THE GIFT OF INDIA - Sarojini Naidu

The Gift of India is one of the patriotic poems of Sarojini. It was written in 1915 and included in her volume of poems entitled The Broken Wing. Mahatma Gandhi had called upon the people of India to co-operate with the British Government during World War I, and in response to his call Indian youth in large numbers joined the army, and went to distant battlefields, and thus laid down their lives in the service of their motherland. They were the gifts of mother India to the world.

In this moving lyric, Mother India herself speaks to the world. She asks the world what else does it require from her? Has she kept back any rich clothes and grains of gold from the world? If so, she is ready to give them also. She has already given to the world her most precious possessions i.e., her brave and heroic sons. She gave them to the world when she heard the call of duty, and they went away to distant lands only to meet their deaths there. When she did not keep back her sons and allowed to go to their death in distant parts of the world, there is nothing else, which she would withhold or refuse. Nothing was more precious to her than her sons and she has already given them to the world.

Mother India expresses her grief for her dead sons through a number of similes following each other in quick succession. They are now buried in their graves in foreign lands like pearls in their shells. Some of them are lying dead in distant Persia, as if they have been sent to sleep by the sweet rhythmic music of her murmuring rivers. There are others whose dead bodies are scattered on the sands of Egypt, as it they were empty shells. Their brave hands have been broken and their faces are deathly pale. There are still others who lie scattered on the bloodstained meadows of France and Flanders.  They lie there like flowers that have been plucked and scattered all over by the cruel hands of destiny. Thus mother India has given her most precious gifts, her sons, to the entire world.

The world cannot adequately measure the grief of Mother India, nor understand the suffering and anguish of the vigil, which she has kept over her dead sons. Her anguish and despair, no doubt, are intense and unfathomable, but her heart also thrills with pride when she remembers their heroic deeds. Full of anguish she prays for their souls, but hopes of the future also comfort her heart. She sees glorious visions of the future, of which her heroic sons fought and dies would be victorious. No doubt, even such victory would have a tinge of sadness, but visions of such a victorious future console her and make her proud of her heroic sons.

Sarojini ends the lyric on a note of hope and prophecy. Today hate and strife rule the world and strike terror into the hearts of the people.  But a time will soon come when the reign of hate and war will end, and life will be shaped anew ‘on the anvils of Peace’. When the reign of falsehood will end and Truth shall prevail, the world would remember the deeds of her sons. The world would be grateful to them. The world would then honour the immortal deeds of her sons, and remember forever their heroic self-sacrifice. The martyrdom of her son has not been in vain and earned love and gratitude and a permanent place in history.

It might be a topical or occasional lyric, but the sons and daughters of Mother India with throbbing hearts will always read it. It is Sarojini’s tribute to the greatness and glory of her native land – India.

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St. MARTIN AND THE BEGGAR -- THOM GUNN

ST. MARTIN AND THE BEGGAR

Thom Gunn

St. Martin and The Beggar – a religious poem from the pen of Prof. Thom Gunn, -- educated in Cambridge and teaching now in University of California USA.

The poem deals with a popular legend about St.Martin, born of pagan parents but became a converted Christian and went to monastery (convent) as a cenobite, received Christian doctrine and discipline before his baptism. St. Martin was not satisfied with the mere observance of Christian rites and the following of its teachings. Thus, reluctantly he had enlisted himself in the Roman Army.

Should I not pay my nature down

With a religious nail?

St. Martin asked himself whether he should not subdue his nature to his religious teachings. Was he not betraying his religious faith when he joined the army? He, therefore, did not want to fix up his belief to the religious nail.

When a brawny beggar started up

Who pulled at his rein

And leant dripping with sweat and water

Upon the horse’s mane.

Once he set out on horseback in order to live up to the true principles of Christianity. While, travelling across the plain, he came across a well-bodied beggar who pulled at his rein and leaned upon the horse’s mane, soaked to the skin in the hailstorm and shivering with cold. The beggar looked at Martin with wild light burning in his eyes. Martin understood what the beggar needed at the moment. He cut soldier’s cloak in two equal parts and gave one part of it to the beggar. The beggar received it gratefully and soon disappeared in the dark.

