AN AROMA OF INDIANNESS AND ORDINARY EVENTS IN THE POETRY OF NISSIM EZEKIEL
ABSTRACT
After independence, a new period in
Indo-English literature began. This period is characterised by what is known as
contemporary Indian poetry in English or Modern Indo-Anglican poetry. Nissim
Ezekiel is one of the renowned Indo-Anglican poets who stands next to Sir Aurobindo in the post-independence era and has a
notable place in Indian English writings. He is a well-known poet, playwright,
actor, editor, critic, journalist, and teacher all rolled into one. He was
awarded a Sahitya Academy Award in 1983 and Padma Shri Award five years later
in 1988 for his spectacular contribution in the field of Indian English poetry.
Despite being from a Jewish background, Nissim Ezekiel is an Indian poet who
writes in English. He has committed himself to Indian values, culture, people
and language and Indianness has always been in his blood and writings. The
usage of Indian idioms is a significant component of Indianness in Indian
poetry. Indianness is a challenging task to define due to the diversity of
Indian culture and languages. The Indian contemporary scene, modern urban life, Indian sensibility,
human relationship, love and sex and search for identity are the major themes
of his poetry. According to Adil Jussawalla, “Nissim Ezekiel is the first
Indian poet consistently to show Indian readers that craftsmanship is an as important
to a poem as its subject matter.” Nissim Ezekiel has experimented endlessly
with form and content of his poetry. He has expertise in flawless craftsmanship
which makes his poetry unique. The present paper concentrates on the selected
poems of Nissim Ezekiel such as Background, Casually, Very Indian Poem in
Indian English, Goodbye Party For Miss Pushpa T. S. and Night of the Scorpion
to explore an aroma of Indianness and ordinary events in his poems.
Key Words: Indianness, Indian sensibility, ordinary,
culture, human relationship.