Taleem

INDIAN WOMEN.
                                                          SHIV K KUMAR.

Poet: Shiv K Kumar was born in Lahore in 1921, made a mark as a novelist, short-story writer, poet, playwright, translator and critic. Shiv K Kumar has three published novels , six collection of poems, a collection of short stories, a play, a translation of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, and several scholarly works to his credit. He received the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1988 for his collection of poems Trapfalls in the sky (1986), and the Padma Bhushan in 2001.

Kumar uses a unique literary device in his work.

Gist: “Indian women” registers Kumar’s response to a familiar situation.

Images of futility and hopelessness reinforce the structure of the poem.

Explanation:

In   the poem Kumar describes the patient waiting of Indian Women for their men to arrive. He draws an analogy between this waiting and empty pitchers sitting on the mouth of the well. To be filled with water.   Through this analogy, the poet vividly describes the helplessness, dependence and acceptance of fate women-learn to live within the   villages of India.

The poet says that life in India is baked in the fires of sun, sex and poverty. Women in Indian villages wait for their men folk patiently.

They do not sketch any impressions of angry eyebrows on the mud walls of their homes.

While pleating their hair, they think of their hopes which they have from their men for whom they are waiting. They look into the water of the well which acts like a mirror and reflects the moisture in their eyes.

While sitting, they sketch zodiac signs on the sands and take care of their fair thighs which have tattoo marks on them.

Indian women keep on waiting for their men till the darkening shadows of day light are gone beyond the hills.