Communalism and Politics in India - Ashis Nandy

The essay starts off with the reallocation and correlation of communalism to the right examples of the related violence and affirmation that the problem is not impossible to solve.

Example 1: No. of people killed in Communal violence < No. of people killed in street crimes of the last 50 years in Detroit alone (Detroit being one of the most crime affected cities in the world).

Example 2: 2 million people killed in Partition Violence (Communal) < 5 million people killed during separatist movements in the country (non-communal)

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With an example of a family which tried to save their friend from communal violence gets to know that the son in the family was one of the soldiers working towards the main perpetration of the plan. The setting of this story is the communal riot(s) of 1992 caused because of demolition of the Babri masjid.

The main point of the essay comes out during this reading. Internal contradiction occurs which leads to a number of different facets telling us that communalism is a complex phenomenon and not so easy to deal with.

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Up until now we understand that Communalism can be extinguished but because of its complexity, each and every element has to be smartly distinguished and analysed to come up with a proper plan to exterminate communalism.

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Propositions of Communalism:-

1.       Communalism is from its roots is an urban phenomenon. Compared to the villagers there are more communal riots in cities and village city borders than in actual villages. This is something the city dwellers should learn from their “rustic, illiterate” counterparts of development.

2.       Secular issues are usually the issues due to which communal riots are caused. Due to this the non-secularism also seeps in (indirectly) giving rise to Religious issues giving rise to communal religious riots.

3.       Political parties, secretly also encourage communalism as it helps in the promotion of the individual parties and helps gain more individualised power to themselves.

4.       Some communal riots are fuelled by the fanaticism of political parties. As followers of a party get into an argument into followers of other party leading to discrimination and loose parallels.

5.       The Indian social system is traditionally community based and not individualised. So people are discriminated according to the community they are from and not their individuality.

6.       Self-hatred among Hindus is dominant and many of us might have seen such examples. Inclination to Islam or Christianity is commonly seen amongst many Hindus.

7.       Communalism fuels material based politics as the society doesn’t clearly understand (vs.) ideology based politics anymore. One must try and understand the ideas and the ideology which is trying to be established by the political party rather than just checking the growth in GDP that could be caused by them coming into power.

8.       The NRIs fuel this material based politics. This is the same situation as the Tamilians in India funding LTTE and American Jews donating Israelis if looked at properly.

9.       Communal politics seems like a way of secularizing politics.

10.   This gives rise to a new kind of political culture of flesh and not of the mind.

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Important Issues:-

·         Change in the hierarchy of castes in terms of wealth caused due to communal riots includes elevation of castes such as Kurmis, Jats, and Reddys.

·         Laws and legal matter are the only ones that can suppress communal riots.

·         Secularisation creates its own insecurities due to internal conflicts.

·         Secularisation gives rise to increased individualisation giving rise to gradual increase in absence of faith in individual communities.

·         Coalition politics or Allied politics is on the rise to secularise the country, but will it turn out to be conservationism? That is the end question.

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Riders to the Sea - John Millington Synge

‘Riders to the Sea’ is a one act tragedy, first performed in Dublin (Ireland) in 1904. The play is written by the Irish playwright John Millington Synge. The play focuses primarily on the plight of the poor rural folks in Ireland. Before I continue, I wish to state that this is far from an all-encompassing analysis of the play, but focuses more on the relatively prevalent themes throughout the piece. If you have not read the play yet, or do not have a copy, check out the following link:

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/994/994-h/994-h.htm

In the play, there are very few characters playing an important role; Maurya (The mother of the household), Michael (Her missing son), Cathleen and Nora (two of her daughters), and Bartley (Her only remaining son). The play opens with Maurya grieving over the loss of her son Michael, presumed dead at sea. Upon Maurya falling asleep, a young priest arrives at the cottage and gives Nora a parcel of clothes, recovered from a young man, washed up on the northern shore of the island for identification purposes (to see if they belong to Michael, thus confirming his death). Not wanting to further upset the already grieving mother, the daughters keep the parcel hidden, deciding to inspect the contents when the mother is not around. The remaining son Bartley is intent on going to the fair on the neighboring island to sell a horse, despite the pleading of his mother. Eventually, despite her beseeching, Bartley leaves, without taking her blessing.

