The Song of India

GLOSSARY

 

Glossary and Notes:

 

L. 1 Mother     _ Mother India. Bharat Mata (whom the poet addresses)

L. 5 three seas _ the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea (these seas offer obeisance to Mother India.

L. 8 imperturbable _ one that cannot be disturbed or excited, calm, serene

L. 10 swarm _ to be present in large numbers

L. 12 sylvan retreats _ places of shelter in the forests, lovely natural shelters in the woods far from the madding crowds.

L. 19 hewed _ cut, prepared, designed

L. 20 that pilgrims alone _ he who chooses a lonely path or journey on a holy mission

L. 22 gong _ a small bell, a metal disc that gives a resonant note when struck with a stick

L. 27 indexing ignorance _ manifesting total lack of knowledge or education.

L. 34 the dam and the lake _ here refers to the industrial and agricultural prosperity, and the environmental improvement through artificial means

L. 38 atomic age _ the modern age of science and technology

L. 42 class-war and us correlates _ the struggle between haves and have nots and the problems arising out of it     

L. 43 _ querulous _ complaining, irritable

L. 45 heart- whole, unalloyed _ with all my heart a song full of only hope, joy and the glory of Mother India.

L. 52 Her forehead opened-etc. _ The lines 52-56 contain a vision of India's glorious future, the period of the Golden Age when India would be the real Jagat Guru as prophesied by her saints and seers. It would be a country where every hand would be busy, every head would be high and high every heart would be happy.

OBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTIONS

 

1. Who is the poet of the poem ‘The Song of India’?

ANS- V.K. Gokak.

 

2. How many seas wash the shores of India?

ANS- The Indian Ocean, The Bay of Bengal and The Arabian Sea are the three seas that offers obeisance to Mother India.

 

3. In what form has the poem been written?

ANS- The poem has been written in the form of dialogue between the Mother India and the poet.

 

4. Who swarm the Mother India’s street?

ANS - The beggars and the lepers swarm the street.

 

5. Where is the helpless child born?

ANS- The helpless child is born in dark and dirty houses.

 

6. Whom does the poet address by saying ‘My Mother’ in the line ‘What song shall I sing of you, my Mother?’

ANS- The poet addresses the Mother India.

 

7. What should be the poet’s concern about India?

ANS-The poet should not ignore the numerous ills affecting our motherland like poverty disease, environmental degradation, ignorance, illiteracy, unemployment, caste, and class conflicts and a hundred forms of exploitation. The poet should sing against these evils and try to remove them.

 

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

 

1. What does the poet want to sing of as a tribute to his motherland?

ANS- The poet wants to sing of its natural beauty like the snow- covered peaks of the Himalayas, the three seas that wash its shores, its rich cultural heritage of ancient rock cut temples and stone- carryings, its ancient wisdom of seers and prophets, its glorious freedom struggle and its industrial progress. The poet wants to sing of all these subjects as a tribute to his Motherland.

 

2. How does the Mother remind the poet that the darker side of life needs his greater attention and concern?

ANS - The Mother tells him to sing of the beggars and lepers who are swarming in the streets. He should sing of those places of natural beauty that are now full of filth and dirt. There are many poor laborers who have to work hard all their lies, the old men who have remained uneducated in life and the helpless child who are born in poverty and lie a hopeless life. There is strikes, class- war in the society. These problems needs poet’s greater attention and concern.

 

3. What according to the Mother, are the accompaniments of technological progress?

ANS- The poet wants to sing a song in the honor of Mother India. He sings of her advancement in the field of technology. But the Mother tells him that he should also reflect the negative effects of Industrial development. There are strikes and fights that has turned men into iron men. The steel mills have made man feeling-less. The struggle between the haves and have-nots has started. The atmosphere is fled with hatred and violence.

 

4. What is the type of the tribute that the poet wants to pay to his motherland?

ANS- The poet wants to present glorious picture of the past and also wishes to paint India’s natural beauty .He wants to pay a whole-hearted tribute to his Motherland The poet wants to sing of her natural setting, calm beauty, great men and material progress.

 

5. What ‘heart- whole unalloyed’ picture of Mother India is presented in the concluding lines of the poem?

ANS- The Mother India rises with the blue sky draping her, the milk- white foam of the ocean circling her and the ways acting as her throne on which she sits and writes the book of our destiny. In this splendor, the Mother India offers the vision of the future to the poet. On her forehead, the poet glimpses the future and he is invigorated (to feel healthy and full of energy) to glimpse a clear dawn. Despite an undercurrent of pessimism, the poem draws sustenance from the optimism that Bharat Mata is destined to achieve its glory and come out of the quagmire she is stuck in at present. The night, no doubt, is dark but the dawn is not far behind.