I have no food to give you,

Money would be a joke.

St. Martin’s merit laid in recognizing the human need of both the beggar and himself. He would have been acting foolishly if had given the beggar money instead of food it will become a joke or if had given the beggar the whole cloak in the name of selflessness, but to flatter God’s grace.

You recognised the human need

Including yours, because

 You did not hesitate, my Saint,

To cut your cloak across;

Here the poet heralds the god’s manifestation of universal brotherhood and cooperation by identifying the human need. Those who refuse to share what they have with their needy fellow-creatures are the enemies of God. The poet mention another class of people, who show off their compassion towards the needy by giving everything what they have, and boast that they have fulfilled God’s purpose are also to be condemned. But God’s acceptance is as he said, “In so far as ye (you) have done it unto the least of these my brethren, Ye (you) have done it unto me”.

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The Cow of the Barricades – Raja Rao

The Cow of the Barricades – Raja Rao

The celebrated novelist, Raja Rao was an Indian writer in English, whose novels and short stories are deeply rooted in Metaphysical Philosophy. His involvement in the national freedom movement is reflected in his works. The novel “Kanthapura” (1938) and a short story “The Cow of the Barricades” (1947) are an account of the impact of Gandhian teachings on nonviolent resistance against the British rule in India. 

The short story “The Cow of the Barricades” gives us a picture of India’s struggle for independence under the inspiring leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. The Master in this short story is none other than Mahatma Gandhi. The presence of the cow, Gauri, in this story and its death at the end of the story symbolizes the enduring source of energy that lies in purity, peace, goodness and unselfishness.

All people paid high respect to Gauri, the cow, who used to visit the Master on every Tuesday evening before the sunset and nibble at the hair of the Master. The Master touched and caressed her and said: How are you, Gauri? She simply bent her legs and drew her tongue and shaking her head and ambled round him and disappeared among the bushes. And till next Tuesday she was not be seen anywhere.

Gauri’s arrival to the Master's Hermitage gave a kind of awareness among the people who were very eager to know about her. Being an animal, a cow was unable to say who she was. She would often come to the Master who had prepared fodder for her including grass, rice-water and husk. Her eating style, the movement of her jaws was like as if she was uttering some words in favour of the people. People thought her to be a strange creature and the Master might have known her whereabouts. After being well received she had to leave the Hermitage without any further halt. The master thought her to be his baton-armed mother-in-law.

Everybody liked, loved and respected her to be a sacred creature. People thought her as Goddess Lakshmi, to support both the rich and the poor. All types of people come to her carrying various wishes to be graced and fulfilled by Gauri. The students for a better pass, girls for handsome husbands, widows for purity, childless for children etc. Therefore, every Tuesday there was a well-prepared procession of men and women at the Master’s hermitage. But, Gauri would pass by them all like a holy wife among men. Sometimes, Gauri would not accept food offered by others. People would give the food untouched to the fish in the river. Astonishingly, crocodiles were not seen anywhere at this time so that the fish in the river were able to fearlessly gorge on the food.

Thus, Gauri was compassionate and true to many people so they all worshipped her to be the Goddess Lakshmi. Meanwhile, there was a fierce fighting between the red men (British soldiers) and the people of India. The fighting was for Indian independence for which the red administration was in robust condition. The Master persuaded the workmen of the industrial townships and villagers to boycott the foreign goods and clothes. He even instigated the workmen to refuse the services of the red men government. As a result, a large number of workmen came forward to join the struggle for independence. They refused to work under the foreign rule. They refused to pay taxes to the Government. Everywhere it was preached that the children must wander in the streets holding either blue cards or red cards to indicate the mood of the red soldiers.  People hoarded their valuable and left the village to stay in the farmlands. Women were refused to go out of their homes to the open streets of the village. They were forbidden to continue worshipping in the temples.

