1. 2. Ecology
By: A. K. Ramanujan
The day after the first rain, Meaning of words
Monsoon.
for years, I would come home
in a rage, (angry about something)
for I could see from a mile away
our three Red Champak Trees
had done it again
had burst into flower and given
Mother
her first blinding migraine (sand) (heavy headache)
of the season
with their street-long heavy-hung
yellow pollen fog of a fragrance (yellow fertilizing dust found in flower)
no wind could sift,
no door could shut out from our black-pillared
house whose walls had ears
and eyes
scales, smells, bone-creaks, nightly
visiting voices, and were porous (here, allowing passage in and out)
pollen will get in through the holes
like us,
but Mother, flashing her temper (nature)
like her mother's twisted silver
grandchildren's knickers (short pant or underwear)
wet as the cold pack on her head,
would not let us cut down
a flowering tree
almost as old as her, seeded,
Notes Prepared
By
Dr. G. N. Khamankar
2. she said, by a passing bird's
providential droppings (by chance)
to give her gods and her daughters
and daughters' daughters basketsful
of annual flower
and for one line of cousins
a dower of migraines in season.
Summary
The poem, тАШEcologyтАЩ is taken from RamanujanтАЩs third volume of poems, тАШSecond SightтАЩ, published in
1986. The speaker seems to be the poet himself or some imaginary person who is loyally devoted to
his mother. He is angry because his mother has a severe attack of migraine; a very bad kind of
headache, often causing a person to vomit; which is caused by the fragrance of the pollen of the flower
of the Red Champak every time it is in bloom. The fragrance is heavy and suffocating as the yellow
pollen spreads everywhere. Even the doors of the speakerтАЩs house cannot prevent the strong smell
from entering the house. The walls of the house are able to absorb almost everything-the sounds,
sights, the human voices, the harsh sounds produced when new shoes are worn. But they cannot stop
the fog of pollen dust from the Champak trees. The loving son therefore decides to cut down the tree,
but he is prevented from doing so by his mother who sees the positive side of the tree in her garden.
She says that the tree is as old as her and had been fertilized by the droppings of a passing bird by
chance which is considered to be a good omen. The positive side of it is that the tree provides many
basketful of flowers to be offered to her gods and to тАШher daughters and daughterтАЩs daughtersтАЩ every
year, although the tree would give a terrible migraine to one line of cousins as a legacy. The yellow
pollen fog is the yellow dust of pollen carried in the air which is thick and heavy like fog which covers
the earth. This poem portrays RamanujanтАЩs strong interest in the family as a very important theme of
his poetic craft. His memories of the past would inevitably bring pictures of his family, especially his
mother who is self-sacrificing. There is also a reference to his Hindu heritage as he mentions the gods
and the ancient beliefs in the poem. The sense of irony is indicated when the mother very angrily
protests the idea of cutting down the tree even though she is suffering very badly from the migraine
caused by it. She has a kind of emotional attachment to the tree, saying that it is as old as herself.
тАШEcology is a poem which could be read as one single sentence. However, each stanza has one
particular idea. There is a casual connection between the ideas and they flow from one stanza to the
next. тАШFlash her temperтАЩ; an instance of the use of irony because she is very angry at the idea of having
the tree cut down. The actual meaning of the word тАШEcologyтАЩ is not followed here but the poet seems
to convey the thought that a particular kind of tree may have both negative and positive factors and
therefore it need not be pulled down
4. рд╕рд╛рдВрдХ
реЗ рдд рддрдм рд╡рджрдпрд╛ рдЬрд╛рддрд╛ рд╣реИ рдЬрдм рдорд╛рд╛рдВ рдмрд╣реБрдд рдЧреБрд╕реНрд╕реЗ рд╕реЗ рдкреЗрдб рдХреЛ рдХрд╛рдЯрдиреЗ рдХ
