Equation (poem)

"Equation" is one of the most original and intriguing poems of Dr Tapan Kumar Pradhan, the Indian writer and poet, and it won Kendriya Sahitya Akademi's "Indian Literature" Golden Jubilee Award for Poetry in 2007. The poem received critical acclaim following its publication in the journal "Indian Literature" in December 2007. [ "Indian Literature", Sahitya Akademi's Bi-monthly Journal, Volume LI, No. 6, page-47. New Delhi ISSN 0019-5804.] The theme of the poem is poetic justice or the law of retribution, by which an exploiter or oppressor ultimately is paid back in the same coin. The setting of the poem is the drought affected district of Kalahandi in Orissa, India.

The Poem

::: // 1 //:: "From Blood To Tears"

:"Kalahandi asks" ::Have you seen my little child:with running nose, my only child -:for forty rupees I had sold him off:ten years ago at the time of drought -:how tall and strong he would be now ::Have you seen him Babu:in the Raipur Market ?

:"Kalahandi asks" ::Have you seen my only woman:with the copper bracelet -:Five years ago she went:to the Sukinda Mines alone:to feed her stomach:but never returned:Have you seen her "Babu":on the Cuttack Road ?

:Tears are dear, blood is che

::: // 2 //:: "From Tears to Blood"

:Kalahandi today weeps no more:like an obstinate child - boo-hoo-wo-wow:The dicey game of tears and blood:Kalahandi has now well understood:Blood is dear, tears are cheap -:And today in Kalahandi's own courtyard:business roars on flesh and blood.

:Kalahandi with her own knife:chops off flesh from her own thighs:and cooks and serves it hot and fresh:to businessmen and city guests.

:Kalahandi's blood today stinks of money:from Cuttack to Raipur, in the veins of Delhi:there flows today dear-cheap Kalahandi blood ::She sells her blood in return for tear-drops ::Rich man's sweet drops, gold drops, silver drops:rain down today on her wide-open lap.

::: // 3 //:: "Tears in Blood"

:Today in Kalahandi's blue blood stream:all kinds of deadly virus abound:spreading from village to village:city to city, town to town:sowing seeds of mass destruction -:From Cuttack to Delhi, Andhra to Assam:spreading like AIDS, sparing no one:leaving death trails along high-roads:making holy city-men shriek in fear ::Soon Death will spread all over the land:Then alone will the living dead understand :whether blood is dear or tears are dear -:Recovering Principal with ten-fold interest :::Kalahandi will then take her::revenge against her Betrayer.

Origin of the poem

The poem was first written by Dr Pradhan in his mother tongue Oriya in 2001. It was originally titled "Hisaaba", and was subsequently translated by the poet himself into English. The translated poem was submitted by the poet to the Sahitya Akademi as his entry for the "Indian Literature Golden Jubilee Literary Competition 1957-2002". In the words of the poet, the single event that prompted him to write the poem was "a news-item published in the daily Samaja in 1992 which described the story of a poor tribal woman who was compelled to sell off her six-months old child for a paltry sum of forty rupees in the face of starvation..."

Allusions and criticism

The poem is written in the "story-building" or narrative style with stark allusions, which is typical of Dr Pradhan's poetry. The poem is in three parts ("From Blood to Tears", "From Tears to Blood", and "Tears in Blood"). The first part describes scenes of poverty, starvation and sexual-economic exploitation of poor illiterate people in Kalahandi symbolically through the story of a woman who sold her only child for forty rupees, and that of a man whose wife went to a far-off place to work, never to return. The second part describes the turning of fortunes for Kalahandi. With the advent of international NGOs, government subsidy and media coverage, Kalahandi now learns how to convert its tears to blood, and sell the blood for money (chops off flesh from its own thighs...). The third part shows how Kalahandi is now ready to take revenge. The exploiter has now to pay the price. He now finds that the blood he sucked is actually full of tears (retaliation in the form of misery and virus). The poem has many hidden layers of meaning, which offer food for thought to the discerning reader.

See also

*Dr Tapan Kumar Pradhan
*Sahitya Akademi Award
*"Indian Literature"
*Indian Poetry
*"Kalahandi"

References

(1) "Indian Literature", Sahitya Akademi's Bi-monthly Journal, Volume LI, No. 6, page-47-48. New Delhi ISSN 0019-5804.