Almost instantly feeling remorseful for not giving her son her blessing, Maurya, following the suggestion of her daughters, is persuaded to intercept him before he leaves to give her blessing, and a lunch prepared by the sisters. Upon Maurya’s departure, the girls open the parcel and confirm that the clothes are indeed Michael’s. Their only comfort lies in the knowledge that, owing to his being washed up in the north; he will be given a respectable Christian burial.

At this point the mother returns frightened, a result of a terrifying vision she had of Bartley’s soon coming death. The vision was of Michael (The deceased older son), riding a horse behind Bartley. This, combined with the fact that she had been unable to give Bartley her blessing, results in her certainty about Bartley’s death. Upon being told that Michael’s body has been found in the North, her only response is that at least the boards that the family had bought for Michael’s funeral could be employed for Bartley’s burial. At this point, men walk in the door of the hut, carrying the body of Bartley who had been knocked off the cliff onto the beach below by the horse he was riding. The play closes with the following chilling words of Maurya:

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“Michael has a clean burial in the far north, by the grace of the Almighty God. Bartley will have a fine coffin out of the white boards, and a deep grave surely. What more can we want than that? No man at all can be living for ever, and we must be satisfied.”

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The usage of the word “must”, in the final line is indicative of not only her, but all humans’ helplessness in the face of calamities and accidents brought on by Mother Nature. Further reading into this line of thought gives rise to the Stoic philosophy present throughout the course of the play, a theme that will be dealt with later on in the analysis.

First and foremost, before attempting to analyze the script, we must take a closer look at the history of the Irish, a recurring presence throughout the piece.

From prehistoric times up until the 11^th century, Ireland consisted of a patchwork of numerous territories, each controlled by Kings or Chieftains. Occasionally, rare as it was, a powerful ruler was acknowledged as High King of Ireland. Thus, owing to the incredulously long time in which Ireland had little to no exposure to the outside world, Ireland developed an unbelievably rich history and culture. However in the early 1100’s, French warlords (Refered to here on as Normans), invaded England, overthrowing the local British warlords (Saxons), and establishing their own command. Under the Normans, large chunks of Ireland were distributed to warlords and governors. The king of England claimed sovereignty over this entire island, labeling the island as, “The Lordship of Ireland”. (Lordship, in this context, refers to a form of colony). Under the rule of Henry the Eighth in 1541 however, Ireland was changed from a Lordship to a full Kingdom, an extension of the British kingdom. However, due to the British’s attitude of haughty sovereignty and the way that they never treated the Irish as fellow beings resulted in loathing from the Irish and disdain, towards the Celts, from the British. 

As this play sympathizes extensively with the plight of the Irish, rather than merely mock them (as was the case with most British made plays at that time), it made a mark, gaining popularity with the lower class as well as the upper class Irish. Another important aspect of the play is the way that it portrays that, even in the face of overwhelming odds and seemingly unavoidable defeat, the Irish family in the script, manages to carry on with a sense of dignity; refuting the idea of Irish being sub-human and savage (as was the colonial view held by most British at that point of time).

Another important theme of the play is the ruthlessness of the sea in the dispatching of Maurya’s family members, primarily her husband and sons. As we can see by reading the play, the roles of Genders are rigid in the family depicted. Women tend to cooking and household chores, whereas men tend to fishing, trading and farming. The death of her last remaining son Bartley, ends the play on an incredulously depressing note, not just because of the bond of family and the grief of the survivors, but because there is little to no hope for the remaining family members: owing to the clear-cut gender roles in society, a family consisting fully of women would find it exceptionally hard to make a living.

