
beings like others. It must be clear that this meeting has

been called to set up the norm of equality”.). According to
Ambedkar a meeting like this was happening for the first
time in the history of India. But he compares the
satyagraha to an event happened in France on 24 January
1789. He parallels their efforts to establish a casteless
society to French revolutionaries’ struggle to set up a
classless society a hundred years before. According to
Ambedkar the important thing is that the caste or class
system was similar. The similarity to be noted is not only
in the differentiation between classes: the inequality of
our caste system was also to be found in the French social
system. Just like French people successfully convened a
class less French society Ambedkar envisions an equal
Indian society without the cords of caste. Then he
mentions some very important points in the proclamation
made by the French regarding the freedom of citizens and
they are all about freedom, equality and sovereignty of
human beings and the country. In Ambedkar’s view point
they must work hard not only to abolish untouchability
but the caste system too. Because caste system is the real
evil in society and all other social evils come as by-
products of that concept. To prove his point Ambedkar
takes instances from Mahabharata and European legends.
Ambedkar suggests different solutions to eradicate
untouchability. Like break down the prohibition against
intermarriage,because he thinks intermarriage will
establish real equality. Another way is to acquire
government jobs and thereby independence
He concludes the speech by asserting that untouchability

is not a, simple matter; it is the mother of all poverty and
lowliness and it has brought them to the abject state they
are in today. Therefore, he says thatif they want to raise

themselves out of it, they must undertake this task not only
for them but for the benefit of the nation
Mahad, a town in Konkan, was selected for the event

because it had a nucleus of support from 'caste hindus'.
These included A.V.Chitre, an activist from the
Marathi ChandraseniyaKayastha Prabhu (CKP)
community; G.N.Sahasrabudhe, a Chitpawan Brahmin of
the Social Service League and SurendranathTipnis,
a CKP who was president of the Mahad municipality.
1.What was the immediate reason of Mahad satyagraha?
2. Write a few names essays written by Ambedkar?
3. What was Poona pact?
4. Which historical event is taken as a reference by
Ambedkar in his speech?
5. what happened in France?
6. what were the similarities pointed out by Ambedkar in
France and India?
7. According to Ambedkar how can untouchability
eradicated from society?
8. What is the actual cause or root of caste system?
9. What are the comments made by Ambedkar about the
Brahmin superiority?

10. Which Roman legend is explained by Ambedkar in his

speech?
Paragraph questions
1. How does inter-caste marriage help to eradicate
untouchability according to Ambedkar?
2. How does Ambedkar bring out the parallelism
between Indian and French society?
3. Write a short note on the proclamations included
in the French constitution?
4. What are the specialities of language and
linguistic devices used by Ambedkar in his speech?
5. What are the features of Hindu society according
to Ambedkar?
Essay questions
1. Examine the contributions of Dr.B.R.Ambedkar in

awakening the Dalit consciousness taking the speech at
Mahad into major consideration
2. Ambedkar has made valuable contribution to the

social and political thinking and denounced the
outrageous attitude of the Brahmanical Hinduism towards
the untouchables and worked for the liberation of
oppressed class from the high caste Hindus. Discuss in the
light of speech at Mahad.

Imaginary homelands
Salman Rushdie
Introduction
Salman Rushdie is an Indian born British author whose
allegorical novels examine historical and philosophical
issues by means of surreal characters, brooding humour,
and an effusive and melodramatic prose style. His
treatment of sensitive religious and political subjects
made him a controversial figure. Rushdie was born on
June 19, 1947 as son of a prosperous Muslim businessman
in India. He was educated at Rugby School and
the University of Cambridge, where he received an M.A.
degree in history in 1968. During the beginning of his
career, he worked as a copy writer in London. After the
publication of his first novel Grimus in 1975 he became a
full- fledged writer and sometimes most controversial
writer too. His works combine magical
realism with historical fiction, is primarily concerned with
the many connections, disruptions, and migrations
between Eastern and Western civilizations, with much of
his fiction being set on the Indian subcontinent. Rushdie’s
second novel MidnightChildrenwon the Booker Prize in
1981 and was deemed to be "the best novel of all winners"
on two occasions, marking the 25th and the 40th
anniversary of the prize. His fourth novel, The Satanic
Verses (1988), was the subject of a major controversy,
provoking protests from Muslims in several countries.
Death threats were made against him, including
a fatwā calling for his assassination issued
by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of
Iran.Salman Rushdie is the author of fourteen
novels: Grimus, Midnight’s Children (which was awarded

the Booker Prize in 1981), Shame, The Satanic
Verses, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, The Moor’s Last
Sigh, The Ground Beneath Her Feet, Fury, Shalimar the
Clown, The Enchantress of Florence, Luka and the Fire
of Life, Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight
Nights, and The Golden Houseand Quichotte. Rushdie is
also the author of a book of stories, East, West, and four
works of non-fiction – Joseph Anton – A Memoir,
Imaginary Homelands, The Jaguar Smile, and Step
Across This Line. He is the co-editor of Mirrorwork, an
anthology of contemporary Indian writing, and of the
2008 Best American Short Stories anthology.
Rushdie’s name is often associated with literary concepts
like, diasporic writing, magical realism, chutnification,
historiographical fiction etc.
Magical realism is characterized by the matter-of-fact
inclusion of fantastic or mythical elements into seemingly
realistic fiction. Although this strategy is known in the
literature of many cultures in many ages, the term magic
realism is a relatively recent designation, first applied in
the 1940s by Cuban novelist AlejoCarpentier.
Chutnification refers to the adoption of Indian elements
into the English language or culture. This term was coined
by Rushdie in his novel MidnightChildren.
Historiographic metafiction is a term coined by Canadian
literary theorist Linda Hutcheon in the late 1980s. It
incorporates three domains: fiction, history, and theory.It
combines the literary devices of metafiction with
historical fiction.

