what is the poet's opinion on the conventional institution of worship and
their rituals ?
from class 8 th English amber
Answers
Ramanujan’s poetry is a depiction of human sentiments, feelings and emotions in a direct
way without any gloss or sophistication. There are no traces of alien influences on his poetry,
in spite of his long stay abroad. His poetry has technical excellence and bears the stamp of
his individuality. In the poem ‘Entries for a Catalogue of Fears’ he says, “I will
grow/charitable one day/begin to classify/at dawn the week’s bread crumbs / in a plastic bag
for the red and black/street ant/the beggar doves in the park/the free sapphire blue jay/in the
tree/will make a habit/of the shelled peanut/in my hand.”
Ramanujan’s poems have a technical perfection which is exemplary. His poetry is never
pedantic or verbose and is written in a language which is crisp, intense and casual. In his
poem ‘The Striders’ in order to draw the attention of the reader he has introduced even
ambiguity “And search/for certain thin/stemmed, bubble-eyed water bugs/Sea them perch/on
dry capillary legs/weightless/on the ripple skin /of a stream/No, not only prophets /walk on
water. This bug sits/ on a landslide of lights/and drowns eye/deep/into its tiny strip/of sky.”2
The poems of Ramanujan are finely crafted pieces, and the words shine with depth of
meaning 3. The words create a rhythm and form which enhance the value of his poetry.
Ramanujan has laid equal stress on the meaning, as well as the design of each poem. The
designer poems of Ramanujan are not only a treat to the eye, but also indicate a multi-layered
meaning. To identify the central theme of Ramanujan’s poems one has to proceed cautiously
with patience and imagination.
Ramanujan’s poetry has brought many laurels to him. The volumes of his poetry The
Striders (1966), Relations (1971) and Selected Poems (1976) have been praised by the
literary critics, for the succinct expression and originality. Ramanujan has done a yeoman
service by translating the Tamil and Kannada classical poetry into English5. Those who read
contemporary English poetry are familiar with the nuances and death of Ramanjan’s poetry.
His stress on the web of family life, and the integration of the individual with it remains the
prominent characteristic of his poetry