Bihar Board Class 12th English : प्रिय विद्याथियों, “Mindbloom Study” (#1 Online Study Portal For Bihar Board Exams) आपके लिए लाया है बिहार बोर्ड कक्षा 12th अंग्रेजी के MY GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE
Introduction (परिचय)
KAMALA DAS (b. March 31, 1934), poet and short story writer, has earned a respectable place in both English and Malayalam literature. Her autobiography, published in 1976, created quite a stir. In 1984, she was short listed for the Nobel Prize for literature. Her important volumes of verse in English include Summer in Kolkata (1963), Sirens (1964), The Descendents (1967), The Old Playhouse and other Poems (1973), The Anamatal Poems (1985), Only Saint Knows How to Sing (1996), and Yes Allah (2001). Kamala Das’s poetry is primarily autobiographical and her theme is love of a lonely heart – love with never ending passion, lust, greed and hunger that never satiate. She is known for sexual adventures in her writings: for her, love hardly ever goes beyond sex and lust – which even reaches the point of nausea, and is reborn again and again with new vigour. Kamala Das reveals a commendable mastery of phrase and control over rhythm. The words are often painted and the rhythm is marvellously, almost feverously, alive.
कमला दास (जन्म 31 मार्च, 1934), कवि और लघु कथाकार, ने अंग्रेज़ी और मलयालम साहित्य, दोनों में एक सम्मानजनक स्थान अर्जित किया है। 1976 में प्रकाशित उनकी आत्मकथा ने काफ़ी हलचल मचा दी थी। 1984 में, उन्हें साहित्य के नोबेल पुरस्कार के लिए नामांकित किया गया था। अंग्रेज़ी में उनकी महत्वपूर्ण कविताएँ समर इन कोलकाता (1963), साइरन्स (1964), द डिसेंडेंट्स (1967), द ओल्ड प्लेहाउस एंड अदर पोएम्स (1973), द अनामतल पोएम्स (1985), ओनली सेंट नोज़ हाउ टू सिंग (1996), और यस अल्लाह (2001) हैं। कमला दास की कविताएँ मुख्यतः आत्मकथात्मक हैं और उनका विषय एकाकी हृदय का प्रेम है – एक ऐसा प्रेम जिसमें कभी न मिटने वाला जुनून, वासना, लालच और भूख है। वह अपनी रचनाओं में यौन रोमांच के लिए जानी जाती हैं: उनके लिए, प्रेम शायद ही कभी सेक्स और वासना से आगे बढ़ता है – जो उबकाई की हद तक भी पहुँच जाता है, और बार-बार नए जोश के साथ पुनर्जन्म लेता है। कमला दास वाक्यांशों पर अपनी अद्भुत महारत और लय पर नियंत्रण का परिचय देती हैं। शब्द अक्सर चित्रित होते हैं और लय अद्भुत, लगभग ज्वरग्रस्त, जीवंत होती है।
MY GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE
There is a house now far away where once
I received love. That woman died,
The house withdrew into silence, snakes moved
Among books I was then too young
To read, and, my blood turned cold like the moon.
How often I think of going
There, to peer through blind eyes of windows or
Just listen to the frozen air,
Or in wild despair, pick an armful of
Darkness to bring it here to lie
Behind my bedroom’s door like a brooding
Dog …. you cannot believe, darling
Can you, that I lived in such a house and
Was proud, and loved … I who have lost
My way and beg now at strangers’ doors to
Receive love, at least in small change?
कविता का सारांश
यह कविता कवयित्री की गहरी भावनात्मक स्मृति को दर्शाती है, जो अपने पुराने घर और वहां मिले प्यार को याद करती है। वह बताती है कि एक समय ऐसा था जब उसे उस घर में स्नेह मिला था, लेकिन अब वह सब कुछ खो चुकी है। उस घर की महिला (दादी) की मृत्यु हो चुकी है, और अब वह घर खामोश हो गया है। वहां अब सिर्फ किताबों के बीच सांप रेंगते हैं, जिन्हें वह तब पढ़ने के लिए बहुत छोटी थी।
वह कहती है कि उस समय उसकी रगों में भी ठंडक भर गई थी, जैसे चाँद की ठंडी रोशनी। वह बार-बार उस घर में वापस जाने की सोचती है, खिड़कियों से झाँकने या ठंडी हवा की आवाज़ सुनने के लिए। कभी-कभी वह निराशा में उस घर की अंधकार को समेट कर अपने कमरे के दरवाज़े के पीछे किसी उदास कुत्ते की तरह रखना चाहती है।
कविता के अंत में, कवयित्री अपने प्रिय (संभवतः पाठक या किसी अन्य व्यक्ति) से पूछती है कि क्या वे विश्वास कर सकते हैं कि वह कभी ऐसे घर में रहती थी जहाँ उसे प्यार मिला था और वह गर्व महसूस करती थी। यह एक दुखद विरोधाभास है क्योंकि अब वह अपना रास्ता भटक चुकी है और अजनबियों के दरवाज़ों पर प्यार की भीख माँगती है, कम से कम “छोटे बदलाव” (थोड़ा सा प्यार) के रूप में ही सही। यह कविता प्यार के नुकसान, बचपन की यादों और वर्तमान की निराशा के बीच के तीखे अंतर को दर्शाती है।
भावार्थ:
यह कविता स्मृति, खोए हुए प्यार, अकेलेपन और आत्मविमर्श की गहराई को दर्शाती है। यह अतीत की गर्माहट और वर्तमान की ठंडी वीरानी के बीच का द्वंद्व है।
Summary
My Grandmother’s House is a wonderful (आश्चर्यजनक) poem written by Kamala Das. She was born in 1934 and died in 2009. In this poem, the poetess (कवयित्री) describes a particular (व्यक्तिगत) house where she spent (गुजारना) sweet days (मधुर दिन) of her childhood (बचपन). The poetess says that she lived with her grandmother (दादी) in the same house during her childhood. The house belonged to (संबंध रखना) her grandmother. Everything was very good round the house. But, when her grandmother died and the poetess began to live in other place, the condition (स्थिति) of the house become very bad. Everywhere round that house become pitiable (दयनीय). Bushes (झाड़ियाँ) grew (उगना) around (चारों ओर) it and snakes were moving there. The house became silent (सुना). When she reached (पहुंचना) there to see the house, she got (पायी) earlier love. She saw the house damaged (क्षतिग्रस्त). Everything was changed. But, she feels proud, because she got love very much in this house. The poetess says that her grandmother’s death shocked (सदमा पहुंचाना) her and she felt (लगा) as if (मानो) her blood became cold. Thus, in this poem the poetess wants to tell that she lived with her grandmother in the house, where she was too young.