“Diaspora” (from the Greek word for “scattering”) refers

to the dispersion of a people from their homeland. A
simple definition of diaspora literature, then, would be
works that are written by authors who live outside their
native land. The term identifies a work’s distinctive
geographic origins.
Summary of the essay ImaginaryHomelands

Imaginaryhomelandsis collection of essays written by
Salman Rushdie. These are the essays written between
1981 and 1992. This no-fictional work reflects his identity
crisis and the country’s political and social upheavals.
Imaginary homelands is divided into six sections. They
are:
 Midnight's children
 Politics of India and Pakistan
 Indo-Anglian literature
 Movie and Television
 Experience of migrants, Indian migrants to Britain
 Thatcher/flout election, question of Palestine

Salman Rushdie's essay “ImaginaryHomelands” begins
with an image of a photograph in the room where he
writes. It is a picture of the house in which he lived as a
child, taken before he was born, and he keeps it there to
remind him “that the past is home, albeit a lost home in a
lost city in the mists of lost time.” On a trip to Bombay,
he visited his old house once again after a long time not

as a faded image but in glorious technicolour. The wish to

restore the past which accompanied this sight inspired him
to write the novel Midnight’sChildren. They recreate
these places in order to satisfy their loss in their real,
physical lives – something that Rushdie says he did
himself, writing on India, Pakistan, and London.Rushdie,
however, says that even if expatriate Indians do engage in
the act oflooking back, they are always faced by the fact
that due to their physicalisolation from the home country,
they will only be able to capture partial orimaginary
versions of their homelands. He says that he was disturbed
by thisdilemma while writing his novel in North London.
He tried to make hisdescription of India as imaginatively
true as possible, but then again, he is awarethat
imaginative truth is both honourable and suspect at the
same time.Therefore, he does not claim authenticity for
the India depicted in his novel, butadmits that it is just one
of the several possible versions. He says that this iswhy
he made Saleem, the narrator of his novel Midnight’s
Children anunreliable narrator. An unreliable narrator
often provides inaccurate details, which is evident to the
reader. An unreliable narrator is one whose perception,
interpretation, and evaluation of the matters he or she
narrates do not coincidewith the opinions and norms
implied by the author. Rushdie realizes that because
emigrant writers lose touch with the physical reality of the
places in which they grew up, they necessarily create
fictionalized versions of them: that is, imaginary
homelands. Because he wanted to make it clear that he
was wrong about “his” India, a version of the country he
would never claim to be definitive, Rushdie made the
protagonist of Midnight’s Children, Saleem, an unreliable
narrator with a fallible memory.In “Imaginary
Homelands,” Rushdie writes explicitly about these racist

experiences and the way he felt torn between India and
England, where he was making a new home. As a
bilingual person, Rushdie was torn also between
languages – he writes about how, even when returning to
one’s home country, those who migrate no longer feel at
home, because they have been inundated with ideologies
from another world. As such, Rushdie makes it clear that
“imaginary homelands” are essentially the fictional
creations of migrants, who seek an understanding of the
places they live now and the places they come from.They
recreate these places in order to satisfy their loss in their
real, physical lives – something that Rushdie says he did
himself, writing on India, Pakistan, and London.In
“Imaginary Homelands”, he deals at some length with the
issue of onecrucial colonial legacy as far as literature is
concerned “the use of the Englishlanguage in postcolonial
societies”. Postcolonial societies have constantly
displayed ambivalence towards the continued use of the
English language.Rushdie says that the Indian writers
who do use English do so in spite of theirambiguous
feelings towards it, or even perhaps because of it. In fact,
thelanguage used by Rushdie in his fictional works is not
the standard or ‘correct’English, but it is flavoured with
local coinages and idioms which betterexpresses the
experiences of the societies of the subcontinent.In
“Imaginary Homelands”, he deals at some length with the
issue of onecrucial colonial legacy as far as literature is
concerned “the use of the English language in
postcolonial societies”. Postcolonial societies have
constantly displayed ambivalence towards the continued
use of the English language. Rushdie says that the Indian
writers who do use English do so in spite of
theirambiguous feelings towards it, or even perhaps

because of it. In fact, thelanguage used by Rushdie in his
fictional works is not the standard or ‘correct’English, but
it is flavoured with local coinages and idioms which
betterexpresses the experiences of the societies of the
subcontinent. The major themes of the essay are
cosmopolitanism, diasporic consciousness, literature and
memory, postcolonial preoccupations, features of post -
modern literature and nationalism.

1. What is the meaning of the phrase imaginary
homelands?
2. What is magical realism?
3. Who is an unreliable narrator?
4. With what symbol Rushdie begins his essay?
5. What is the meaning of the word diaspora?
6. What is the speciality of language used in
Imaginary Homelands?
7. Who are the major diasporic writers in English?
8. What is chutnification?
9. Cosmopolitanism one of the major themes of the
essay Imaginary Homelands. What is cosmopolitanism?
10. The Dean’s December is a novel by?

Paragraph questions
1. Compare Rushdie’s exuberant style of writing and
a playful, highly experimental use of language in his
fictional work and simple, lucid and lively style of the
essay Imaginary Homelands
2. Explain the depiction of post-colonial theme in the
essay Imaginary Homelands
3. How does Midnight Children become a post-
modern work?
4. What is the relation between memory and
literature according to Rushdie?
5. Explain the concept of translated man?
Essay questions
1. Write about the thematical concerns of Salman
Rushdie’s Imaginary Homelands
2. One of the foundational concerns in the essay
“Imaginary Homelands” is Rushdie’s desire to reclaim his
‘homeland’ through his literary exercises how does he
achieves it?

SECTION THREE
The Fortune Teller

R.K.Narayan
Introduction
R.K.Narayanan, the creator of the fictional land Malgudy
is a pioneer figure in the arena of Indian English fiction
writing. Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayanswami, who
preferred the shortened name R.K. Narayan, was born in
Madras, India, on Oct. 10, 1906. His father, an educator,
travelled frequently, and his mother was frail, so Narayan
was raised in Madras by his grandmother and an uncle.
His grandmother inspired in young Narayan a passion for
language and for people. He attended Christian Mission
School and later Maharaja’s college in Mysore. He
married Rajam, who died 1939 due to typhoid. Popular
cartoonist R.K.Laxmanwas his younger brother. He
presented his own life in a humorous way through his
works. And that life of a middle- class Indian man
attracted a huge reading public. Narayan tried his hand at
different professions like as a teacher, an editorial
assistant, and a newspaperman and eventually realised the
fact that his actual profession is writing. But he struggled
a lot to attain a publisher. Narayan's mentor and friend
Graham Greene was instrumental in getting publishers for
Narayan's first four books including the semi-
autobiographical trilogy of Swami and Friends, The

