|
| The Gift Of India |
Question 1
Discuss the relationship India has with its people in the context of the
poem ‘The Gift of India’?
Ans. This patriotic poem was penned by a pained poet over the
meaningless massacre faced by the Indian soldiers of the British Army. The
poem offers a tribute to those brave sons of the soil who died serving in the
Ypres Sector and other battlefronts on the Western Front, as well as in
Mesopotamia and Gallipoli. The poem opens on an intense note as India is
personified as a compassionate and grieving mother who has just lost her brave
sons due to the lust of imperialist powers. She addresses the fascist
countries in a defiant tone and asks them what else she can render them.
The poet is alluding to the plunder of the Indian resources by the British
forces. Though India is the vanquished country, she proudly asks them what
else they require of India. In rich poetic language she asks them if they need
clothes, food or gold from her. She seems to suggest that they have robbed her
enough already and their greed may not go unpunished. The tone of the line is
anguished and moves the reader to empathize with the speaker. It is thus able
to rouse a strong sense of patriotism. It also rouses the reader to a strong
sense of indignation against the fascist forces, particularly the
English.
Mother India’s soft and tender feelings for her brave soldiers are seen
through the words, ‘like pearls’. She likens her brave sons to pearls in
oysters. Through the simile she compares the dead soldiers lying in graves in
foreign lands to beautiful pearls in oysters. The lines also reveal a mother’s
sorrow for her sons as well as her pride in them. This reveals great poetic
sensibility on part of the poet. To the Mother India the soldiers are as
delicate as flowers. She is greatly grieved to hear of their bodies being
mutilated on the warplanes of Flanders and France. The pale faces refer to the
dead bodies of the slain soldiers whereas ‘broken arms’ tell us that they
fought bravely before succumbing to death.
The Mother realizes sorrowfully that once the war is over these powerful
nations shall commemorate their soldiers and their contributions. There shall
be memorials raised in their honour. The European and the English army men
shall be remembered for their bravery. She is rightly apprehensive that the
sacrifices made by her sons shall be largely forgotten. She plaintively asks
the Western powers not to forget the precious Indian blood that was shed in
their cause. They must not forget the precious Indian lives lost in a battle
that was not theirs.
Question 2
Give a background of the poem ‘The Gift of India’.
Ans. This patriotic poem was penned by a pained poet over the
meaningless massacre faced by the Indian soldiers of the British Army.
Approximately one million Indian men served in the British army in World War I
despite the unwillingness of the Indians. Nearly 75, 000 were martyred on
foreign fields, never returning home, and about 70,000 were wounded. The poem
offers a tribute to those brave sons of the soil who died serving in the Ypres
Sector and other battlefronts on the Western Front, as well as in Mesopotamia
and Gallipoli. It also warns the Imperialist forces not to bend India too much
lest they should pay a high price for their fascist deeds.
Sarojini Naidu was a political activist, feminist and a poet par excellence.
She actively took part in the activities of the Indian National Congress and
was closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi. She later served as the Governor
of the provinces of Agra and Oudh and was elected the President of the Indian
National Congress. In this poem, we have the outpourings of a bleeding heart.
Written in the context of the Great War of 1914-1918, the poem is emotionally
surcharged with the feelings of the poet towards the Indian soldiers who
sacrificed their lives.
The Indians were in no way involved in the cause or the outcome of the war
however they were deviously deployed for the benefit of the English against
the Germans and their allies. She alludes to Persia (now Iran), Egypt,
Flanders (Belgium) and France, the specific lands wherein the Indians at the
mercy of the British were sent to war. The poetess portrays a heart rending
picture of the pathetic dead soldiers in her poem.
Question 3
Comment on the form and structure of the poem “The Gift of India”.
Ans. The poem is divided into four stanzas of six lines each. The rhyme
scheme follows aa, bb and cc pattern of rhyming. The poet has made use of
judiciously selected and richly embellished similes to express the tender and
proud feelings of a mother for her dead sons. The poem has a number of poetic
devices used effectively to emphasize poet’s message. Naidu is quite fond of
using literary devices to adorn and embellish her poems, and ‘The Gift of
India’ is no exception. In the poem the soldiers have been likened to pearls.
The simile compares their graves to oysters.