 

 

6. Describe the central idea of the poem ‘The Song of India’.

ANS – ‘The Song of India’ is a patriot poem. Through this poem, the poet tries to convey that we must be proud of our tradition, culture, heroes and industrial progress. However, we must not forget the problems such as poverty and unemployment, class and caste conflicts, illiteracy and ignorance faced by our country. We must strive to eradicate these problems from our motherland.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR- VINAYAK KRISHNA GOKAK

 

 Vinayaka Krishna Gokak or V.K. Gokak or V.K.G – (Born on 9 August 1909 and died on 28th April 1992) was one of the popular writers in the official language of Karnataka, Kannada. He was also a scholar in English as well as Kannada literature.

 He was one of the top five writers who was bestowed with an award for his outstanding contribution to literature (Jnanpath Award) in 1990 for Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi in the Kannada language.

 He was also awarded the Padmashree award for the same from the Indian Government for the famous writings of yaia Prithii.

 Gokak’s writings largely reflected his interest in religion, philosophy, education and culture. His trail and education abroad made him write two sets of travelogues. He also made a point to take part in social causes with the help of his writings.

 Apart from this, on 9th August every year, Karnataka state hosts a series of literary event in the memory of a great writer and poet.

 

ABOUT THE POEM- THE SONG OF INDIA

 

 The poem ‘The Song of India’ was written binabaka Krishna Gokak in the form of a dialogue between Mother India and the Poet. In this poem, the poet wants to present glorious picture of the past and also wishes to paint India’s natural eautb.

The poem bursts forth as a cry of agony from the soul of a no le son of

Mother India who sings a song sympathy for the beggars, lepers, the toiling millions, the ignorant masses and children of the country.

As Indians we can rightly e proud of our country’s natural eautb, Its rich cultural heritage, its ancient wisdom, its glorious freedom struggle and its industrial progress. As the same time we should not ignore the numerous ills affecting our motherland like pointer disease, environmental degradation, ignorance, illiteracy, unemployment, caste, and class conflicts and a hundred forms of exploitation. We should try to eradicate them as far as possible.

. Despite an undercurrent of pessimism, the poem draws sustenance from the optimism that Bharat Mata is destined to achieve its glory and come out of the quagmire she is stuck in at present. The night, no doubt, is dark but the dawn is not far behind.

 

POEM- THE SONG OF IN IA (LINES 1 TO 28)

 

'What song shall I sing or you, my Mother?'

I asked

Shall I sing

Of the Himalayas with their snow-born peaks.

Of the three seas that wash your palm?

Shall I sing

Of your clear dawn with its pure gold streaks?

 

Said the Mother imperturbable clam.

"Sing of the beggar and the leper

That swarm my streets

Sing of the filth and the dirt

That foul my sylvan retreats."

 

'What song shall I sing of you, my Mother?"

I asked.

'Shall I sing

Of you rock-cut temples, epics in stone.

Of your children that died to call you their own.

Their Very own?

Of the seers and prophets that hewed the Straight path

For the man that pilgrims alone?'

 

Said the Mother in indignant words

That beat into my cars like gong.

That flew about me, a pitiful thing.

Like great white birds:

'Sing of the millions that toil.

Sing of the wrinkled face

Indexing ignorance.

Sing of the helpless child.

 

POEM- THE SONG OF IN IA (LINES 29 TO 55)

 

Born in a bleak, dark home

Nervous. I yet would ask

Deeming it my task:

'What song shall I sing of you. My Mother?

What song?

Shall i sing of the dam and the lake?

Of steel mills the ship-building yard?

Of the men that work hard.

 

To technologies, to put you on the page

Or the Atomic Age?

Said the mother: 'Of these you may sing.

But sing also of the strikes, early and late.

 

Of iron men that come in their wake.

Of class-war and its correlate.

Querulous. I said:

is there no song that I can sing of you.

Heart-whole, unalloyed?

A song bathed in the stainless blue.

Unvapouring in the void?

At that the Mother rose, draped in blue sky.

 

Milk-white oceans heaved round her. Their waves

Were the entrancing and enthroning light

On which she sat and wrote the Book of the Morrow.

Her forehead opened like earth's destiny.

 

Yielding the sun-god, cancelling all sorrow.

It was clear dawn. Like at nightmare fled the night

And the sun-beam was the Hand that saves. 

