About The Poet - Kamala Das

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About the poet - Kamala Das

 Kamala Das also known as Kamala Surayya was born on 31 March 1934 in

Malabar, Kerala. Popularly known by her one-time pen name

Madhavikutty and Muslim name Kamala Surayya, was an Indian English

poet as well as a leading Malayalam author from Kerala, India. Her works

are known for their originality, versatility and the indigenous flavour of

the soil. Kamala Das published many novels and short stories in English

and Malayalam under the name ‘Madhavikutty’. Some of her works in

English include the novel Alphabet of Lust (1977), a collection of short

stories Padmavati the Harlot and Other Stories (1992), in addition to five

books of poetry. She is a sensitive writer who captures the complex

subtleties of human relationships in lyrical idiom, My Mother at Sixty-six

is an example.On 31 May 2009, aged 75, she died at a hospital in Pune.


 The theme of the poem is ‘ageing’ which is the law of nature. It also depicts
the helplessness and aspirations of the young generation. It portrays the
different stages of life and how everybody grows old and faces various
situations that life throws at them. Hence, this is the central theme of the
poem My Mother At Sixty Six.

 Notice that the whole poem is in a single sentence, punctuated by commas. It


indicates a single thread of thought interspersed with observations of the real
world around and the way these are connected to the main idea
Poem
Driving from my parent's out of their homes, but after the airport's
home to Cochin last Friday security check, standing a few yards
away, I looked again at her, wan,
morning, I saw my mother,
pale
beside me, As a late winter's moon and felt that old
doze, open mouthed, her face familiar ache, my childhood's fear,
ashen like that but all I said was, see you soon,
of a corpse and realized with
Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and
pain smile......
that she was as old as she
looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the merry
children spilling
Summary
The poet was driving from her parent’s home to the Cochin airport last Friday morning.
Her mother was sitting beside her. She was sixty six years old. The old lady was dozing.
Her mouth remained open. Her face looked pale and faded. It was grey like ash. It
looked lifeless like a corpse (dead body).
The lifeless and faded face of her mother pained her heart. The old lady seemed to be
lost in her own thoughts. The poet turned away her attention from her mother and
looked outside. The world outside was full of life and activity. The young trees seemed
running fast. The children looked happy while moving out of their homes.
When they were at the airport, they had to undergo a security check. The poet was
standing a few yards away from her mother. She looked again at her old mother. She
felt pained to look at the colorless, lifeless and pale face of her mother. Her face looked
faded like the late winter’s moon which had lost its shine and strength. This aroused
the old familiar ache in the poet’s heart.Her childhood fear overpowered her again.
However, she controlled herself. She appeared to be normal She scattered smiles on
her face while saying good bye to her mother. She wished to see her old Amma again.
Key Points
 When the poet is on her way to the cochin airport with her old mother sitting beside her,
she looks at her closely and presents before us her image.
 She compares her with a corpse. As she looks at her mother’s pale and pallid face, she is
struck with the horror and pain of losing her. The mother with the dozing face and open
mouth is compared to a corpse. Here, the poet shows the typical love and affection which
is present in a mother-daughter relation.
 The poet is pained and shifts her attention outside the car in order to drive out the
negative feelings. She changes her sad mood .The scene outside the window is of growing
life and energy. The rapidly sprinting trees alongside the merrily playing children
symbolize life, youth and vitality.
 The poet here is reminded of her own childhood when her mother had been young
whereas now she is encircled with the fear of losing her and that has made her insecure.
 The poet encourages her mother through her parting words.
 The poet tries to hide her pain through her smile
Vocabulary
 Dose- drowsy, sleepy, to be half sleep.
 Ashen- very pale (of the face).
 Corpse- a dead human body.
 Spill- to run out of, to overflow.
 Wan- colourless, pale, sickly.
 Ache- pain
 Sprinting- running
Poetic Devices
 Rhyme scheme: It’s in a blank verse.
 Simile: used when an overt comparison is made between two different
things.
E.g. her face ashen like that of a corpse, wan, pale as a late winter’s moon
 Personification: used to bestow human qualities on something that is not
human. E.g. young trees
sprinting
 Metaphor: used when a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to
which it is not literally applicable. E.g. the merry children
spilling out of their homes
 Repetition: used when a word or phrase is repeated. E.g. I did
was smile and smile and smile

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