The study of indian english poetry is incomplete without the study of women poets. Since the publication of her first collection of poetry, summer in. She was brought up in the warmth of a closeknit kerala matrilineal society and she felt uprooted when she had to move to kolkata with her father who was a. It is only natural that the new reader is not familiar with the late. Professor saltora netaji centenary college saltora, bankura. The writer looked very rebellious and revolutionary and i instantly drawn towards her works and my teacher had given me to read kamalas autobiography my story. One of the leading female poets writing in english language in india.
Taking independence as a background, dass work personified the spirit of independence. Amore important theme in kamala dass poetry is motherhood, though she. As chakravarty observes, kamala dass writings gain their vitality from her personality. In english, she published six collections of poetry in her lifetimesummer in calcutta 1965, the descendants 1967, the old playhouse and other poems 1973, collected poems vol. The latter was awarded to her for a collection of short stories entitled cold. I dont know politics but i know the namesof those in power and can repeat them likedays of week or names of months beginning with nehru page. She was from a traditional south indian royal family, where women were born to satisfy the lust of their other halves. Occupies a prominent position as a poetess of exquisite virtuosity and artistry.
She is from a well versed literary family of malabar. The book evoked violent reactions of admiration and criticism among the readers and critics. There are essentially two sides to kamala dass poetry. Research scholar, himachal pradesh university, shimla. She was publishing short stories in malayalam, her mother tongue, before she brought out summer in calcutta, her first volume of poems. Introduction, which is qualified as an users manual by prof. Having personally experienced what see thought to be her husbands ill treatment of her and of his cruel neglect of her feminine needs, she could not help giving vent to her grievances in her poems. As a bilingual indian english postindependent and postcolonial poet, she was an iconoclast protested against the discrimination to women, and hegemonic position of male over female was staunchly attacked in her all works, mapping out the story of. Major themes of kamala dass poetry literary articles. English poetry started with henry loius vivian derozio, when he published his collection of poems in 1827. O what does the burning mouth of sun, burning in todays, sky, remind me.
But do not blame my blood so thin, so clear, so fine the oldest blood in the world that remembers as it flows all the gems and all the gold and all the perfumes and the oils and the stately elephant ride. If we have inadvertently included a ed poem that the holder does not wish to be displayed, we will take the poem. In general imagery is a creation of the picture in terms of words. What do you think about the tradition of marriage at early ages. Buy selected poems book online at low prices in india. What means the metaphor the hungry haste of river and the oceans tireless waiting. But boh there poems are full, in the words of a critic, of cliched observations and sentiments which cannot compare with the sharpness of other poets such as k.
Her poetic works are evaluates with wellknown poets like robert lowell, anne sexton, as well as sylvia plath. She writes both english and her mother tongue malayallm. Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow volume 12. Thematic dimensions and directions of kamala dass poetry. Pdf relation between poetry and psychology with special. I dont know politics but i know the namesof those in power and can repeat them likedays of week or names of months beginning with nehru. She writes in two languages, english and malayalam. The poem is a strong remark on patriarchal society prevalent today and brings to light the miseries, bondage, pain suffered by the fairer sex in such times. Kamala dass use of poetic diction, literary skill and social narrative in her poems. She received the poetry award of the asian pen anthology in 1964 and the kerala sahitya academy award in 1969.
Kamala dass poems show strong sense of consciousness towards the feminine psyche. The indian poets fine handling of lyric form and metaphorical language combine powerfully in this elegaic, musical work. It reveals how deeply painful it can be when you are neglected by your own children when they grow up. The poet says that she is not interested in politics but. Autoplay when autoplay is enabled, a suggested video will automatically play next.
In fact, her first book of poetry, summer in calcutta, takes inspiration from the city and leads the reader through poignant poems which linger over themes like love, betrayal and the ensuing pain. One day suddenly she hangs herself to death in the privy. The book was originally published in malayalam, titled ente katha. In the invitation, the poetess ultimately decides to merge with the sea.
Kamala dass middle age is a touching poem about the agonies of a middleaged mother. Her mother, balamani amma, was a wellknown malayalam poet and her granduncle nalapat narayana menon was a renowned writer and translator. Amore important theme in kamala dass poetry is motherhood, though she has again written only two poems on this subject. Confessional elements combine a range of themes including familial issues.
What do you think the author wanted to say with this poem. On 31 may 2009, aged 75, she died at a hospital in pune, but has earned considerable respect in recent years. She frequently portrays the complex relationship between lust and love. She can most definitely be considered a confessional poet, because her poems often focus on her personal life, including many aspects of her. All poems are shown free of charge for educational purposes only in accordance with fair use guidelines.
Her open and honest treatment of female sexuality, free from any sense of guilt, infused her writing with power, but also marked her as an iconoclast in her generation. Nani, is a maid who worked for kamala dass family at the time when she was a kid. It remains to date the bestselling womans autobiography in india. She was educated at home and at a european catholic school in calcutta, and, at the age of 15, underwent an arranged marriage to an economist and banker working in. She was brought up in the warmth of a closeknit kerala matrilineal society and she felt uprooted when she had to move to kolkata with her father who was a salesman. Celebration of an overwhelming hunger santanu saha asst. She has also written under the pseudonyms madhavikutty and kamala suraiyya. As a confessional poet, she displays feminist ethos in her poems. After her demise, i just browsed few passages and here are a few which i got from various websites.
586 601 1272 315 747 1588 457 1227 1078 1225 569 208 1182 735 1514 247 1376 1473 503 944 516 549 1351 660 951 230 554 801 212 21 910 1047 646 956 221