SUMMARY OF THE POEM (LINES 1 TO 40)

 

‘The Song of India’ is a poem full of patriotism. It is in the form of a dialogue between the poet and our motherland India. The poet begins with references to the natural beauty of India. The poet wants to sing a song in the honor of Mother India. The poet wants to know from Mother India what song he should sing about her. The poet wonders whether he can sing a song of praise of the snow-peaked Himalayas that protect India, the three seas that wash her shores and beauty of clear sunrise which is beautiful and glorious. But the Mother India tells the poet calmly to sing a song of beggars and lepers that swarm her streets and dirt and filth that spoils its natural beauty. The poet then movies on to the architectural splendor of the stone- cut temples which has a story to unfold, patriots who died fighting for their motherland. He wishes to sing a song of the spiritual message of the great sages and saints, seers and prophets of an ancient India. The poet uses two similes to describe the anger of the Mother India. He says that angry words of the Mother fell against his ears like powerful sound of the bell and they few about him like huge white birds. The Mother India says that instead of singing in her praise, he should sing of the poor laborers who hay to work hard to earn their living, the old who has remained uneducated in life and the helpless child who are born in poverty and lie a hopeless life. The poet who is confused again asks the Mother India what he can sing of. He then thinks that he can sing a song of dams, the lakes, the steel mills and ship building yards and the people who are behind this Atomic Age of India. In other words, the men who work in the field of technology to make new discoveries. But the Mother land tells him that he should also sing the darker side of the technological development as it has dehumanized men. He should sing for the strike that has turned men into iron men.

SUMMARY OF THE POEM (LINES 41 TO 55)

The poet wants to sing a song in the honor of Mother India. He sings of her advancement in the field of technology. But the Mother tells him that he should also reflect the negative effects of Industrial development. The steel mills have made man feeling- less. The struggle between the hales and have-nots has started. There is violence and hatred all around. So the poet should sing against these evils and try to remove them.

The poet now turns complaining and demands to know from the Mother whether there is no song of praise and pure joy that he can sing. At this disheartened question, the Mother India rises with the blue sky draping her, the milk- white foam of the ocean circling her and the waves acting as her throne on which she sits and writes the book of our destiny. In this splendor, the Mother India offers the vision of the future to the poet. On her forehead, the poet glimpses the future and he is invigorated to glimpse a clear dawn. With the sun rays in the dawn, the night is replaced by hope and optimism. The poet compares the sun- beam to the Hand that saves suggesting that despite all the problems that India has faced, Mother India will always be there to protect and to offer a helping hand.

Thus the poem ends with a note of optimism. Despite all the problems, The Mother India will remove our sorrows and tomorrow will be a clear dawn. We should be the architects of our future is the final message of the poem.

 

EXPLANATION WITH REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

 

'What song shall I sing or you, my Mother?'

I asked

Shall I sing

Of the Himalayas with their snow-born peaks.

Of the three seas that wash your palm?

Shall I sing

Of your clear dawn with its pure gold streaks?

• REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT: These lines have been taken from the poem ‘The Song of India’ written by V.K. Gokak. The poem is in the form of a dialogue between Mother India and the Poet. In this poem, the poet wants to present glorious picture of the past and also wishes to paint India’s natural beauty.

EXPLANATION: The poet begins with references to the natural beauty of India. The poet wants to sing a song in the honor of Mother India. The poet wants to know from Mother India what song he should sing about her. The poet wonders whether he can sing a song of praise of the snow- peaked Himalayas that protect India, the three seas that wash her shores and beauty of clear sunrise which is beautiful and glorious.

 

 

EXPLANATION WITH REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

 

Said the Mother imperturbable clam.

"Sing of the beggar and the leper

That swarm my streets

Sing of the filth and the dirt

That foul my sylvan retreats."

 

REFERENCE OF THE CONTEXT: These lines have been taken from the poem ‘The Song of India’ written by V.K. Gokak. The poem is in the form of a dialogue between Mother India and the Poet. The poem bursts forth as a cry of agony from the soul of a noble son of Mother India who sings a song sympathy for the beggars, lepers, the toiling millions, the ignorant masses and children of the country.

EXPLANATION: The poet wants to sing a song in the honor of Mother India. But the Mother India tells the poet calmly to sing a song of beggars and lepers that swarm her streets and dirt and filth that spoils its natural beauty. The mother means to say that the darker side of her present needs poet’s greater attention and concern.

 

'What song shall I sing of you, my Mother?"

I asked.

'Shall I sing

Of you rock-cut temples, epics in stone.

Of your children that died to call you their own.

Their Very own?

Of the seers and prophets that hewed the Straight path

For the man that pilgrims alone?'

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT: These lines have been taken from the poem ‘The Song of India’ written by V.K. Gokak. The poem is in the form of a dialogue between Mother India and the Poet. The poet wants to sing of her natural setting, calm beauty, great men and material progress.

EXPLANATION: The poet then movies on to the architectural splendor of the stone- cut temples. The poet calls temple ‘epic in stone’ because on each walls of the temple, there are numerous sculptures narrating many a story. He talks about the children who died fighting for their motherland. He wishes to sing a song of the spiritual message of the great sages and saints, seers and prophets of an ancient India. The seers and prophets guide the man who is alone on his pilgrimage. In other words, they offers spiritual guidance.

