Kamala Das: Indian English Poet and Author

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2 1. About the poet 2. Central idea 3. Poem 4. Summary 5. Key points 6. Vocabulary 7. Poetic devices 8. Exercises

3 Kamala Das also known as Kamala Surayya was born on 31 March 1934 in Malabar, Kerala. She was an Indian English poet and litt rateur and at the same time a leading Malayalam author. Her popularity in Kerala is based chiefly on her short stories and autobiography written under name Madhavikutty, while her oeuvre in English, written under the name Kamala Das, is noted for the poems and explicit autobiography. 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 boooks of poetry. She is a sensitive writer who captures the complex subtleties of human relationships in lyrical idiom, My Mother at Sixty-six is and example. Index

Kamala Das has received may awards for her literacy contribution, including: (few of them are) 1. Nominated and shortlisted for Nobel Prize for Literature in 1984 2. Award of Asian PEN anthology 1964 3. Kerala SahityaAcademy Award 1969 4. Sahitya Academy Award 1985 5. Honorary D.Litt by University of Calicut 2006 On 31 May 2009, aged 75, she died at a hospital in Pune. 4 Index

5 Aging is an important phase of human life. A person enter his childhood, experiences youth when he is full of energy and dreams to have luxury of life. Finally, he approaches his old age and encounters death. Relationship between people becomes stronger at every aspect of life and they can t bear separation due to aging. Index

In this poem, the poet relates a personal experience. She brings out a common paradox of human relationships and portrays a sensational separation of a mother and a daughter. She has been able to capture almost all the emotions which a daughter is filled with, on bidding farewell to her beloved mother. Sometimes we do feel deep sympathy for someone but we fail to express it in a proper manner. 6 Index

7 Driving from my parent s home to Cochin last Friday morning, I saw my mother, beside me doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse and realized with pain 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 Index

out of their homes, but after the airports security check, standing a few yards away, I looked again at her, wan, pale As a late winter s moon and felt that old familiar ache, my childhood s fear, but al I said was, see you soon, Amma, all I did was smile and smile and smile and smile 8 Index

9 In this poem, Kamala Das explores the theme of ageing and death and isolation through a narration involving her mother. While driving from her parent s home to Cochin, she notices her mother sitting beside her dozing, her face pale like a dead body and her thoughts far away. This reminds her painfully that her mother is old and could pass away leaving her alone. Index

Putting that thought aside she looked out at the young trees speeding by and children running out of their homes happily to play. These remind her probably of youth and life, her own younger days and her mother when she was young. But after the security check at the airport, looking back at her mother standing a few yards away, she finds her looking pale like the winter moon. She feels that familiar pain and childhood fear of the thought of losing her mother and of being lonely just as she had been when she was young because she was different from other children. She could only keep smiling and tell her see you soon knowing full well that she might not see her. 10 Index

11 1. Poetess travelling in Cochin airport with her mother in a car. 2. Looks at the wan, pale face of her dozing mother. 3. Old fear of loosing her mother returns. 4. Sprinting trees and merry children provide the contrast and relief. 5. After the security check the old familiar ache returns. 6. Tries to hide her emotions by smiling. 7. Bids good bye to her mother with a hope to see her again. Index

12 1. Wan colorless, pallid Late winter s moon Dim moon shrouded by clouds Spilling Run out Ashen Grey (old age) Ache Pain Sprinting Short fast race, running 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Index

13 1. Simile: wan, pale as a late winter s moon her face ashen like that of a corpse Metaphor: the merry children spilling out of their homes 3. Personification: young trees sprinting 4. Repetition: I did was smile and smile and smile 1) 2) 2. 1) 1) 1) Index

13 5. Tautology I looked again at her, wan, pale 6. Irony Young Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes while the mother like a corpse Index

The poem is a portrayal of a daughters feelings and concern for her old mother. Time and ageing spare none. With this ageing, separation/death becomes unavoidable. The poet looks at her old mother and the finality of death looms large on her mind. Looking at her old mother, she is pained and worried as she realises that the mother may not live long. She is sad and anxious at the thought of losing her mother. Thus, the poem portrays an agonizing experience. 14 Index

EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS 1.I saw my mother Beside me, Doze, open mouthed, her face Ashen like that of a corpse and realized With pain .. a.Name the poem and the poet. b.What did I realize with pain? c.Why was the realization painful? d.Identify and name the figure of speech used in these lines.

EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS 2. Old familiar ache, my childhood fear, But all I said was see you Amma, All I did was smile and smile and smile. a.What does the phrase familiar ache mean? b.What was the poet s childhood fear? c.What do the first two lines tell us about the poet s feelings for her mother? d.What does the repeated use of word smile mean?

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 1. How does Kamala Das bid farewell to her mother? 2. Bring out the significance of the title My Mother at Sixty Six . 3. What thought did she try to drive away? 4. What does her gesture of looking out suggest? 5. What does Kamala Das see on looking out of the car? 6. What is the significance of the images trees sprinting and merry children spilling out of their homes in the poem? 7. Why could Kamala Das not express her thought for her mother at the airport? 8. What thoughts do you think Kamala Das had at the airport? 9. How does the poet describe the old age of her mother? 10.Why did the poet only smile ?

THANK YOU 14 Index