The aspect of the language difference is an important one throughout the play. In stark contrast to the other contemporary plays, ‘Riders to the Sea’, is written (and intended to be enacted in) the Gaelic English style. Gaelic (or Irish), the traditional language of Ireland is entirely different from English and is spoken even today in much of Non-UK Ireland. (Clip of an Irish TV reporter):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR5YS7k9eL8

Thus, many of the so called ‘Irish Slangs’, are no more than colloquial Irish phrases having lost a substantial amount of their essence in translation. As can be seen by even a quick glance at the play, the difference in the English used is prominent. By styling the characters’ language after the traditional Gaelic tongue, the writer seeks to comment on the richness and beauty of, not only the Irish tongue, but also the people; a beauty callously ignored by the British for much of their rule.

The aspect of the supernatural in the play could be interpreted in a number of ways. One argument is that it is merely a ploy through which the author comments on the complex blend of pagan, catholic, and protestant cultures and religions in colonized Ireland. The British attempted, without much success, to convert Ireland to Protestantism, while under the rule of Henry the Eighth who converted the Country’s official faith to such. Later on attempts were made to catholicize the island, leading to the formation of the Angelican (Irish Catholic) church. The blend, of Christianity with the pagan religions and accompanying superstitions of the Irish, is visible throughout the play: emphasized by the contrast between the family’s relief for their son’s (Michael’s) Christian burial, and the visions of a pagan nature seen, and quickly believed, by the mother.

Another means of interpreting the supernatural element is by interpreting them as naturalistic concurrences. Men fishing on the open sea in small boats lead dangerous lives, and many often died. In the case of Maurya, and the sheer number of loved one’s that she has seen die in her lifetime, the inescapable helplessness and unavoidability, could be the cause for religion and superstition in her life, giving reason and logic to the incomprehensible forces of nature.

Further interpretations of the supernatural aspect in the play are given on the following sites:

http://wenku.baidu.com/view/aa44002bbd64783e09122bed.html

http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/relationship-natural-supernatural-eliments-j-m-291892

Finally, as mentioned in the beginning, Maurya’s acceptance of fate, without unnecessary mourning, is indicative of a Stoic philosophy. In brief, a Stoic philosophy is an acceptance of fate made possible by the logic that, “What must happen will happen”. The unimaginable suffering Maurya’s endured throughout her life, has not numbed her to the pain of losing a loved one, as one might think by shallowly reading the text. Rather, the pain is still there, its cry stronger than before; but muffled by the pervasive blanket of helplessness and inability to change the past, a wall through which no tears can seep.

               

Message in a Bottle - Amrita Baviskar

Message in a Bottle is an essay by Amita Baviskar; an Associate Professor of Sociology at the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi. Her research focuses on the cultural politics of environment and development. Her first book In the Belly of the River: Tribal Conflicts over Development in the Narmada Valley (Oxford University Press) discussed the struggle for survival by adivasis (Adivasi is an umbrella term for a heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal groups considered the aboriginal population of India.) in central India against a large dam. Her subsequent work further explores the themes of resource rights, subaltern resistance and cultural identity. Such themes are present throughout the course of this short story.

                
            The story is set on a remote island on the Great Nicobar Island. Throughout the course of the story, the author speaks on the countless bounties provided by nature (demonstrated by the abundant lobsters, coconuts, and fish on the island) and simultaneously, the bounties from the sea swept up onto the shores of the island. Ravi, the protagonist’s guide, gives several examples of such in the following extract:

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He [Ravi] pointed to a large clothes basket. That came from the beach too. Ravi asked, would you like to have a bath? Rustam said why not. Ravi brought a bottle of shampoo, a foreign brand. And said that came from the beach. Then some aftershave. Also from the beach.

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The explanation for the above phenomenon, as provided by the story, is the frequency of travel occurring on the Great Nicobar Sea. Unbelievable amounts, as expertly shown in the story, of objects are swept overboard from freight ships, eventually deposited on the shores of the island by the unchanging tide.

The rest of the essay proceeds to give more and more examples of floating ‘junk’ deposited on the island’s shores. The blurred contrast between the poignantly described beauty of the island and the impact of humanity on it serves to provide a permeatin­g theme of environmental awareness and the need for such.