 

EXPLANATION WITH REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

 

Said the Mother in indignant words

That beat into my cars like gong.

That flew about me, a pitiful thing.

Like great white birds:

'Sing of the millions that toil.

Sing of the wrinkled face

Indexing ignorance.

Sing of the helpless child.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT: These lines have been taken from the poem ‘The Song of India’ written by V.K. Gokak. The poem is in the form of a dialogue between Mother India and the Poet. The Mother challenges the poet and tells him that he cannot write a song of praise without reckoning with the negative aspects.

EXPLANATION: Here the poet uses two similes to describe the anger of the Mother India. He says that angry words of the Mother fell against his ears like powerful sound of the bell and they few about him like huge white birds. The Mother India says that instead of singing in her praise, he should sing of the poor laborers who have to work hard to earn their living, the old who have remained uneducated in life and the helpless child who are born in poverty and lie a hopeless life. Thus the poet uses both audible and visual images to describe the wrath of the Mother.

 

EXPLANATION WITH THE REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

 

Born in a bleak, dark home

Nervous. I yet would ask

Deeming it my task:

'What song shall I sing of you. my Mother?

What song?

Shall i sing of the dam and the lake?

Of steel mills the ship-building yard?

Of the men that work hard.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT: These lines have been taken from the poem ‘The Song of India’ written by V.K. Gokak. The poem is in the form of a dialogue between Mother India and the Poet. In this poem, the poet wants to present glorious picture of the past and also wishes to paint India’s natural beauty.

EXPLANATION: The poet who is confused again asks the Mother India what he can sing of. He then thinks that he can sing a song of dams, the lakes, the steel mills and ship building yards and the men who work hard in the field of technology to make new discoveries to put India on the top of the world.

 

 

EXPLANATION WITH THE REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

 

To technologies, to put you on the page

Or the Atomic Age?

Said the mother: 'Of these you may sing.

But sing also of the strikes, early and late.

 

Of iron men that come in their wake.

Of class-war and its correlate.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT: These lines have been taken from the poem ‘The Song of India’ written by V.K. Gokak. The poem is in the form of a dialogue between Mother India and the Poet. Here the Mother retorts that even as the poet sings of the advancement, he should have a song for the strikes and the class-war that has turned men into iron men.

EXPLANATION: The poet wants to sing a song in the honor of Mother India. He sings of her advancement in the field of technology. But the Mother tells him that he should also reflect the negative effects of Industrial development. He should sing for the strike that has turned men into iron men. The steel mills have made man feeling-less. The struggle between the haves and have-nots has started. There is violence and hatred all around. So the poet should sing against these evils and try to remove them.

 

EXPLANATION WITH REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

Querulous. I said:

is there no song that I can sing of you.

Heart-whole, unalloyed?

A song bathed in the stainless blue.

Unvapouring in the void?

At that the Mother rose, draped in blue sky.

 

Milk-white oceans heaved round her. Their waves

Were the entrancing and enthroning light

On which she sat and wrote the Book of the Morrow.

Her forehead opened like earth's destiny.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT: These lines have been taken from the poem ‘The Song of India’ written by V.K. Gokak. The poem is in the form of a dialogue between Mother India and the Poet. The poet is irritated that he cannot sing a song of the glory of his Motherland since the Mother objects to each subject of praise considered by the poet.

EXPLANATION: The poet now turns complaining and demands to know from the Mother whether there is no song of praise and pure joy that he can sing. At this disheartened question, the Mother India rises with the blue sky draping her, the milk- white foam of the ocean circling her and the waves acting as her throne on which she sits and writes the book of our destiny. In this splendor, the Mother India offers the vision of the future to the poet. On her forehead, the poet glimpses the future and he is invigorated (to feel healthy and full of energy) to glimpse a clear dawn.

 

EXPLANATION WITH REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

 

Yielding the sun-god, cancelling all sorrow.

It was clear dawn. Like at nightmare fled the night

And the sun-beam was the Hand that saves.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT: These lines have been taken from the poem ‘The Song of India’ written by V.K. Gokak. The poem is in the form of a dialogue between Mother India and the Poet. Here the Mother offers the vision of the future to the poet. She is protective towards her children and knows that the morning is going to be bright without the nightmare.

EXPLANATION: The poet is enthusiastic to glimpse a clear dawn. With the sun rays in the dawn, the night is replaced by hope and optimism. The poet compares the sun- beam to the Hand that saves suggesting that despite all the problems that India has faced, Mother India will always be there to protect and to offer a helping hand. Thus the poem ends with a note of optimism. Despite an undercurrent of pessimism, the poem draws sustenance from the optimism that Bharat Mata is destined to achieve its glory and come out of the quagmire she is stuck in at present. The night, no doubt, is dark but the dawn is not far behind.