what is the imagery for the poem in the bazaars of Hyderabad
Answers
Imagery
In order to describe the majesty of the traditional bazaar in Hyderabad, with a tinge of royalness added to it, the poet uses all the senses of the human body, which adds on to the vibrancy of the poem. Beautiful and bright colours are used by the poet which has heightened the visually capturing capacity of the poem. The poet has mentioned colours like silver, crimson red, purple, amber, blue, azure, red and white. They all render different kind of images, starting from the festival of colours, Holi which is celebrated across the country to the colours one would see on a bride or a married woman, a young girl to an old man who might be dead. The poet also enhances the aural factor of the poem by describing the music produced by the Sarangi, the Sitar and the drums along with the chnating of spells by the magicians. The mention of the fragrances of sandalwood, henna and flowers sold by the flower girls of different kinds invoke the olfactory senses of the reader. The description of fruits like lemons, pomegranate, plums and famous Hyderabadi specials like lentils and rice awaken the gustatory glands. Another, palpable imagery is produced by the bells made for the pigeons in the course of the poem. Thus, the poem hits all the five senses of a human being, which also accounts as a factor of as to how the poem is stylized.
Themes
Thinking about themes, this poem, especially because of its description of the bazaar in Hyderabad is very close to the folklore tradition. The merchants, traders, hawkers magicians and flower girls along with the charm and enthusiasm in the bazaar render to this image. The way the poet stops over and the little conversations she has, brings out the vibrancy and emotional strings present in our society, which drives the poem closer to the Indian culture and identity, reminding the readers of their roots. Emotional strings are touched through the poem also when the bazaar depicted by Naidu describes the various kinds of joy and sorrows present in the Indian society. This paradox is depicted when the poet is talking to the flower girls. The bazaar experiences joy on various festivals and occasions like weddings etc or when the children gather around the magicians. The sorrow is witnessed when people buy garlands or the white flowers the flower girls are weaving for the graves, when someone dies. Naidu could also be pointing to the fact that the young Indian men with potential are taken by the British army, and when they die on the battlefields, their families are left in sorrow and helplessness.