Question

How can you say that the poet Nissim Ezekiel was “A very Indian poet in Indian English.”?

Answer 1

Nissim Ezekiel is considered to be the father of post independence Indian English verse. He is the trendsetter who started modernity in Indian English poetry. Many contemporary Indian English poets follow the simple, conversational style of Ezekiel. The influence of Ezekiel is found not only in their style but also in the selection of themes.

Ezekiel felt a sense of belonging to India though by birth he was an outsider. He was primarily an Indian and used satire to bring out the evil practices, superstitions and ignorance of the Indian people in a humorous way. He exhorted the Indian youth to be truly Indian. When he was in London he craved to return to India, his birth place. He was totally committed to India and he could not get rid of his sense of being an Indian. His essay, “Naipaul’s India and Mine” shows the importance of India in his life: In the India which I have presumed to call mine, I acknowledge without hesitation the existence of all darkness Mr. Naipaul discovered. . . . To other countries I am a foreigner. In India I am an Indian”