Bachelor of Arts and The English Teacher.Narayan's

stories begin with realistic settings and everyday
happenings in the lives of a cross-section of Indian
society, with characters of all classes. Gradually fate or
chance, oversight or blunder, transforms mundane events
to preposterous happenings. Unexpected disasters befall
the hero as easily as unforeseen good fortune. The
characters accept their fates with an equanimity that
suggests the faith that things will somehow turn out
happily, whatever their own motivations or actions. His
first novel, SwamiandFriends (1935), is an episodic
narrative recounting the adventures of a group of
schoolboys. Among the best-received of Narayan’s 34
novels are The English Teacher (1945), Waiting for the
Mahatma (1955), The Guide (1958), The Man-Eater of
Malgudi (1961), The Vendor of Sweets (1967), and A
Tiger for Malgudi (1983). Narayan also wrote a number
of short stories; collections include Lawley Road (1956),
A Horse and Two Goats and Other Stories (1970), Under
the Banyan Tree and Other Stories (1985), and The
Grandmother’s Tale (1993) he also published shortened
modern prose versions of two Indian epics, The
Ramayana (1972) and The Mahabharata (1978).
Narayan wrote his first novel, Swami and Friends, in
1935, in it, he invented the small south Indian city of
Malgudi, a literary microcosm that critics later compared
to William Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County. More than
a dozen novels and many short stories that followed were
set in Malgudi. Malgudi was a portmanteau of two
Bangalore localities - Malleshwaram and Basavanagudi.
Narayan has successfully portrayed Malgudi as a

microcosm of India. Malgudi is located on the banks of

Sarayu river near the also fictional Mempi forest.
Summary of the story

An Astrologer's Day' was first published in the newspaper
'The Hindu'. Afterwards it was made the title story of a
collection of short stories, which appeared in 1947.
It is the story of an astrologer who has no knowledge in
astrology in reality.The astrologer has set up his little shop
amidst a busy marketplace among people fencing stolen
goods, presenting the same cheap food as a variety of
gourmet delicacies, and auctioning off low-quality
fabrics. The astrologer, quickly established as a fraud, is
in the company of other fraudsters and spin doctors selling
their wares and making their livings. The marketplace is
lit by various shop lights and flares, the dancing shadows
of which enhance the astrologer’s mystical quality. He
notably has no light of his own, but simply borrows that
of the other vendors.The astrologer had never had any
intention of becoming one, but had been forced to leave
his ancestral home and travel several hundred miles away
with no plan and no money. Even so, he is a convincing
holy man, using his own insights into human problems to
offer vague but comforting advice to people in the market.
He functions as a sort of therapist, offering self-affirming
advice that he wraps in the guise of astrological wisdom.
He is good at his trade; he tells people what they want to
hear, and they leave comforted by it. Though it is not an
honest living that the astrologer makes, it is still a well-
earned one.

One evening a stranger named Guru Nayak appears. In the

darkness, neither can see much of the other’s face. Seeing
the opportunity for one more client, the astrologer invites
Guru Nayak to sit and chat. The stranger does so, but is
instantly skeptical of the astrologer. He aggressively
wagers that the astrologer cannot tell him anything true or
worthwhile. They haggle over the price and the astrologer
agrees. However, when Guru Nayak lights a cheroot, the
astrologer catches a brief glimpse of the man’s face and is
filled with fear. He tries to get out of the wager, but Guru
Nayak holds him to it and will not let him leave.
The astrologer tries his usual tack of vague, self-affirming

advice, but Guru Nayak will have none of it. The
astrologer sincerely prays for a moment, and then changes
course. He reveals to Guru Nayak that he knows he was
once stabbed through the chest and left for dead, and that
now Guru Nayak is here searching for his assailant. He
even reveals that he knows Guru Nayak’s name,
something he attributes to his cosmic wisdom. Guru
Nayak is greatly excited by all of this, believing the
astrologer to truly be all-knowing. He presses the
astrologer for the whereabouts of the man who stabbed
him so that he can have his revenge. The astrologer tells
him that he died several months ago, crushed by an
oncoming lorry. Guru Nayak is frustrated by this, but
satisfied that at least his attacker died terribly. He gives
the astrologer his money and leaves.The astrologer arrives
home late at night and shows his wife the money he has
made, becoming briefly bitter when he realizes that
although Guru Nayak has paid him a great sum, it is not
quite as much as promised. Even so, his wife is thrilled.

As they lie down to sleep, the astrologer reveals to his
wife that a great burden has been lifted off of his
shoulders. Years ago, the astrologer was the one to stab
Guru Nayak and leave him for dead, which forced him to
flee his home and make a new life as a fraudulent
astrologer. He had thought himself to be a murderer, but
was now content that he had not in fact taken a life.
Satisfied by this, he goes to sleep. The story is told in third
person point of view.

1. What are the tools possessed by the astrologer?
2. What are the symbols used by the writer in the
story?
3. Which point of view is used in the story/
4. What is the name of the stranger who came to visit
the astrologer?
5. Who was actually stabbed Guru Nayak?
6. What was the fee the astrologer asked?
7. What was the lie told by the astrologer to Guru
Nayak?
8. What is cowry shell?
9. “His forehead was resplendent with sacred ash and
vermillion, and his eyes sparkled with a sharp abnormal
gleam” which character is described here?
10. Where does the astrologer is seated?
Paragraph questions
1. Write a short note about the language used by
R.K.Narayan in AnAstrologer’s Day
2. How does the astrologer’s appearance help him
attract customers? How does he help the customers satisfy
their needs?Prepare a character analysis of the astrologer
3. Why does he advise the stranger to go home
immediately?
4. Analyze the conflicts in “An Astrologer’s Day.”
5. Write about the irony and contrast in the story
Essay questions
1.Analyse the humour and pathos which are the
specialities of R.K.Narayan’s stories focusing on An
Astrologer’s Day
2. compare and contrast the stories An Astrologer’s
DayandThe Financial ExpertbyR.K.Narayan

Laburnum for my Head

TemsulaAo
Introduction
TemsulaAo is an India poet, short story writer and
ethnographer. She is a retired Professor of English at
North Eastern Hill University. She was born in October
1945 at Jorhat, Assam. studied at Ridgeway Girls' High
School, Golaghat. She received her B.A with Distinction
from Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung, Nagaland, and M.A
in English from Gauhati University, Assam. From English
and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, she
received her Post Graduate Diploma in the Teaching of
English and PhD from NEHU. From 1992 to 1997 she
served as Director, North East Zone Cultural Centre,
Dimapur on Deputation from NEHU, and was Fulbright
Fellow at the University of Minnesota. She received
Padma Shri award in 2007 and Sahitya Academy Award
in 2013. When she was in the University of Minnesota as
a Fulbright fellow, she came in contact with the Native
Americans. She learned about their culture, heritage and
especially their oral tradition. This exposure inspired her
to record the oral tradition of her own community, Ao
Naga. After returning from the University of Minnesota,
she worked on the oral tradition for about twelve years.
She collected the myths, folktales, folklore, rituals, law,
custom, belief system. This ethnographic work was
published in 1999 as the Ao-Naga oral tradition from