The final paragraph of the essay emphasizes the magnitude of humanity’s impact on nature by pollution and general apathy. The author speaks on how for hundreds of years, the members of tribes, indigenous to the island, have thrived on materials deposited by the sea, washed overboard from trade vessels. While on the surface this may seem like a positive occurrence, when we dig deeper, the severity of the situation occurs to us by means of the amount of time for which this ‘pollution’ has been occurring.  

Transports of Delight - Manjula Padmanabhan

                  Transports of Delight by Manjula Padmanabhan is a satirical essay which discusses the Rickshaw culture in India. She narrates funny incidences which involve her travelling from place to place in an auto rickshaw. She also describes the different types of auto rickshaws. Almost all of these are over exaggerated in their descriptions and seem very unrealistic and obviously are.

          Instead of ‘Auto rickshaw’, ‘TSR (Three Wheeled Scooter Rickshaw)’ has been used in the whole essay. This essay has a lot of dry humour which might make the reader bored after a bit of reading. She differentiates TSRs in different areas and different cities and also talks about the decorations on them. These decorations usually have symbolic meaning pertaining to religion or fictional characters or simply exist for cosmetic reasons.

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The following extracts would help you the grasp the main idea and help you get a clear understanding over this essay:-

(It would be helpful if you have the text side by side as you read these points)

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“In the jungle of urban traffic, it is the bumble bee.”

The Bumble Bee here refers to the TSR because of the similar black and yellow colour scheme. In the chaos that is the urban traffic the TSR moves with nonchalance like a bumblebee which would move past all obstacles to reach the destination.

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“Indian city streets is an example of the Survival of the Unfittest.”

Indian streets as we all know are not exactly commanded by the best drivers. On an average 14 traffic accidents happen in India per hour. Here, ‘Survival of the Unfittest’ crudely refers to the way Indian people drive. ‘Unfittest’ here, also refers to rickshaws considering they are the only ones who do not seem to get in many accidents compared to the other vehicles. And ironically they might as well be the least protected vehicles on the road.

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“A gas trap for poisonous fumes, unstable and flimsy…..as hammer blows to the passenger’s fragile sinews.”

This is a description of the TSR. It tells how dangerous TSRs are and how rashly the drivers drive the vehicle.

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“His chariot took a corner at Grand Prix Speeds.”

It’s called a chariot because of the regressive design and technology that goes into making a TSR. With all that it still manages to take sharp turns at high speeds.

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“In part, the secret of their success…….yet are fastidious enough to disdain the sweaty intimacies offered by a bus…….what they lack in volume.”

This excerpt says that, A TSR is an intermediate between a bus and a taxi. Money wise it is not as expensive as a taxi and not as cheap and crowded as a bus considering public transport.

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“Though we have reports from Outlook Magazine that women auto rickshaw drivers are flourishing in Kerala here in the wilds of the north it is hard to imagine such a development.”

Here we can see the clear distinction in culture and how the society in different places thinks about each gender and their line of work. In the south where gender discrimination is decreasing and the job diversity of women is slowly increasing, North India doesn’t seem to be progressing much in this sense.

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“Perhaps the reason they are generally very young is that…..warily, as if tensed for attack.”

This excerpt, in its satirical sense the writer tells us that many TSR drivers start their jobs at a young age which would be like 19 or 20 and don’t live long enough because of the danger to lives in their job.

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“The likelihood of finding a driver willing to travel….and desperation of one’s need.”

TSR drivers are very stubborn considering their cause many a times. Instead if the passenger being the boss, they act as the boss. This helps them extract more money out of the passengers and they are willing to pay more to get to their destination due to their yearning for shade and rest.

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“In Madras, TSR drivers consider it their privilege…..I’m a rascal I know it.”

Here the drivers have been shown in a bad light as it is told here that they always try and extort more money out of the passengers, relative to the meter. For this extra profit they charge unreasonable prices and then gradually come down to a not really reasonable but ok price point.

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“Some drivers swaddle the front and rear wheel guards with webs of metal tubes……of the latest film hits on request.”

The TSR drivers love decorating their rickshaws in the most unique way possible. But this differs from place to place as not all TSR drivers have enough money for decorations. Thus, the economic diversity can be seen from state to state delving into the cosmetic differences between these TSRs.

