Question

Summary of the poem if l was a tree

Answer 1

Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy has written on the evils of untouchability in this poem.  The feeling of anger and dejectedness is expressed through a young boy who feels that if he had been a tree, he could have birds build its nest without asking him which caste he was, sun would have embraced him and his friendship with the breeze and leaves would have been cool and pleasant.  

The boy states that if he had been a tree, the rain would not turn its back because he was an untouchable and the mother earth would not have run to take bath because his roots were touching hers. Through this, the boy states the attitude of the people towards him and how hurt he was.  

He also states that as a tree, he would allow the cows to scratch its skin against the rough surface of the bark and in turn he would get blessings from the thousand gods and goddess who were supposed to be residing in the cows stomach  

The boy also yearns to be purified in some way or the other and states his wish that if he had been a tree, he would have been broken into pieces and would have been used for some holy rituals, or would have been used to burn a sinless person or would have been used to carry the body of the dead by touching the shoulders of four men.  He calls the four men as “good” because only those people are allowed to carry all the bodies of all the caste people.