Bhasha Publications, Baroda. This book is the most

authentic document about the Ao-Naga community.
Temsula has published five poetic collections they are,
Songs That Tell Songs that Try to Say, Songs of Many
Moods, Songs from Here and There, Songs from The
Other Life. These Hills Called Home: Stories from the
War Zone, Laburnum for My Head are the two short story
collections by TemsulaAo. Henry James' Quest for an
Ideal Heroine is work of literary criticism by her.
Laburnum for My Head (2009) is the collection of eight
short stories by Indian author TemsülaAo. The stories are
about the lives of people from the vibrant and troubled
region of Nagaland in northeast India. The collection
includes, Laburnum for My Head, Death of a Hunter, The
Letter, Three Women, A Simple Question, Sonny, Flight.
Her writing addresses important issues like the question
of regional identity or cultural identity in a land that has
been in a continuous swathe with ethnic diversity, who
share a common history, and how violence has seeped into
the literature to breed a gut- wrenching contemporary
mélange of content and essence of identity. Hailing from
the region, she delivers an extremely sensible almost first-
hand like experience of the happenings in the region in her
writing that is so evocative at the same time.
Summary of the short story Laburnum for My Head
It is about a widow’s fascination for the Laburnum tree
(‘Amaltas’ in Hindi) to the extent that she wants it to be
planted on her grave instead of having the customary
tombstone of marble or granite. The story cocks a snook
at all human aspirations of attaining immortality. The

writer says, “This consecrated ground has thus become

choked with the specimens of human conceit`85. But
nature has a way of upstaging even the hardest rock and
granite edifices fabricated by man.” Lentina, the
protagonist, is enchanted with this tree because she
associates it with femininity and humility, unlike the
garish gulmohars with their bright orange flowers. She
goes to great lengths to fulfil her wish, antagonising her
children and her kith and kin in the process. It is beautiful
story, narrated with a great deal of tenderness and
compassion.
Lentina was widowed after her husband passed away
quietly in his sleep before any proper diagnosis could be
made of his strange disease. She befriended her driver
Babu who had been employed for more years than she
remembers and made him her confidant. Her sacrosanct
secret was an ‘epiphanic sensation’ to have a laburnum
tree planted at her grave, one which would live on over
her remains instead of a silly headstone. Lentina broke all
conventions in confiding in an ‘outsider’ over her own
sons and daughters about the spot where she wanted to be
buried in the cemetery. This momentous decision was
followed by her stretching of hand to Babu and leaning to
him on their way back home as if to hint that a beautiful
bond of intense understanding between the two was in the
making. Their mother’s ‘crazy’ plan did not go down well
with her children of course. The usurping of ‘rights’ by a
mere driver left them sulking. Lentina pacified them with
deft and crafty manipulation of her knowledge. Likewise,
she also satisfied the members of Town Committee over
issue about ‘ownership’ of her plot, settling it on her own
terms. Later, in ripe old age after bouts of illness could not

deter her determination to see the laburnum for her head

bloom before she breathed her last, she proceeded on her
apparently routine outing that eventually turned out to be
her last to see the phenomenon she had waited all her life;
the sight of the luxuriant blossoms on her small laburnum
tree. On reaching home, Lentina shook hands with Babu
thanking and blessing him, as if in a symbolic gesture to
end the bond which had bonded the two because after that
day, Lentina had a self-imposed isolation for five days and
retired from life, a satisfied ‘recovered patriarchal
woman’ whose self-confidence and assertiveness
undermined the qualities of women as self-effacing and
being submissive. The next morning when the maid
knocked on Lentina’s door with the morning tea, there
was no answer. She knocked again but only silence
greeted her. She entered the room and found Lentina
stretched on the bed; she seemed to be sleeping soundly.
Putting the tray on the bed-side table, the maid said gently,
‘Madam, I’ve brought tea.’ She went and drew the
curtains as usual but when she came near the bed, she
noticed a certain stiffness in the body and an unusual
valour on the oldon the old lady’s face. Distinctly
alarmed, she went out and urgently called the others, the
sons, their wives and all the servants. They all came
rushing, except Babu, who stood near a post, crying like a
baby. Lentina attempted at self-representation, to be
understood “a transaction between speaker and listener”,
the subaltern speaking, which is indeed ‘something
extraordinary’. So ends the story of the un-dramatic life
of an ordinary woman who cherished one single
passionate wish that a humble laburnum tree should
bloom once a year on her crown.

In Literature, Man –Nature relationship has a long

ancestry and the vast corpus of literary texts reflect the
interplay of man and nature. There are many ways in
which this dynamic relationship determine man’s thought
and activities. This is also shown in this short story.

1. TemsulaAo is a ------- writer.
2. Who is the protagonist of the story Laburnum of
myHead?
3. What is only wish?
4. What is ethnography?
5. How does the story begin?
6. How many stories are there in the collection
Laburnum of myHead? Give the titles also
7. What is described as an epiphanic sensation in the
story?
8. Who is Babu in the story?
Paragraph questions
1. Whatare the specialities of the language used by
Temsula in Laburnum of myHead?
2. How does the writer has depicted the relation
between nature and human beings in Laburnum of
myHead

3. What are the specialities of the bond between

Lentina and Babu?
4. Write a character sketch of the protagonist,
Lentina in the story
5. What are the cultural markers in the story?
Essay questions
1. Lentina in the story Laburnum of myHeadis a very
strong feminist figure, who lives according to her own
wishes. Substantiate.
2. Women have close association with natural
resources in day-to-day life. Women’s perspectives about
nature are different from men’s perspectives. Eco-
feminist analysis offers a scope for examining the intricate
relationship between women and nature. Attempt an Eco-
feminist reading of TemsulaAo’sstoryLaburnum of
myHead
The Interpreter of Maladies

Jhumpa Lahiri
Introduction
Jhumpa Lahiri, English-born American novelist and
short-story writer whose works illuminate the immigrant
experience, in particular that of East Indians. She was
born, on July 11, 1967in London and raised in Rhode
Island. Her by namewasNilanjanaSudeshnaLahiri. Her

parents were Bengalis who settled in England.