B.1. Read the following sentences and write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements:
a) The woman of the house is alive. → F
b) The snakes were seen in the house. → T
c) The speaker read the books with great interest. → F
d) The speaker wished to peep through the wiondow. → T
B. 2. Answer the following questions briefly:
1) Who is ‘I’ in the second line of the poem?
Ans — ‘I’ in the second line of the poem refers to the speaker/poet herself.
2) Where did the speaker once receive love?
Ans — The speaker once received love in a house, now far away.
3) Why did the house go into silence?
Ans — The house went into silence because the woman who lived there and provided love died.
4) Why was the speaker unable to read the books?
Ans — The speaker was unable to read the books because she “was then too young” to read them.
5) Why did the speaker often wish to go to that house?
Ans — The speaker often wished to go to that house because it was where she once received love and to reconnect with those cherished memories, even in its desolate state.
6) Why was the speaker proud of living in that house?
Ans — The speaker was proud of living in that house because it was a place where she received love and experienced a sense of belonging and value.
7) Why does the speaker say that she has lost her way?
Ans — The speaker says she has lost her way because she has lost the love and security she once had, and is now desperately seeking affection from others.
8) Is the speaker satisfied with her present life? If not, why?
Ans — No, the speaker is not satisfied with her present life. She expresses this by saying she has “lost / My way and beg now at strangers’ doors to / Receive love, at least in small change,” indicating a profound sense of loneliness and emotional need.
C. 1. LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
1) How does the speaker describe the condition of her grandmother’s house? Does it resemble the house of any of your acquaintance?
Ans — The poem does not explicitly state that the house belonged to her “grandmother.” It refers to “That woman,” who died. Assuming “that woman” refers to a significant female figure like a grandmother or mother, the house is described as being in a state of desolation and profound silence after her death. It “withdrew into silence,” indicating an absence of life and warmth. The presence of “snakes moved / Among books” suggests decay, neglect, and a return to a wild, untamed state, implying it’s uninhabited and perhaps even crumbling. The windows are “blind eyes,” further emphasizing its lifelessness and inability to offer a welcoming gaze. The air is “frozen,” conveying a chilling stillness and lack of vibrancy. Overall, it’s a house haunted by memories, but physically decaying and desolate.
2) What type of love or relation do you find between the grandmother and the speaker?
Ans — The poem refers to “That woman” who died, not explicitly a “grandmother.” However, the love received was clearly profound, foundational, and deeply cherished, representing a golden period in the speaker’s life. The speaker states, “where once / I received love. That woman died… I lived in such a house and / Was proud, and loved…” This indicates a relationship where the speaker felt secure, valued, and emotionally nourished. It was a love that instilled pride and formed the bedrock of her early life. The current desperate search for love (“beg now at strangers’ doors”) highlights how vital and irreplaceable that original bond was, suggesting a love that was unconditional and complete, unlike the fragmented “small change” she seeks now. It was likely a nurturing and protective relationship, typical of a primary caregiver like a mother or grandmother, given the speaker’s young age mentioned (“too young / To read”).
3) What changes have taken place since the speaker’s grandmother died?
Ans — Assuming “that woman” refers to the grandmother, significant and profound changes have occurred since her death, primarily impacting the house and the speaker’s emotional state:
• The House’s Transformation:
• It “withdrew into silence,” losing its warmth, vibrancy, and activity.
• It became neglected and wild, with “snakes moved / Among books.”
• Its windows became “blind eyes,” symbolizing its emptiness and lack of connection to the outside world.
• The very air became “frozen,” reflecting a chilling stillness and lack of life.
• It changed from a place of love and pride to a desolate, haunting memory.
• The Speaker’s Emotional and Existential State:
• Her “blood turned cold like the moon,” indicating a deep emotional chill, sadness, and a sense of loss and detachment.
• She moved from a state of being “proud, and loved” to having “lost / My way.”
• She now lives a life of emotional destitution, “beg[ging] now at strangers’ doors to / Receive love, at least in small change,” which sharply contrasts with the abundant, secure love she once knew.
• There’s a constant longing and despair for the past, reflected in her desire to revisit the house and even bring back “an armful of darkness.”
In essence, the grandmother’s death triggered a complete transformation, plunging both the physical house and the speaker’s inner world into silence, coldness, and profound loneliness.
4) Point out the similes in the poem.
Ans — There are two clear similes in the poem:
i) “and, my blood turned cold like the moon.”
• This simile compares the speaker’s cold blood (her emotional state of chill and sadness) to the cold, distant nature of the moon.
ii) “Behind my bedroom’s door like a brooding / Dog ….”
• This simile compares the “armful of darkness” that the speaker wishes to bring home to a “brooding dog,” suggesting something dark, heavy, quiet, and perhaps melancholic or watchful, lying silently in a corner.
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