реЗ рд╡рд┐рдЪрд╛рд░ рдХрд╛ рд╡рд┐рд░реЛрдз рдХрд░рддреА рд╣реИ, рднрд▓реЗ рд╣реА рд┐рд╣ рдЗрд╕рдХ
реЗ
рдХрд╛рд░рдг рд╣реЛрдиреЗ рд┐рд╛рд▓реЗ рдорд╛рдЗрдЧреНрд░реЗрди рд╕реЗ рдмрд╣реБрдд рдмреБрд░реА рддрд░рд╣ рд╕реЗ рдкреАрд╡рдбрдд рд╣реЛред рдЙрд╕реЗ рдкреЗрдб рд╕реЗ рдПрдХ рддрд░рд╣ рдХрд╛ рднрд╛рд┐рдирд╛рддреНрдордХ рд▓рдЧрд╛рд┐ рд╣реИ, рдпрд╣
рдХрд╣рддреЗ рд╣реБрдП рд╡рдХ рд┐рд╣ рдЦреБрдж рдХреА рддрд░рд╣ рдмреВрдвреА рд╣реИред 'рдкрд╛рд░рд░рдХреНрддрдердерд╡рддрдХреА рдПрдХ рдХрд╡рд┐рддрд╛ рд╣реИ рд╡рдЬрд╕реЗ рдПрдХ рд┐рд╛рдХреНрдп рдХ
реЗ рд░реВрдк рдореЗрдВ рдкрдврд╛ рдЬрд╛ рд╕рдХрддрд╛
рд╣реИред рд╣рд╛рд▓рд╛рд╛рдВрд╡рдХ, рдкреНрд░рддреНрдпреЗрдХ рд╢реНрд▓реЛрдХ рдХрд╛ рдПрдХ рд╡рд┐рд┐реЗрд░реНрд╖ рд╡рд┐рдЪрд╛рд░ рд╣реИред рд╡рд┐рдЪрд╛рд░реЛрд╛рдВ рдХ
реЗ рдмреАрдЪ рдПрдХ рдЖрдХрдХреНрддрд┐рдХ рд╕рд╛рдВрдмрд╛рдВрдз рд╣реИ рдФрд░ рд┐реЗ рдПрдХ рд╢реНрд▓реЛрдХ
рд╕реЗ рдЕрдЧрд▓реЗ рддрдХ рдкреНрд░рд┐рд╛рд╡рд╣рдд рд╣реЛрддреЗ рд╣реИрдВред 'рдлреНрд▓реИрд┐ рдЙрд╕рдХрд╛ рдЧреБрд╕реНрд╕рд╛'; рд╡рд┐рдбрд╛рдВрдмрдирд╛ рдХ
реЗ рдЙрдкрдпреЛрдЧ рдХреА рдПрдХ рдЙрджрд╛рд╣рд░рдг рдХреНрдпреЛрд╛рдВрд╡рдХ рд┐рд╣ рдкреЗрдб рдХ
реЗ
рдХрдЯрдиреЗ рдХ
реЗ рд╡рд┐рдЪрд╛рд░ рд╕реЗ рдмрд╣реБрдд рдирд╛рд░рд╛рдЬ рд╣реИред 'рдЗрдХреЛрд▓реЙрдЬреА' рд┐рдмреНрдж рдХрд╛ рд┐рд╛рд╕реНрддрд╡рд┐рдХ рдЕрдерд╡ рдпрд╣рд╛рд╛рдБ рдирд╣реАрд╛рдВ рд╣реИ, рд▓реЗрд╡рдХрди рдХрд╡рд┐ рдЗрд╕ рд╡рд┐рдЪрд╛рд░ рд╕реЗ
рдЕрд┐рдЧрдд рдХрд░рд╛рддрд╛ рд╣реИ рд╡рдХ рдПрдХ рд╡рд┐рд┐реЗрд░реНрд╖ рдкреНрд░рдХрд╛рд░ рдХ
реЗ рдкреЗрдб рдореЗрдВ рдирдХрд╛рд░рд╛рддреНрдордХ рдФрд░ рд╕рдХрд╛рд░рд╛рддреНрдордХ рджреЛрдиреЛрд╛рдВ рдХрд╛рд░рдХ рд╣реЛ рд╕рдХрддреЗ рд╣реИрдВ рдФрд░
рдЗрд╕рд╡рд▓рдП рдЗрд╕реЗ рдХрд╛рдЯрдиреЗ рдХреА рдЖрд┐рд╢реНрдпрдХрддрд╛ рдирд╣реАрд╛рдВ рд╣реИ.
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Que.1. How the poet does portray his motherтАЩs love for the Champak tree?
OR Why does the speaker get into a rage after the first rain, year after year?
OR Sketch the character of the speakerтАЩs mother
OR How does the flowering of the champak tree affect the poetтАЩs mother?
OR What religious or spiritual elements do you find in the poem Ecology?
Ans : Ecology is one of the popular poems of A. K. Ramanujan. The poem is about a sonтАЩs devotion to
her mother and her devotion to ecology that creates a kind of conflict between the two. In fact, the
poetтАЩs mother gets severe migraine pain because of Red Champak TreeтАЩs pollen. So he wants to cut
the tree but his mother stops him from doing so because of her religious and emotional sentiments
for the tree.
The poet is angry because the flowers of the Red Champak tree causes a severe headache to his
mother. The fragrance is heavy and suffocating as the yellow pollen spreads everywhere. Even the
doors of the poetтАЩs house cannot prevent the strong smell from entering the house. The walls of the
house are able to absorb almost everything- the sounds, sights, the human voices, the harsh sounds
produced when new shoes are worn. But they cannot stop the fog of pollen dust from the Champak
trees. The loving son therefore decides to cut down the tree. But he is prevented from doing so by his
mother. She sees only the positive side of the tree. She says that the tree is as old as her and had been
fertilized by the droppings of a passing bird. So it is a good omen. The tree gives many flowers to
worship Gods and to decorate the girls of the household. It may give a terrible headache to one line
of cousins.
This poem portrays RamanujanтАЩs strong interest in the family. His mother has a kind of emotional
attachment to the tree. That is why she does not allow her son to cut the tree. The poem can be read
either as a single sentence or in stanza. There is no rhyme scheme in the poem. The poet uses number
of literary devices in the poem like metaphor, personification and simile.
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