Nevertheless, they remained committed to their East
Indian culture and determined to rear their children with
experience of and pride in their cultural heritage.Lahiri
graduated with a B.A. in English literature from Barnard
College and obtained three master’s degrees (in English,
creative writing, and comparative literature and arts) and
a doctorate (in Renaissance studies) from Boston
University in the 1990s. During and after her college days
she penned several short stories. The Interpreter of
Maladieswas her debut collection of short stories. The
nine stories, some set in Calcutta and others on the U.S.
East Coast, examine such subjects as the practice of
arranged marriage, alienation, dislocation, and loss of
culture and provide insight into the experiences of Indian
immigrants as well as the lives of people in Calcutta. It
won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in 2000 and
PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction. In 2003, she
tried her hand at novel writing and published The
Namesake which was later adapted as a film in 2006. In
2013 came her another path breaking novel named The
Lowland which chronicles the divergent paths of two
Bengali brothers. She has also published a work in Italian,
In altre parole (In Other Words), a meditation on her
immersion in another culture and language. Lahiri's
writing is characterized by her "plain" language and her
characters, often Indian immigrants to America who must
navigate between the cultural values of their homeland
and their adopted home. Lahiri's fiction is
autobiographical and frequently draws upon her own
experiences as well as those of her parents, friends,
acquaintances, and others in the Bengali communities
with which she is familiar. Lahiri examines her characters'
struggles, anxieties, and biases to chronicle the nuances

and details of immigrant psychology and behaviour.
Summary of The Interpreter of Maladies

The Interpreter of Maladiesis a story written by
Jhumpa Lahiri which was first published in Agni review
and later became the part of a volume with same title.
Similar to Lahiri’s other stories this also depicts the
rootlessness and the conflicts of a migrant community.
Mr. Kapasi, a middle-aged Indian tour guide, escorts Mr.
and Mrs. Das and their three children, a young Indian
American family from New Jersey who are on a
sightseeing holiday in India, to the Sun Temple at
Konarak. It is a bright, hot Saturday in mid-July. Mr.
Kapasi and the family make conversation as they stop at
a tea stall. When they resume their trip, monkeys dash
across the road, and Mr. Das takes some photos. Mr. Das
and his wife bicker about the hired car's lack of air
conditioning.Mr. Kapasi holds down another job during
the week. He works as a translator in a doctor's office,
helping the doctor understand the symptoms and
complaints of Gujarati patients who do not speak the local
language. (Gujaratis are originally from the state of
Gujarat in northwestern India, hundreds of miles away
from Puri and Konarak, which are located in the eastern
state of Odisha.) He thus serves as an "interpreter of
maladies." Mrs. Das comments that Mr. Kapasi's job
sounds "romantic."In a brief flashback, Mr. Kapasi
reflects on his job as an interpreter. As a self-educated
young man, he had hoped to build a more impressive
career as a consequential intermediary between diplomats
and dignitaries. Instead, his employment by the doctor
sprang from an agonizing family experience: the death of
his son from typhoid. Mr. Kapasi feels his wife has no
respect for his job as a translator. It flatters him that Mrs.
Das pays him attention, and he wonders if Mrs. Das, like
himself, is caught in an unhappy marriage.The group
stops for lunch at a roadside restaurant, and Mr. Das takes
more pictures. Mrs. Das asks Mr. Kapasi for his address
so the family can send him some copies of the photos. He
writes his address on a scrap of paper, which Mrs. Das
drops into her handbag. The encounter, as well as the
previous conversation, triggers a fantasy in which Mr.
Kapasi anticipates a special relationship with Mrs.
Das.The tourists arrive at the 13th-century Sun Temple in
Konarak shortly after lunch. The temple is a stunning
sight: a pyramid-like structure in the form of a chariot,
with 24 giant wheels. According to Mr. Kapasi, the
wheels symbolize the wheel of life. The medallion friezes
in the spokes of the wheels are elaborately carved with
women in erotic poses. The interior of the temple is
inaccessible, since it has been filled with rubble for many
years. Mr. Kapasi proudly shows off the statues of Surya,
the sun-God, to Mrs. Das. He fantasizes that she will send
him a letter from back home in America within the next
six weeks.In the late afternoon, Mr. Kapasi drives the
family back toward Puri, where their hotel is located. In
order to extend his time with them, however, he
recommends they make a detour to Udayagiri and
Khandagiri in order to see the monastic dwellings there.
Once they have arrived, Mr. Das explores the hills with
the children. Mrs. Das, however, remains in the car,
remarking that the numerous monkeys unnerve her and
complaining that her legs are tired.Mr. Kapasi says he will
join the family, but Mrs. Das asks him to stay at the car.
She then makes a wholly unexpected revelation. Mr. Das,
she says, is not the real father of their boy Bobby. Instead,
Bobby is the result of a secret extramarital affair—a
liaison that Mrs. Das entered into with one of her
husband's friends. For eight years now, Mrs. Das has
suffered from guilt and painful depression. She asks Mr.
Kapasi for help in his capacity as an "interpreter."Mr.
Kapasi is shocked and somewhat insulted at Mrs. Das's
request. Still, he feels it is his duty to be honest. He asks
her whether it is really pain or guilt that she feels. She
takes his question amiss and suddenly leaves the car,
walking up the pathway and leaving a trail of puffed rice
grains in her wake. The food attracts the monkeys, who
converge threateningly on Bobby. Mr. Kapasi chases the
monkeys away in the nick of time, and the family returns
to their car. When Mrs. Das retrieves a hairbrush from her
straw bag to straighten Bobby's hair, the slip of paper with
Mr. Kapasi's address flutters away in the wind.
Interpreter of Maladies is told from third-person limited
point of view—that is, the story is told by an objective
narrator who reveals the perceptions of Mr. Kapasi’s
perceptions but not those of the other characters
Significance of title
The expression ‘InterpreterofMaladies’ suggests
clarifying or explaining ailments of the body, mind, or
moral. The character Mr.Kapasi, the tour guide has
another role in his life, job of the interpreter of different
maladies in a doctor’s chamber. In fact, his assignment
was to learn the nature of ailment of an ordinary Gujrati
patient and to explain that in English to the doctor who
did not know Gujrati. Here in this story Mr. Kapasi’s
function has nothing to do with as an Interpreter in
Doctor’s chamber but his major role is associated as an

interpreter while acting as a tour-guide to Das family.Mrs.
Das told him deep secret and a great moral lapse in her
life. Mrs. Das confessed the hard truth that her son Bobby
had not been the child of Mr. Das. Mr. Kapasi was stunned
and could hardly believe what he had heard. And she
demands an interpretation of her lifelong dilemma
regarding this. Though Mrs. Das would not get any proper
remedy from Mr. Kapasi, the interpreter yet his candid
confession to him could relieve his mental stress. Initially
Mr. Kapasi felt astonished why a lady is disclosing this
serious secret to a mere tourist-guide. After all, Mr.
Kapasi used to act as an interpreter of maladies. That
secret was tormenting her dreadfully. It was nothing less
than a psychological malady of a patient.

