Grandmother by Sitakant Mahapatra Analysis

 The poem opens with a scene of the poet and his father come to an Indian Village in a crowded bus. Bus fare in India is cheap. But travelling is tough. People packed into train and buses. They have more pains on bad roads in rural areas. They pushed here and there inside a vehicle. When one person want to get off from the bus others in bus face troubles.  This is a rainy day. Rivers are full of water. People can't cross rivers because there are no bridges. Fields are full of disgusting animals like crabs and snails. So travelling becomes more harder. Father and son want to reach for a funeral. But travelling is difficult. 

India is still a developing country. Infrastructure Facilities in that country are no good. It is tedious and time wasting. That's why poet says " going through all this'' It shows the extent of difficultness. It was a menace for both father and son. They become late for funeral. Both father and son are very difficult to reach destination.

Grandmother used to say Even the god of Death reaches our village struggling and late. They heard that death comes at its own stubborn way and and fancy at its own sweet time. When the grandmother says that even God of death  comes to the village struggling and late she give up that trust. Village conditions are very bad. Granny's words become fake. Death ironically comes to granny before son and grandson come. she wrote  '' I've become an eroded shore.'' She thinks right. mother can't see his son before death. Also son can't see her death body. So death is untimely. It's true. Death never stops for any reason .Even Uncomfortable roads of India embrace the speedy death of grandmother.

In comparison with Robert Frost's Out Out the people does not pay much attention to one death. Because they busy with other relationships. This shows in this poem as well. After the funeral people enjoy food and don't care about father's and son's sorrow. This is a night.  That shows from '' the cricket singing, the glowworms winking in the bamboo forest, few stars glimmering. This images show loneliness as well. All the people go from house and only few closers left.

Because of loneliness sorrow increases. Normally men rarely shows their emotions. They bear sorrow a lot without crying. But for the first time poet shows his father crying. It is a contrast for men not cry. When father cries poet can't suddenly think what to do. He wants to support father. But he can't. No success from his side. It's a deep departure feeling. No satisfaction. Inner true grief  aggravated.

In this poem narrator knows he is helpless towards father's grief. At the end of the 6th stanza the famous literato said '' I merely looked up at the sky where she had become  another star''.  In this line the poet did when he could not control his father's emotions. If there was any satisfaction against sorrow he can't explain it in words. Granny went among the stars. She became a star. That is the satisfaction he gave to father. Maybe granny alive still in universe.

In the last stanza the poet says '' That day i realized for the first time how every weeping act in this life is performed in a hidden way secretly. Sorrow is a deep concept. Father secretly hide his sorrow. On the other hand showing grief is not a real grief.  So this is a typical Indian poem. Nature aspect of India clearly shown in this poem.