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“Delhi rickshaw owners seem to prefer verbal messages....…….’Love for Sale – 100% Discount.’”

The influence and the culture can be seen if one notices the different messages written on auto rickshaws around town. The traditionally influenced drivers with the Gazals quoted on the side skirts or the cheesy messages quoted on the influenced on the younger rickshaw walas all in relative from place to place.

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“There are standard ornaments in the form of 3D reliefs…….Mahavirs or Zoroasters, however!”

The different religious following can be seen through the hangings and the ornaments. The usual religious symbols of the Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Muslims are seen. But for the others like Mahavir and Buddha are not seen. This tells us that the population following these religions are in a very tight minority which cannot be seen publicly like this.

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 “Tweeters have peevishly squawking electric horns…….voiced adolescent boys.”

This line and the paragraph it lies in talks about the differences and that all of them cannot be related to each other considering the amount of decorations and the different canopies being black or yellow or any other colour. Many of them also have cheap audio systems and overtly decorated insides.

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“With so much invention and creativity on view………..adventurous auto designer”

This is the ending to the description and the viewpoint embraced by the author of the TSR. This also prompts the start to the description of autos encountered by the author which were adventurous in design.

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Different types of auto rickshaws:-

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Bikaneri Phut Phut:-

These are the usual Rajasthani kind of autos that have been described here and which have been over exaggerated in terms of description.

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Autorustic

The over exaggerated satirical outlook on the village autos which aren’t taken care of properly have been described by this auto.

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God’s Rocket

The well-kept auto with a really good engine and usually looks good and is seen as a new auto is the auto discussed over here. There are a lot of ornaments pertaining to the faith of the driver in this auto.

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Baroque-on-wheels

This auto is literally art on wheels. These autos in reality are literally decorated a lot. But the description given in the textbook is far too exaggerated (again).

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Hell’s trishaw

Only a fool would believe that these autos would ply even if there was an artist who would work on this auto, autos like these would be banned and wouldn’t be allowed to ply.

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Auto-Ethnotic

Some autos used for competitions which make you drive an auto with your team across India have such exotic designs. These do not ply on a usual basis as they are only available during such circumstances of stake.

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Strato-Darter

This auto is definitely a fake but might portray those autos which travel to the destinations really fast.

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Road Rani

Similar to the Strato-Darter this example portray the autos which command the business and are customer satisfactory.

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The Pianist (2002 movie)

The Pianist is a historically based film highlighting the plight of the polish Jews during the Second World War. The director of the film, Roman Polanski, is himself a holocaust survivor, who had witnessed the execution of several women at a young age; being a Polish-French director, he had personal ties to the topic of the film.

The film begins with the beginning of the war, the 1939 invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany. The suffering of the people in the Warsaw Ghetto is also highlighted extensively throughout the film. The concept of State sponsored genocide, and the mass murder of Jews, is shown for the ridiculous xenophobic ideal that it is in the movie.

The protagonist of the film, Wladylaw Szpilman, was a Polish musician of Jewish decent; the film is based on his memoirs. The gradual mental deterioration of his character is shown extensively in the film. Owing to the general style in which the film is made, Wladylaw Szpilman is the only sustained character, and the only one who’s developed throughout the course of the movie.

Hosenfeld, a sympathetic Nazi who spares Szpilman’s life and gives him clothing and food, is a perfect example of how not all Nazis are anti-Semitic. Also, by showing the Jewish ghetto police beating other Jews in the Warsaw ghetto, along with a scene of a Jewish man stealing from an old lady in the ghetto, the film further attempts to undo polarization; showing not all Nazis were evil, and not all Jews were victims. 

The degradation and dehumanization of the Jews is an important theme of the movie. They are stripped of all humanity and are treated as contaminated objects by their German superiors.

Strangely, the film is less about the holocaust as it is about the protagonist’s never ending fight for survival. The power of music is highlighted in the film by a scene in which beautiful music, played by the protagonist, changes the mind of a Nazi officer who proceeds to spare his life.

