Thinking Activity: 

Pre-Independence Literature: 

A translation of Tagore’s poem ‘Deeno Daan’ (’Destitute Donation’)

Said the royal attendant, “Despite entreaties, king,
The finest hermit, best among men, refuses shelter
In your temple of gold, he is singing to god
Beneath a tree by the road. The devout surround him
In numbers large, their overflowing tears of joy
Rinse the dust off the earth. The temple, though,
Is all but deserted; just as bees abandon
The gilded honeypot when maddened by the fragrance
Of the flower to swiftly spread their wings
And fly to the petals unfurling in the bush
To quench their eager thirst, so too are people,
Sparing not a glance for the palace of gold,
Thronging to where a flower in a devout heart
Spreads heaven’s incense. On the bejewelled platform
The god sits alone in the empty temple.”

At this,
The fretful king dismounted from his throne to go
Where the hermit sat beneath the tree. Bowing, he said,
“My lord, why have you forsaken god’s mighty abode,
The royal construction of gold that pierces the sky,
To sing paeans to the divine here on the streets?’
“There is no god in that temple,” said the hermit.

Furious,
The king said, “No god! You speak like a godless man,
Hermit. A bejewelled idol on a bejewelled throne,
You say it’s empty?”

“Not empty, it holds royal arrogance,
You have consecrated yourself, not the god of the world.”

Frowning, said the king, “You say the temple I made
With twenty lakh gold coins, reaching to the sky,
That I dedicated to the deity after due rituals,
This impeccable edifice – it has no room for god!”

Said the tranquil hermit, “The year when the fires
Raged and rendered twenty thousand subjects
Homeless, destitute; when they came to your door
With futile pleas for help, and sheltered in the woods,
In caves, in the shade of trees, in dilapidated temples,
When you constructed your gold-encrusted building
With twenty lakh gold coins for a deity, god said,
‘My eternal home is lit with countless lamps
In the blue, infinite sky; its everlasting foundations
Are truth, peace, compassion, love. This feeble miser
Who could not give homes to his homeless subjects
Expects to give me one!’ At that moment god left
To join the poor in their shelter beneath the trees.
As hollow as the froth and foam in the deep wide ocean
Is your temple, just as bereft beneath the universe,
A bubble of gold and pride.”

Flaring up in rage
The king said, “You false deceiver, leave my kingdom
This instant.”

Serenely the hermit said to him,
“You have exiled the one who loves the devout.
Now send the devout into the same exile, king.”

Translated from the Bengali by Arunava Sinha.

Click here to go to the site where the poem is taken from.

Give answers of following questions:

1) The poem is written before 120 years (approx.). Can you find any resemblance between the poem and the pandemic time? 

(Some hints: During the pandemic time temples were closed - people were dying - there was no place in hospitals for Covid patients)

2) Why do you think the King is angry on the Sage?

3) Why do you think the Sage denies to enter in the temple?

4) Can there be any connection between the text of the poem and the verdict of Ayoydhya Ram Mandir? (To get some ideas Click here)

Thinking Activity: Waiting For Godot:

Waiting For Godot is about existential crisis of a human being. Read from the existential perspective the play is about futility and meaninglessness of life. It is observed that the characters are helpless and hopeless. They do not do anything except 'waiting' which does not add any meaning to their existence. They are like dead bodies without hope. It is the choice they made in their life. 

Existentialism is about an individual's existence, choice and freedom in life. It is about meaning given to life by using the freedom to choose. 

Here is a link to read more about Existentialism.

Existentialism  

Students are requested to answer the following questions:

1. What do you think about the characters of the play?

2. What do you say about their activities and its significance?

3. Is there any similarity between the situations in the play and the lockdown period of 2020?

4.  Did you feel like existential crisis?

5. What did you do to pass time?

6. How was your psychological condition?

  

 Thinking Activity on Things Fall Apart:

Here are some questions on Things Fall Apart. Students are requested to answer the questions in 300 words. 

1. What is historical context of Things Fall Apart?

2. What is the significant of the title?

3. Write a brief note on the concept of 'Chi' in Things Fall Apart?

4. What do you think about the incident of Ikemefuna? How does it help to understand the Ibo culture in more specific ways?

5. Write a brief note on Ibo people's belief in the world of spirits.

6. How is the difference between the father land and the mother land is described in Things Fall Apart?

7. Write a brief note on the concept of Nativism and Native identity in Things Fall Apart.

8. Point out the important points of Things Fall Apart which can be compared with Kanthapura by Raja Rao.