Indian Writing in English 

Talim Enam 

Nissim Ezekiel’s Indianness Nissim Ezekiel (1924-2004) is among the very few Indo-Anglian poets who are Indian by both ideologically and linguistically. He tries to look at the typical Indian situation with an Indian attitude, with a novel and dynamic Indian insight. He cleverly manipulated Indian English to bring out the genuine Indian temperament that can be considered as the true Indianness. Before entering into our discussion what the term Indianness means. Prof. V.K. Gokak defines Indianness as: “A composite awareness in the matter of race, Milieu, language and religion”

Considering this quote if we examine Ezekiel’s poetry he is a true Indian Poet by all means. Ezekiel, to create an Indian air, exploits the commonly found Indian wrong use of present progressive tense instead of the simple present tense. In his poem “A Very Indian Poem in Indian English”, he uses the progressive tense, reduplication processes modelled after Indian languages, and typical expressions that the Indians employ in the Indian English. For instance  “we are meeting” for “we have met”  “I am not remembering” for “I don’t remember”  “My wife is always asking for money. Money, money, where to get money?” Nissim Ezekiel sincerely attempts to establish Indian culture, civilization and spirituality at her best realistic image. The poet stands for the spokesman of Mahatma Gandhi and advocates the necessity of peace and non-violence. The poet asks: “I am standing for peace and non-violence. Why world is fighting and fighting Why all people of world Are not following Mahatma Gandhi, I am simply not understanding”

The poet becomes habituated to use typical Indian usage. The poet does not let typical Indian drinking to escape from his pen. In very Indian way the poet proves Indian drink to be the best. The poet writes: “You want one glass Lassi?

very good for digestion. With little salt, lovely drink, Better than wine; Prepared by: Talim Enamur Rahman, BA (Hons.), MA, in English, IU, Kushtia For many more: www.enamsnote.blogspot.com , Cell: 01722 33 59 69, 01919 87 8703  

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Indian Writing in English 

Talim Enam 

As an Indian, the poet brings out the attitude of Indians towards neighbouring countries. In the same poem, he says: “Pakistan behaving like this, China behaving like that, It is making me very sad, I am telling you.”

Ezekiel very artistically reflects the Indian attitude towards Indian national integration. He reveals not only what many Indians think, but also the way they think in English in the lines from the same poem: “All men are brothers, no? In India also Gujaraties, Maharashtrians, Hindiwallahas All brothers”

Ezekiel attempts to create Indian flavour by using common Hindi/Hindustani words in his poetry. Indirabehn, goonda fellow, lassi, Ram Rajya, Hindiwallahas, Guru, Ashram, Burka, Chapati pan, mantra are a few of the vernacular words the poet has used to make the content and context of his poems more real. He tries to reflect Indian attitude through the use of vernacular words and imagery drawn from the common situations in India. Nissim Ezekiel is acutely and painfully conscious of the deficiencies and defects Of the Indian people. In an autobiographical poem ‘Background Casually’ he himself being Jew-a minority in India depicts the trouble and traumas that he underwent throughout his life. He ridicules the cast barriers that make the people confine in to the narrow domestic wall of Cast consciousness that prevents the world from being a global prospective. Nissim Ezekiel Writes: “I am not a Hindu and my background Makes me a natural outsider”

But even in such ‘unwelcomed’ condition he prefers to live in India. It shows genuine love for India. In the next lines poet expresses: “I have made my commitments now This is one; to say where I am, … My backward place is where I am”

By personal pronoun ‘I’ the poet indicates his existence and relates it with the existence of India and thus becomes the part of it. In order to state his Indianness, he chooses to portray some familiar Indian scene. In the poem ‘In India’, he portrays the squalor, heat and ugliness of an Indian Metropolis.” The barbaric city sick with slums”Prepared by: Talim Enamur Rahman, BA (Hons.), MA, in English, IU, Kushtia For many more: www.enamsnote.blogspot.com , Cell: 01722 33 59 69, 01919 87 8703  

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Indian Writing in English 

Talim Enam 

“Always in the sun’s eye, Here among the beggars, Hawkers, pavement sleepers, Hutment dwellers, slums etc”

Ezekiel’s Indianness can be seen from the way he has described a flood in Bihar. Here the matter is rare or occasional but the treatment is universal in its evocative of the pangs of human suffering. In the following lines, Ezekiel is able to bring to mind a dour picture of the Indian poverty:     

“I have not eaten for three days” “my husband has been washed away” “my parents have abandoned me,” “my son is dying,” “I cannot find my daughter.”

In the poem "Night of the Scorpion" the poet depicts the Indian ethos, superstitions and cultured richness through a simple incident and epitomizes the typical Indian motherhood which depicts sacrifice and affection. As the narrator says: “I remember the night my mother was stung by a scorpion... ....................................................... May the sins of your previous birth be burned away tonight, they said.”

So it is in this way that Nissim Ezekiel is a true Indian poet in sense and diction both. According to Chetan Karnani, “Nissim Ezekiel has been conscious Indian in his sensibility. He has not only tried to describe Indian culture but he has made good use of ‘babu Angrezi”

Last of all, we can terminate our discussion saying that, Nissim Ezekiel is immensely successful in portraying Indian atmosphere in his poems by using Indian English. The poet has honestly depicted the sincere picture of India as it is with her varied culture and never tries to super glorify her and that is why Ezekiel is read and seen as a very Indian poet in Indian English. If you have any query, suggestion or complain regarding the article, please do not hesitate to contact me at +8801722 33 59 69, 01919 87 87 03. You find more notes on my blog http://enamsnote.blogspot.com and also follow me at www.fb.com/enamsnote well as www.fb.com/enamur If you find the article beneficial to you, please share it on your facebook and never forget to add your valuable comments. It will encourage me to post more articles for you. Your discussion is my inspiration.   Prepared by: Talim Enamur Rahman, BA (Hons.), MA, in English, IU, Kushtia For many more: www.enamsnote.blogspot.com , Cell: 01722 33 59 69, 01919 87 8703  

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