1. Who is the interpreter of maladies in the story The
Interpreter of Maladies?
2. What is the point of view used in the narration of
the story?
3. What is the profession of Mr.Kapsi?
4. What is the major ailment of Mrs.Das?
5. Where is the tourist destination of Das family?
6. What is the reason for fight between Mr. and
Mrs.Das at the beginning of the story?
7. What are the names of the children?
8. How does the story ends?
9. Why does Mr.Kapsi is called as interpreter of

maladies?
10. What are the major symbols in the story?
(Hints- camera, Mrs.Das’ puffed rice, the names etc)
Paragraph questions
1. Write a brief note regarding the peculiarities of the
character of Mr.Kapsi
2. Write about the point of view used in the story The
Interpreter of Maladies?
3. Cultural clash in The Interpreter of Maladies
4. The ending of the story
5. Critically evaluate the psychological aspects of the
story
Essay questions
1. Theme of the story The Interpreter of Maladies
2. “The family looked Indian but dressed as
foreigners did, the children in stiff, brightly coloured
clothing and caps with translucent visors.” Identify the
cultural conflicts in the story substantiate it with enough
examples.

SECTION FOUR
DRAMA & FILM
Fire and the Rain

Girish Karnad
Introduction
Girish Karnad is Indian playwright, author, actor, and film
director whose movies and plays, written largely in
Kannada, explore the present by way of the past. He was
born on born May 19, 1938, Matheran, Bombay
Presidency [now in Maharashtra], India. He finished his
graduation from Karnataka University and went for
Oxford with Rhodes scholarship. From there he wrote his
first play, Yayati which was centred on the story of a
mythological king, the play established Karnad’s use of
the themes of history and mythology that would inform
his work over the following decades. His second play was
Tughlaquewhichtells the story of the 14th-century sultan
Muḥammadbin Tughluq and remains among the best
known of his works. In his one-act radio drama,
MaNisada (1964), Karnad emphasises the importance of
the ordinary man for the hero Rama within the Ramayana.
In his third major play, Hayavadana (1971), Karnad
draws on a tale from the Kathasaritsagara, and its
adaptation in Thomas Mann’s TheTransposedHeads.
Apart from being one of the most important Indian

playwrights today, Girish Karnad is also a film-maker
whose films have received much acclaim. But it has been
his work in television, as actor and host of a science
programme, which has made him a household name in
India. But Girish Karnad’s career does not stop even here.
His further positions include: Director of the Film and
Television Institute of India in Pune (1974-5), President
of the Karnataka NatakaAkademi (1976-8).
Karnad was awarded with Jnanapith and Kalidas samman
for his contributions in literature. He was conferred
Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan by the Government of
India and won four Filmfare Awards.
Karnad made his acting as well as screenwriting debut in
a Kannada movie, Samskara (1970), based on a novel by
U.R. Ananthamurthy and directed by Pattabhirama
Reddy. That movie won the first President’s Golden Lotus
Award for Kannada cinema.Some of his famous Kannada
movies include TabbaliyuNeenadeMagane,
OndanonduKaladalli, Cheluvi and Kaadu and most recent
film KanooruHeggaditi (1999), based on a novel by
Kannada writer Kuvempu.His Hindi movies include
Nishaant, Manthan, Swami and Pukar. He has acted in a
number of Nagesh Kukunoor films, starting with Iqbal,
where Karnad’s role of the ruthless cricket coach got him
critical acclaim. This was followed by Dor, 8 x 10 Tasveer
and Aashayein. He played a key role in movies “EkTha
Tiger”(2012) and its sequel “Tiger Zinda Hai”(2017)
produced by Yash Raj
Films.

For four decades Karnad composed plays, often using

history and mythology to tackle contemporary issues. He
translated his plays into English and received acclaim.His
major plays which were translated into English are
Tughlaq, Hayavadana, Yayati, Nagamandala: Play with
Cobra, Fire and the Rain, Bali: The Sacrifice, Tale
Danda, Wedding Album and Boiled Beans. Karnad has
also written number of plays in Kannada. He was died on
10th June 2019.
Summary of the play Fire and the Rain

The play was originally written in Kannada in 1995 and
later in 1998 translated to English by the playwright
himself. Itdisplays theunmitigated violence arising from
selfishness, greed, and sinfulness.The entire play depicts
the negative impulses of a human being such as anger,
violence, bloodshed, jealousy, pride, false knowledge, the
intense feeling of hostility, hatred, greed, treachery and
revenge. Karnad finds the myth quite relevant to the
contemporary society. The play communicates the
message that abuse of knowledge ultimately leads to the
destruction of the world. It vividly portrays the conflict
between the Brahmin traditional community and the
benevolent tribal community. The former is rigid and
ritualistic (symbolized by “fire”) whereas the latter is
community-oriented and life-giving (symbolized by
“rain”).The title of the play is used aptly and suggestively.
The Brahminic culture is fire which destroys everything
and the tribal culture is rain which gives and sustains life.
The play ids divided into three acts along with an epilogue
and prologue. The play occurs in a small region of India
long ago that has experienced a lack of rain for ten years.
The king proposed to propitiate the Gods through fire
sacrifice. So that God would be pleased and send rain to

the parched land. In this fire sacrifice Paravasu the son of
a learned Brahmin Raibhya, was appointed as the Chief
Priest. The play opens with the representative of an actor`s
group expressing their desire to give a dramatic
performance as a means of entertainment for the Gods.
After much discussion the group is given permission to
perform at the fire sacrifice. The play performed by this
group of actors has a dual audience. First group
performing the fire sacrifices as well as the survivors of
the drought stricken kingdom. Second group the actual
audience watching the play. In this sense the play
performed by the group of actors is the play incorporated
within the main frame of the play „The Fire and the Rain’
Meanwhile, Paravasu‟s younger brother Aravasu is
romancing Nittali. Aravasu is a Brahmin, but Nittilai is of
a lower cast, and there is a difference between Brahmin
and Tribal customs. Tribals are more free, more open in
making a marriage proposal or declaration. Declaration of
being fit normal and willing to marry had to be made in
front of the entire village as per tribal customs.
Aravasu a Brahmin was unaccustomed to this idea and
was both nervous and embarrassed about following this
tribal custom. Aravasu has very clear idea about his
position with reference to his family that he is inferior and
therefore considered quite worthless by everyone. He is
also clear about the one thing that he wanted in his life is
to dance, sing, act, and be with his beloved Nittilai.
Paravasu has marital problems of his own, having
abandoned his spouse Vishaka, who is establishing a
liaison with Yavakri, Paravasu‟s first cousin. Yavakri,
who has just returned from ten years of meditation,