The color and lighting of the film play an important role in symbolizing the gradual erosion of the protagonist’s hope, as all begins to look bleak. The film begins in a bright summer, and concludes in a bleak cold winter.

The aspects of luck and chance are incredulously present throughout the film. Despite being from a relatively wealthy family, Szpilman has no say over the events  that unfold, as he too, ends up in the ghetto.

The protagonist of the film is portrayed as being detached, and indifferent to some extent. Rather than standing up strong, he accepts German injustice in order to survive. When his friends organize the famous Warsaw uprising, he does nothing more than watch, resulting in the aforementioned event being shown from a third person perspective in the film.

The subplot of Szpilman’s love for music underplays the magnitude of the situation. The climax occurs when the Nazi officer finds the protagonist. There is a resurgence of hope in the viewer once the music is played.

Finally, the futility of the Jewish plight is expertly portrayed in the film by the dining room discussion in the beginning of the movie. The family discusses the newly passed law, ordering Jews to wear armbands, allowing them to be identified as such, when in public. The family, the older brother in particular, vehemently disagrees with the proposition, and, as a result of this, the family secedes and agrees to not wear the armbands. From this, the scene abruptly cuts to a shot of one of the family members walking down a road with the armband on. Such a contrast symbolizes the futility, and lack of ability to change anything, that the Jews were forced to endure.

Tow Path - Imtiaz Dharker

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1.

Every step we take

Could have been a step

In another direction.

This time we choose

To go to the canal.

By the time we reach it

The day decides to stop

Following us around.

·         First Line. Here, we refers to women in general. Women of the Indian tradition and culture to be specific.

·         Second, Third Lines. These lines clearly suggest the lack of independence given to women considering the path they are allowed to follow. Even these paths they are allowed to choose from are laid down by the society.

·         Fourth, Fifth Lines. The women finally have to make a choice similar to the other choices given unto them by the society. Generalizing the kind of choices that are given to them, it becomes very clear that most of these are based on serving the men of the world and carrying out the traditional household duties. In this line the woman chooses the path to the canal to fetch water for the household.

·         Sixth, Seventh, Eighth Lines. It takes long for the women to bring back water from the canal. By the time they arrive its sundown already. And usually in villages women leave their homes in the morning and they have to travel by foot to reach the canal which is the closest source of drinkable water. By the time they reach there its afternoon and by the time they come back, its sunset. Much of the water either evaporates or spills as they carry it back to their homes.

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2.

While we are picking

Our way down, watching our feet

The parks pack up, the city

Moves a few miles away.

Children’s voices are balloons

Released to open sky.

Behind us footsteps fade,

Streets turn into water.

·         First, Second Lines. As the women are going back to their villages through the cities which they have to pass as they go back home, the look down in shame to the ground as they are looked down upon by the society. There is a fear which has evolved within the females as they have been brought up in a certain congested way giving rise to narrow-mindedness, discouragement to move forward in life.

·         Third- Eighth Lines. In these lines one can see as how everything is moving away from women. As they continue travelling on their pre-laden path, they experience a gradual increase in loneliness. Here, the city moves away from them as they don’t serve any purpose there. Children abandon them as they get married and move on with their lives. Footsteps here symbolise the history of the women which isn’t preserved in any form. Like footsteps on the beach their impressions in the sand are ignored and these impressions fade away.  The line ‘Streets turn to water’ suggests that all the roads they have travelled throughout their lives are as plain as water. They cannot be distinguished anymore like the Atlantic which sunk to the sea and no one can tell if such a feat was really accomplished or was it just a story.

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3.

Leaf by leaf, the day grows smaller.

Whoever we are now,

This has been bequeathed to us.

Every other claimant has stepped aside.

Our steps the only steps.

The last finger of light points out

Landmarks we do not recognise.

·         First Line. This line tells us that it is autumn and winter is close suggesting death and how is moving near to them.

·         Second, Third Lines. The will of women is not given to women by themselves. It’s a will of society forged by men under selfish circumstances. This will has become so common that women also feel that they should follow the tradition which has been bequeathed to them by the society without and prejudice or reasoning of any kind.