The pride of the Mother is exhibited in the comparison of the soldiers to
pearls. They are also compared to flowers mown down accidently. The comparison
brings out the tender feelings of the Mother. Sarojini’s poetry is famous for
its use of imagery. The lines “Lo! I have flung to the East and the West
Priceless treasures torn from my breast” could refer to the Indian soldiers
who have been plucked from Mother India’s bosom and been flung into the war
field. These lines could also allude to the exploitation of the Indian
resources by the British Empire. The words ‘treasures torn’ signify the soft
feelings of a mother for her brave sons. They also tell us that the soldiers
have been forced to go to the battlefield against the wish of the
Indians.
The words ‘stricken womb’ paint the picture of an injured mother. These words
could also signify a mother who is hurt due to the death of her brave sons.
The words, “To the drum-beats of the duty, the sabres of doom” describe the
scene on the battlefield. The soldiers march to the battlefront when the drum
is sounded only to be killed by the savage sabres of the enemy. The poet
refers to life as a metal piece which is to be beaten into shape on an anvil
in a forge.
The forge fire might refer to the chaos and fiery skirmishes of the war. The
troubles and tortures of the war have been likened to an anvil. Ultimately
what shall come out of war shall be a peaceful life for all.
Question 4
What do gifts symbolize? Justify the title of the poem 'The Gift of
India'
Ans. The title of the poem 'The Gift of India' by Sarojini Naidu has
many connotations. Gifts symbolize many things according to the occasion,
the time period history, and the society. Gifts are often given in
gratitude, celebration, or commemoration. Gifts are given to express or
reinforce love, friendships, an political or social alliances. Sometimes
gifts are given out of the sheer joy some people feel by giving to those
need.
The title "The Gift of India' evokes a sense of pride to the people of the
country of attaining freedom from the shackles of the British. The poetess
compared the lives of the dead to the pearls strewn in abandonment alone the
waves which can be considered as bright and shining gifts of India's manhood
buried in the foreign land. Valuable gift of so many lives who fought
against the British can never be undermined. The history reveals the
disposition of the English towards the Indians was no better than that of
the Americans towards the black slaves.
The title of the poem can also be seen from the perception of Mother India
as a giver involving a vast country rich with natural resources. She can
produce rich resources of raiment, food or gold in abundant generously. the
delight of the takers, her resources remain strewn about in all directions.
From time immemorial, the tradition of this country is to offer food,
clothes and other valuables to the seekers who came for shelters. But they
looted filled their coffins with rich booty wherever they lay their hands
on.
The quality and the number of gifts the motherland is capable of providing
baffles one's imagination. Her brave offspring are often summoned abroad to
the call of duty. The bodies of these heroes are not simply an organic
matter, born to die. The value of their lives can be compared to the most
valuable jewel of the mother earth.
Thus the poem "The Gift of India is a celebration and a demand for
accounting as Mother India proclaiming proudly her gifts to the west
including her sons who were martyred in the battle of the First World War.
Question 5
Comment on ‘The Gift of India’ as an anti-war poem?
Ans. Wars have often been glorified in literature. However, ‘The Gift
of India’ is quite different. ‘The Gift of India’ was penned by a pained poet
over the meaningless massacre faced by the Indian soldiers of the British
Army. Approximately one million Indian men served in the British army in World
War I despite the unwillingness of the Indians. Nearly 75, 000 were martyred
on foreign fields, never returning home, and about 70,000 were wounded.
The poem offers a tribute to those brave sons of the soil who died serving in
the Ypres Sector and other battlefronts on the Western Front, as well as in
Mesopotamia and Gallipoli. It also warns the Imperialist forces not to bend
India too much lest they should pay a high price for their fascist deeds. In
the poem India is personified as a compassionate and grieving mother who has
just lost her brave sons due to the lust of imperialist powers. She addresses
the fascist countries in a defiant tone and asks them what else she can render
them. The poet is alluding to the plunder of the Indian resources by the
British forces. Though India is the vanquished country, she proudly asks them
what else they require of India.
Mother India’s soft and tender feelings for her brave soldiers are seen
through the words, ‘like pearls’. She likens her brave sons to pearls in
oysters. Through the simile she compares the dead soldiers lying in graves in
foreign lands to beautiful pearls in oysters. The lines also reveal a mother’s
sorrow for her sons as well as her pride in them. This reveals great poetic
sensibility on part of the poet. She plaintively asks the Western powers not
to forget the precious Indian blood that was shed in their cause. They must
not forget the precious Indian lives lost in a battle that was not theirs.
What do you feel now as an Indian? Comment Below!
Reverie workbook answers poems short stories solutions The Gift Of India, Shouttolearn, shout to learn, questions answers isc, class 9 10 11 12, icse hub, free, teachers handbook,