A River by A.K Ramanujan summary and analysis

 In Madurai,
city of temples and poets,
who sang of cities and temples,
every summer
a river dries to a trickle
in the sand,
baring the sand ribs,
straw and women's hair
clogging the watergates
at the rusty bars
under the bridges with patches
of repair all over them
the wet stones glistening like sleepy
crocodiles, the dry ones
shaven water-buffaloes lounging in the sun
The poets only sang of the floods.

He was there for a day
when they had the floods.
People everywhere talked
of the inches rising,
of the precise number of cobbled steps
run over by the water, rising
on the bathing places,
and the way it carried off three village houses,
one pregnant woman
and a couple of cows
named Gopi and Brinda as usual.

The new poets still quoted
the old poets, but no one spoke
in verse
of the pregnant woman
drowned, with perhaps twins in her,
kicking at blank walls
even before birth.

He said:
the river has water enough
to be poetic
about only once a year
and then
it carries away
in the first half-hour
three village houses,
a couple of cows
named Gopi and Brinda
and one pregnant woman
expecting identical twins
with no moles on their bodies,
with different coloured diapers
to tell them apart.

 

The poem is set in Madurai, a city renowned for its temples and poets who have celebrated the city's beauty and grandeur. However, the speaker reveals a hidden truth about the river that flows through Madurai. Every summer, the river dwindles to a mere trickle, exposing its sandy bed and revealing the scattered pieces that shuts its watergates. The damaged bridges and worn-out repair patches hint at the neglect and lack of attention given to the river's maintenance.

The poets of Madurai have only sung of the river's floods, romanticizing its power and majesty. They have failed to acknowledge the devastating consequences that the floods bring to the people living along the river's banks.

The speaker's experience of witnessing a flood in Madurai sheds light on the grim reality of these natural disasters. He describes how people anxiously monitor the rising water levels, measuring the inches it climbs up the cobbled steps and encroaches upon bathing places. The flood's destructive force is evident in the three village houses it sweeps away, along with a pregnant woman and two cows named Gopi and Brinda.

The new poets of Madurai continue to quote the old poets, perpetuating the romanticized view of the river. However, no one speaks in verse about the pregnant woman who drowned, her unborn twins trapped within her. The speaker emphasizes the tragic loss of life and the absence of poetic commemoration for those who suffer during floods.

The speaker's concluding statement highlights the irony of the situation. The river has enough water to inspire poetic musings only once a year, during the floods. Yet, in that brief period, it unleashes its destructive power, causing immense suffering and loss. The speaker's words carry a sense of resignation and bitterness towards the poets who ignore the true nature of the river and its impact on the lives of ordinary people.

The river's floods result in the loss of three village houses, two cows named Gopi and Brinda, and a pregnant woman expecting twins, highlighting the human toll of the disaster. The unborn twins are described in detail, emphasizing their individuality and the tragedy of their premature deaths.

The title A River often symbolizes life, continuity, and change. In this poem, the river serves as a metaphor for the passage of time, the inevitability of change, and the unpredictable nature of existence.

 The poem is set in Maduria, a city known for its temples and poets. This setting establishes a cultural and historical backdrop against which the events of the poem unfold. The atmosphere is one of desolation and decay, particularly during the dry summer months when the river dwindles to a trickle.

A.K Ramanujan uses realistic imageries in the poem such as the "Baring the sand-ribs": Symbolizes the exposed and vulnerable state of the river. "The wet stones glistening like sleepy crocodiles": Creates a visual image of the riverbed, highlighting the contrast between wet and dry elements. "Shaven water-buffalos lounging in the sun": Metaphorically compares dry stones to shaven water-buffalos, emphasizing the parched landscape.

 

 Nature and Human Existence: The poem explores the relationship between nature and human existence, highlighting the river's impact on the lives of the people in Maduria. 

 Cycle of Life and Death: Through the recurring floods and droughts, the poem reflects on the cyclical nature of life and death. The river both sustains and destroys, symbolizing the dualities inherent in existence.

 Human Indifference: Despite the tragedies caused by the river, society remains indifferent to the suffering of individuals. The pregnant woman's death and the loss of her unborn twins are overlooked, underscoring society's callousness.

 

 A.K Ramanujan offers a critique of society's priorities and values, particularly the tendency to romanticize natural phenomena without acknowledging their human cost. The poets in Maduria celebrate the floods but fail to address the tragedy of loss and suffering.