·         Fourth, Fifth Lines. Here claimant refers to man who accepts women for an arranged marriage. Widows here haven’t been accepted by any man for marriages. Unmarried women in India and women who cannot bear children are deemed as cursed women by the society. The line ‘Our steps the only steps’, tells us that these widows move along this beach of life alone without anyone beside them. When death strikes their existence seems much useless as they have no material existence nor are they remembered by anyone rendering their lives almost non-existent.

·         Sixth, Seventh Lines. In the end when women get hope and direction it is hard for them to understand how exactly they get on with their lives after living in such a monotonous and suppressive society. Here, ‘Finger of light’ symbolises direction which gives the women hope and ‘landmarks’ here show the destination of arrival where women might find a new life to start. But what is the use when one does not know how to use the boat when he/she has to travel by the river even if they have the boat of the best kind.

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4.

Still, between the cobbled banks,

Cradled by bare branches.

We know we will be safe.

Now, even the unknown path

Will tow us home.

·         In this stanza, ‘home’ refers to the old life that they followed. This stanza tells us that, whatever path these women take, in the end, they would always end up going home. Change is something that is very uncommon and they do not expect it to happen anytime soon suggesting that they have lost hope in hope itself.

·         The word ‘Tow’ over here has been used very intelligently. This can be taken in a very aggressive sense as ‘tow’ is a strong word. The poetess is trying to tell us that whatever happens in the lives of these women, in the end they are dragged back to their normal lives of service and solidarity.

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Core themes:-

.Freedom

.Gender politics

.Communal Conflict

.Violence, Oppression

.Injustice

.Feminism

.Journeys

The Election - Sitakant Mahapatra

The Election by Sidakant Mahapatra (a notable Indian poet and literary critic in Oriya as well as English) narrates a recurring episode which takes place at the time of every election. In short this episode is about the rally men of a certain politician who come to villages bearing gifts in exchange for votes. The morality and the ethical aspect of this movement fuelled by poverty and hunger are discussed in this poem.

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1.

Our jeep crawls to your village

Seeking strange melodies

From the roaring sun:

‘The common will’

From the criss-cross geometry

Of private agonies.

·         The first line here describes the arrival of the rally men or the promoters working under the politician.

·         Second, Third, Fourth Lines. Here the strange melodies are the chants roared by the supporters in the blasting heat of the sun. This suggests that it might be summer or it might be a drought hit village as at one point in time the government identified 10,000 drought hit villages in Orissa. Here, ‘the common will’ is nothing but necessities for the villages like food and water and other things.

·         Fifth, Sixth Lines. The fifth line suggests the plan (town-plan) of the village as a criss-cross geometry. The sixth line tells us about the lives of the people in the village. As the line suggests these lives of theirs are in agony and in the form of criss-cross geometries which also suggests that they are very confused and do not know what to do with their lives.

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2.

Our dark longings don’t ouch you,

Nor our trappings

Of posters, symbols, speeches, handbills,

For your grief outlives empires.

·         First Line. Here, ‘our’ refers to the rally men.  Dark longings here describe the time period for which the rallies do not take place. They are dark considering the situation of hunger and poverty the farmers in the villages live in. ‘Don’t ouch you’, quite simply means that they don’t hurt you. It doesn’t hurt them as whenever the rally men come bearing gifts in volumes and volumes that they last villages for months together.

·         Second, Third Lines. Trappings of advertisements here do not affect the villagers as that is the least they care about considering their state of rust in the village.

·         Fourth line. This line, strongly puts forward the condition of the villagers. As this line is narrated by the rally men, the poet is also trying to tell us that all the politicians know the state of villages in India right now and how they are exploited.

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3.

The cold grandchildren awaken in your heart

As you discern muted allegories

On our ashen faces.

·         First, Second, Third Lines. The dead grandchildren who died out of hunger are remembered by the villagers, as they understand the hidden purposes of these men from their faces.