believes that Paravasu is unfit to be the high priest. His

actual behavior and words are far from those of a purified
and enlightened person. After all the penance and sacrifice
he has done with God, he continues to be a victim of lust
and desire something not acceptable from an enlightened
monk.
Thus the reality turns out to be that Yavakri is not very
different from what he was 10 years. For all the apparent
„knowledge‟ he is said to have acquired, is as ignorant
and uncontrolled and coarse as he was before. He does not
have the mastery of controlling his emotions and desires.
All his knowledge is incapable of making him realize
what was inappropriate in speech and acts. Through this
the playwright raises the issue of knowledge versus
wisdom. Blind Rabiya the father of both Paravasu and
Aravasu, summon a demon to kill Yavakri, and asks
Vishaka to save her lover by asking him to remain in his
house for the whole day. After hearing her father-in-law
words, Vishakha seeks Aravasu‟s help. When Aravasu
reaches the place of Yavakri to save him from demon,
demon kills Yavakri. After finishing the funeral rites of
Yavakri, Aravasu reaches the place of Nittilai‟s village.
That is the day Nittilai‟s father has summoned the
villagers to meet Aravasu in order to approve of their
marriage. Because of cremation duties and other family
matters delay Aravasu‟s arrival in Nittilai‟s village, her
father losespatience and hands her off in marriage to the
first volunteer. There is a conflict between father and son,
selection of Paravasu at the fire sacrifice instead of the
father who is senior in knowledge, experience, wisdom
and age. Father`s opinion about the King`s choice is very
bad of worsens after he sees the son`s behavior returning

home when there is still a month left for the sacrificial rite.
Pravasu has responded Rabiya that if he returns back to
the ritual in the morning no one would know. The father
was shocked at this response because of the foolishness of
the response during sacrificial rites were more for the sake
of self and God and not for the public.
Soon, Paravusu kills Raibhya because he disrupted the
sacrifice by killing Yavakri and he had behaved
indecently with his daughter-in-law Vishakha. Hence
according to Paravasu, Raibhya his father deserved to die.
He asks Aravasu that he has to return to preside over the
yajana and cannot leave the precincts of the sacrifice
before the completion of the tenure. Arvasu complies with
the orders of his brother which results in his being accused
of murder and beaten almost to death. A dying Aravasu is
rescued by the actor manager and nursed back to health
by his beloved Nittilai. The care and concern shown by
Nittilai in his hour of need lends a healing touch to Arvasu
who had been wounded emotionally and physically by his
brother. Arvasu wanted to take revenge for the betrayal by
his brother because he was convinced that the chain of
events that had occurred recently happened because he
was about to reject his caste by getting married to Nittilai.
The two deaths and their outcome had driven him away
from Nittilai. Paravasu revenges his brother in two ways,
one by denying his permission to act and by creating
circumstances in which he could not get married to
Nittilai. Nittilai who belonged to a hunter tribe that was
very close to nature was full of practical common sense.
She dissuaded Arvasu from the idea of revenge, because
she sincerely thought that there would only be more
bloodshed if Arvasu tried to take revenge. This would

only lead to more sorrow and suffering. The bloodshed of

revenge did not have the capacity to set right or change in
any way anything that had gone wrong. Her advice was to
leave things as they were so that suffering might be
minimized. When Aravasu regains his strength, he
performs in a play wearing a mask in front of Paravasu,
the priest, and the villagers. At a dramatic point in the
play, Aravasu deviates from the script to burn down the
temple, killing Paravasu, while villagers from Nittilai find
her in the audience and slay her. With dying Nittilai in
Aravasu‟s arms, the God Indra suddenly appears, offering
to grant Aravasu a single wish. Although he could ask to
rain, Aravasu clearly wants Nittilai alive. Indra says that
such a wish would reverse time, but ultimately the same
events would repeat. Then the demon who killed Yavakri
appears, begging Aravasu to ask Indra for his release from
a condition in which he can neither live normally nor die
peacefully. Aravasu then asks Indra for the demon‟s
freedom, reasoning that Nittilai would have made the
same decision. Rain falls in abundance.

1. Name three major plays by Girish Karnad
2. Where is the play The Fire and the Rainset?
3. What is the problem faced by the people of the
kingdom?
4. Who is appointed as the chief in fire sermon?
5. How does the play The Fire and the Rainbegin?
6. Who is the father of Paravasu and Aravasu?
7. Who kills Raibhaya and for what?

8. Who rescues Aravasu and who brings back him to
life?
9. Why Nittilai discourages Aravasu to take
revenge?
10. How does Aravasu takes revenge to Paravasu?
11. Which dialogue rings throughout the play
frequently voicing the puzzled fury and heart-rending
agony of betrayal by a worshipped brother?
12. The Fire and the Rainis a play based on the myth
of?
Paragraph questions
1. Writeabout the myths and their representation in
the playThe Fire and the Rain
2. How the brahmin community and the tribal
community are presented differently in Karnad’s play?
3. What is the symbolic relevance of fire and rain in
the play?
4. Write about the gender depiction in the play.
5.Write about the epilogue, plot structure actor character
duality represented in

Charulatha
Satyajith Ray
Introduction
Satyajit Ray was an Indian film director, scriptwriter,
documentary filmmaker, author, essayist, lyricist,
magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and music
composer. He was born on 2 May 1921.Being India’s first
and only Oscar-winning director, Ray started his career as
a graphic artist before heading to London to realise his
passion for filmmaking. He directed 36 films, including
feature films, documentaries and telly films. He was also
a fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, graphic designer and
film critic. He brought the Indian cinema to world
recognition with PatherPanchali (The Song of the Road)
and its two sequels, known as the ApuTrilogy.As a
director, Ray was noted for his humanism, his versatility,
and his detailed control over his films and their music. He
was one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century.Ray
directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries
and shorts and authored several short stories and novels,
primarily for young children and teenagers. Feluda, the
sleuth, and Professor Shonku, the scientist in his science
fiction stories, TariniKhuro, the storyteller and
LalmohanGanguly, the novelist are popular fictional
characters created by him.His first film, PatherPanchali
(1955), won eleven international prizes, including Best
Human Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival and an
honorary Academy Award in 1992. Ray was also
honoured with the Bharat Ratna in 1992 by the
Government of India.Ray is best known for his cult
filmsPatherPanchali, Nayaka, Aranyer Din Ratri,
Seemabaddhaa, Charulata and the Feludaseries.Most of