The workmen built barricades at different places and they remained behind the barricades. They that the red soldiers might not cross over the barricades and workmen would easily win them. The Master often came and requested people not to go astray, not to follow violence, but the workmen were so upset that they thought if they did not adopt the tit for tat way, they would not the stonehearted red men.

A large number of soldiers were called for from different parts of the country and stationed at the strategic points of the village. The red man’s Government thought to rule over India whatever be the cost.

While the whole town was tense and full of barricades, Gauri walked along, surrounded by people among whom some started worshipping her, and begged her peace and salvation. Gauri was put on the barricades and the whole people became jubilant. The red soldiers got surprised looking at Gauri and thought to be the token of victory of Master. The chief of the red men fired a shot and Gauri died on the spot. But surprisingly nobody could see a drop of blood falling down from Gauri’s head.

The Seth Jamnalal Dwarak Chand built a statue of Gauri at the spot and people started worshipping her. Children played on her body and the Master thought Gauri was waiting in the Middle of Heavens to be born again.

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Science and Human Life – J. B. S. Haldane

Science and Human Life – J. B. S. Haldane

John Burdon Sanderson (J. B. S.) Haldane was a British, later Indian Scientist known for his works in the study of Physiology, Genetics and Evolutionary Biology. He established a unification of Mendel’s “Genetics” and Darwin’s “Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection”, whilst laying the groundwork for Modern Evolutionary Synthesis. In this present essay “Science and Human Life”, J. B. S. Haldane opposes superstitions and supports rational thinking.

Haldane says in his essay “Science and Human Life”, that Science affects average man in two ways and also being benefitted by its applications. He enjoys comfortable transport as he is driving in a motorcar or in an Omni bus instead of cumbersome horse-drawn vehicles and also being treated for diseases by a doctor or a surgeon instead of going to a priest or a witch. Secondly, Science affects common people’s opinion that everyone believes that earth is round and the heavens are nearly empty instead of their solid (physical) existence. 

According to Haldane, a few thousand men and a few dozen women who do research continuously to create science on which modern civilization rests which, evolves the ‘scientific point of view’ against a set of beliefs and accepted opinions that spreads gradually skepticism among humanity. This scientific point of view must come out of the laboratory and it is applied to the events of daily life for the betterment of civilization. He adds that it is foolish to think that the outlook of scientific point of view will prove useless when it is applied to the family, the nation or the human race, which has already developed agriculture, industry, war and medicine.

Haldane says that science attempts to be truthful and impartial. By comparing scientific point of view with legal point of view ⎯ he says that a judge may be impartial in giving his judgment between two individuals whereas a scientist is impartial between a human individual, a tapeworm and a solar system. Such an attitude leads the scientist to a curious mixture of pride and humanity. A scientist simply interprets the consequences of many actions instead of passing judgments.

According to Haldane’s opinion, the tendency of average man always dwells upon the emotional and ethical side of an issue rather than on facts. To prove this he mentioned the problem of American Negroes. Some Americans believe that Negroes are inferior to them so that they might have been segregated from them. On the other hand, some other Americans believe that they should enjoy equal rights like white Americans.  But, the scientist makes it clear that both groups: blacks and whites are comfortable only when they live in their respectable homelands.  If not, both of them may die of consumption whenever they step into each other’s environmental conditions.

Haldane remarks that our approach to the problem of disease in less rational way. He says that the pre-Christians believe that if someone was suffering from any disease, they decide it was a punishment from some deity or a sin either by the sick person or his family or of his whole community. But Haldane makes it clear that health and sickness are equal parts of the nature and also common for both civilized and savage. Haldane says that modern medicine has come out with miraculous drugs but it has become very hard to apply its results in practice. He said that injecting insulin could easily control the disease like diabetes but people hardly take doctors’ suggestion in taking the medicine. In case of contagious diseases like typhoid and cholera people always attempt to cure such diseases. But scientist attempts to prevent them instead of cure them.   

Finally, Haldane says that the average man and woman should not be guided by false principles. He concludes his essay saying that people must adopt scientific point of view to conquer ignorance and enemies of the science.

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