The Song of India

UNDERSTAND THE POEM

1. Identify the two speakers in the

poem. What does the speaker want

to sing about?

Ans: The two speakers in the poem

are the poet and the Motherland. (our

Earth). He wants to sing about the glory

of our country or Motherland.

2. What are the epics? Why does the

poet call the temples as 'epics in

stone ?

Ans: Ramayana and Mahabharat

are our epics. They have loft themes and

are written in grand style. The stones

which are decorated outside will always

tell us one or the other tales of our epics.

3. Who does the poet mean by 'of your

children that died to call their own"?

Ans: The poet refers to freedom

fighters or patriots who sacrificed their

lives for the sake of our Motherland.

4. What, according to the poet, is the

contribution of the seers and

prophets ?

Ans: They showed the straight and

right path for the people to lead good and

noble life over this Earth.

5. Why is the poet 'querulous'? What

does he want to do?

Ans: The mother tells the poet to

sing of the dark aspects of the country

also. Then the poet becomes querulous

and he asks her if there is no song that

he can sing of her. He wants to sing of

her perfection.

6. How Is he answered ? Describe the

vision. (Refer stanza 4)

Ans: The mother rose and sat. She

wrote the Book of the Morrow. She writes

of bright future.

7. What do the night, the sun god and

the clear dawn represent ?

Ans: The night refer to the

ignorance and when the sun god comes

out, he dispels all the ignorance and the

bright future (clear dawn) is seen. It

refers to hope.

READ AND APPRECIATE

1. What is the picture of India that

you get in stanza 1 of the poem?

Ans: We get the glorious picture of

our mother India. In her natural beauty,

we get the bright picture.

2. How does the poet describe the

Mother's anger ? Name the figure

of speech used in stanza 2.

Ans: The mother told him not to

sing of only bright aspect but also to sing

of dark aspect. She told him to sing of

poverty, ignorance, disease and rotten

condition of the people who live in. We

find a clear cut imagery in the second

stanza which serves as Metaphor.

3. Explain the lines *A song bathed in

the stainless blue unvaporuing in

the void.

Ans: It means that there are

glorious scenes which show perfection.

They do not show nothingness. The

spotless glory of the Indian land is

evergreen and remains the same.

4. What does the Motherland writing

the Book of the Morrow' signify?

Ans: It is nothing but the future

vision of India. The future India should

be without any ignorance, poverty, disease

and other dark aspects. The sun-god

should dispell all the sorrows.

5. Write in brief your vision of the

future of India.

Ans: Our land is very sacred. We

wish that everybody should live happiness

and joy. The future India should be free

from poverty, ignorance, disease, false

notions, superstitions, terrorism and other

bad elements. All should live happily

Our country should be on the top in

every field. Oir country should become

Guru and lean the world. All should

become tourists but not terrorists. Love.

Compassion, Mercy, helping the needy.

generosity, kindness and extending help

for all should be on the top. Our country

| should shine in every good aspect.