Ray’s characters are, of average ability and talents—
unlike the subjects of his documentary films, which
include Rabindranath Tagore (1961) and The Inner Eye
(1972). It was the inner struggle and corruption of the
conscience-stricken person that fascinated Ray:his films
primarily concern thought and feeling, rather than action
and plot.Hedied on April 23, 1992.
Plot of the movie Charulata
Charulata (1964; The Lonely Wife), a tragic love triangle

set within a wealthy, Western-influenced Bengali family
in 1879, is considered by many as Ray’s most
accomplished film. The film was based upon the 1901
novella Nastanirh (“TheBrokenNest”) by Rabindranath
Tagore. It features Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhabi
Mukherjee and SailenMukherjee.When asked by
interviewers which was his personal favourite among all
the film he had made in his 40-year-long career, Satyajit
Ray always said, ‘Charulata’ (The Lonely Wife). For
Ray, this was the film with the least number of defects,
the one film which he would make in exactly the same
way, if asked to again. Today, it is Charulata — along
with the Apu Trilogy — that acts as a representative of
Ray’s entire body of work.The film is an adaptation of a
novella titled Nashtanirh (The Broken Nest) written by
Rabindranath Tagore. Set in the late 19th century, it tells
the story of a young, intelligent, educated and beautiful
woman named Charulata. She is the wife of an affluent,
upper class Bengali gentleman named Bhupati. A product
of the renaissance of Bengal, Bhupati is an out-and-out
liberal, and runs an English language newspaper named

‘The Sentinel’ — aimed at criticising the unfair practices
of the British government in India. Bhupati and Charu’s
marriage is a childless one, and the man has very little
time for his wife. However, he loves his wife dearly,
encouraging her inherent artistic talents to flourish. Charu
spends her days reading and supervising domestic
chores.Amidst this scene, arrives like a hurricane (quite
literally) Bhupati’s cousin Amal — a jovial, free-spirited
young man, fresh out of college, with no ambition in life
other than the pursuit of his literary aspirations. Bhupati
entrusts his cousin with the responsibility of nurturing
Charu’s artistic talents. Amal and Charu, both of the same
age, and more friends than relatives, begin to spend time
together. But as the days go by, Charu begins to fall in
love with Amal.Umapada and Manda flee after scamming
Bhupati of his money, destroying the prospects for the
newspaper. Bhupati confides in Amal as the only one he
can trust. Overcome by guilt and shame, Amal goes to
England for higher studies and to marry, leaving behind a
letter for Charu who is left heartbroken. Charu is shocked
and dejected, and seeing her lament the void that Amal
has left behind in her life, Bhupati realises the truth. The
man and his wife are now left behind to reconcile — to
pick up the pieces and rebuild the broken nest. The couple
extend their hands towards each other but the film ends
before their hands meet.
Ray and Tagore were inspired by the subtleties of change

in people’s lives and the complexities within
relationships. Both were not consciously feminist;
however, they were concerned with social reform and the

female point-of-view. Many of Tagore’s stories feature
women who, in their contexts and even today, remain
dynamic and progressive. However, unlike Tagore, whose
perspective was clouded by Victorian ideals, Ray was
more concerned with the state of Bengali women in the
local context.ThroughCharulataRay’sfilm making shows
that the female gaze is not about the reversal of the male
gaze or everyday stereotypes about women or having
female film-maker, but about a reflection of how a woman
in whatever context sees the world around her.
1.Charulata was based on the story?
2.what is the name of Charulata’shusband?
3. what is the meaning of the word charulata?
4. who is Amal?
5. Which films are included in Appu trilogy?
6. What is the meaning of the word Nastanirh?
7. What is the profession of Bhupati?
8. Who provides Charulata with much needed intellectual
companionship and attention?
9. Why did Amal leave Charulata?
10.How does the film end?
11.Which song does Charu sing looking at Amal?
12. What was the name of Bhupati’s news-paper?
13. who steals Bhupati’s money?
Paragraph questions
1. What is the significance of music in the film
Charulata?
2. Write about the setting and interior features used
in the film Charulata?
3. Write about the tributes made by the later film
directors to charulata?
4. How does Charulata become a classic story of a
lonely young wife?
5. Prepare a character analysis of Charulata and how
Madhabi Mukherjee portrayed that role?
6. Briefly write about the visual narrative of
Charulata.
Essay questions
1. It is virtually impossible to place a finger on one
thing that makes Charulata one of Ray’s finest films. With
so many elements coming together to elevate the film to
the height that it has achieved today.How does Charulata
become a typical Satyajit Ray film?
2. In Charulata, Satyajit Ray does not impose his
gaze onto his heroine, but instead he allows her to see and
view the world in the way she wants despite societal
restrictions. Analyse the film Charulata on the basis of
Laura Mulvey’s theory of female gaze.
*****

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INDIAN WRITING IN

2019 Admission onwards

INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH

Indian writing in English 2

Indian writing in English 3

Syllabus for ENGB10 Indian writing in English

Indian writing in English 4

Gitanjali and The Gardener

Indian writing in English 5

in social reforms. He also started an experimental school

shortly before his death in 1941. Tagore also left

Some important quotes from Tagore

8. “The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has

Indian writing in English 7

Summary of the poem

Indian writing in English 8

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country

Summary of the poem

A person who is truly independent should be allowed to

Indian writing in English 9

exhortation. He also prays to Eeshwar, to impart reason

It is a prayer from the poetic persona for a free, liberated,

Structure, tone, poetic devices

Usually, a poem comes with many ornaments of language

Indian writing in English 10

The Gardener Verse 46- You Left Me

The Gardener is a song filled with the idea of love and

The verse 46in the collection depictsthe relation between

Youth will wane before that the speaker has so many

Indian writing in English 11

Moreover he feels that it is really sweet to sit in a corner,

The poem is written in an optimistic manner or the poet

The brevity or transitory nature of life is highlighted by

The poem is written prose like manner and Tagore has

4. In what ways the title Gitanjali is appropriate?

Indian writing in English 13

Paragraph questions from Gardener and Gitanjali

1. Explain the idea of freedom expressed in the poem

2. What are the specialities of language used in the

3. Bring out the significance of the Gitanjali and how

4. Write a short note about the poetic devices used in

5. How does poet recover from the pain of loss in

1. Explain Tagore’s vision of his country expressed

2. The Gardener presents a universal love and it is

Indian writing in English 14

Indian writing in English 15

Sarojini Naidu also led an active literary life and attracted

To capture the leaping wealth of the tide, for we are the

No longer delay, let us hasten away in the track of the

hand of the sea-god drives?

Sweet is the shade of the cocoanut glade, and the scent

Word meanings and explanations

Indian writing in English 17

Summary of the poem

Short answer questions

Indian writing in English 18

An. The wind is compared to a child that has cried all

1. What is the theme of Naidu’s poem Coromandel