·         This extract suggests the understanding of the villagers in what the rally men are really doing. Waiting for the rally men to come with food have costed the lives of grandchildren to these villagers. The ashen faces suggests the dark faces of the rally men which look like faces covered in ashes, suggesting that they brought death to all the innocent people there.

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4.

Here the great persuaders are little things and not so hidden:

Cheap plastic, cheaper nylon,

Dark glasses to blot out the Sun.

·         First, Second Lines. The poet tries to tell us that humans in general find happiness in small things. Here, the villagers are entranced at the sight of plastic and nylon utensils.

·         Third line. These glasses might have been worn by the rally men. Relating this line to the second point in the first stanza, these rally men are shown as being protected by ‘the common will’ suggesting that they are being paid handsomely for this task.

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5.

With one foot in hunger

And the other in the soul,

You make your decision:

The anguish of choice.

·         First, Second, Third Line. The villager here has too choices, to do what is needed or to do what is right. These decisions are contrasting considering the livelihood of the family opposing the right vote to be given to the right person which might lead to the death of the particular family.

·         Fourth line. The anguish of choice being doing what is needed instead of doing what is right so as to support the family. This anguish is brought upon as it is fairly understood that one must do what is right instead of what is needed as it is only human to do so.

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A Corpse in the Well - Shankarrao Kharat

A Corpse in the Well is an extract from the book Taral Antaral, an autobiography by Shankar Ramchandra Kharat, an established Dalit writer in the post independence Indian literature scene. The story’s primary themes seem to be on emphasizing the difference in power that exists in villages, and how the Mahars, or Dalits, are treated cruelly and in an almost sub-human fashion. The unfair method in which they are bossed around serves to highlight a broken system and ideology.

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               In the story, the boy’s father, referred to only by the title ‘Anna’, is performing his village duties. A corpse had been found recently in the well, and the Mahar on duty (Anna) was assigned to guard it until the police arrive. Anna had been waiting at the well for the entire night, when his son, the narrator, arrives to give him some food. The father, in an exemplary display of loyalty towards his duty, refuses, saying that he’ll only eat once relieved of his duties. At this point of time, the police arrived, and ordered Anna to fetch the body from the well.

                Anna refuses initially, but, noticing the policeman’s flaring temper, he enters the well. A snake in the well’s shallow water causes a fright in both the son and the father, but eventually the body and Anna are successfully drawn up from the well. As the son heads home, he reflects on the injustice and the deadly work involved in village duty.

                The head constable, or the policeman, is depicted in quite a negative light throughout the story. The fact that he, a police officer, a supposed implementer of the law, resorts to such primeval means of discrimination to get his job done, induces a sick sort of irony in the reader.

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                The theme of injustice is one that permeates the entire story. The Mahars and Ramoshis loyally and whole heartedly serve their village, as is shown in numerous examples throughout the story. Anna’s refusal to eat while on duty is one; another could be his risking of life to recover the body from the well, and yet another is the respect that the Ramoshis and Mahars show the constable; when the latter arrives, the Mahars have laid out a manger of grass and a pail of freshwater to sate the horse’s thirst. Thus, when the Mahars behave in such a fashion, the reader feels greatly shocked and appalled by the way that the policeman responds to such bravery and loyalty towards duty. He abuses them and threatens to beat them. This obvious abuse of power, combined with the father’s air of surrender present throughout the story; such as his giving into pressure from the policeman, coupled with a line in which he says,

                                               “Who cares if a Mahar lives or dies”,

serves to but strengthen the theme of injustice, rife throughout the story.

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When the constable begins to threaten Anna, pressuring him to retrieve the body from the well, the surrounding village elders respond by saying,

                                            “Sarkar (government official), you will go away from here! You will leave this poor Mahar to his fate! We want to go on living in this village!”

In the above line, the author is conveying to the reader, the threat of communal violence. Neighboring villages, from whence the corpse in the well may have come, would not respond positively to their kinsman being touched by members of a lower caste, and thus, the Mahars in the community are responding not out of empathy and pity for the Mahar on duty, but more so out of fear of attack; serving to reinforce the aforementioned concept of injustice.

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