When the pregnant woman was drowning, she would have perhaps felt the kicking of one or two children against the walls of her womb. The drowning of the pregnant woman indicated the loss of two or three lives - woman and one or two children in her womb. They did not notice the drowning of the pregnant woman. The swollen river represented an enchanting sight for them. They remained in the world of beauty and fancy. They were very far from the feelings of humanity. They had no emotions for the distressed humanity. They ignored the destruction brought by flood. They were not interested in the dark aspects caused by the flood. They were highly fascinated towards the beauty and sights of the swollen river. The new poets also followed the tradition of the old poets and sang the verse only about floods. The visitor heard people talking about the flood waters sweeping away three village homes, one pregnant woman and a couple of cows name Gopi and Brinda, but this was not something unusual. They saw that the cobbled steps were disappearing one by one and the water was rising over the bathing places. They talked about the water rising over the cobbled steps leading to the river. Instead of worrying about the destruction made by the flood, the people everywhere talked about the gradual rising (level) of the flood water. In the opinion of the visitor, it was the time of crisis because the flood could make great harm and destruction to the villages which were situated near the river. The people took great interest in seeing the sight of the flood. Flood became the subject of curiosity, fascination and wonder among the people. He actually saw what happened when floods came that year. They see only the beauty of swollen river during flood and sing this sight in their verse.Ī visitor once happened to spend one day in Madurai when a flood in the river was imminent. They are not interested in the ugly sides of river whether they are related to the flood or the dried river.
They have no least interest in observing the scenes of discomfort. Many poets of Madurai sing only the beauty of the flooding river not about the reality of flood destruction or reality of the dry river.
The wet stones spotting the river look like sleeping crocodiles and shine in the sun and the dry stones look like shaven water buffaloes, relaxing in the sun. The bridge has patches of repair all over it. Its Watergates get blocked with straw and women's hair. It turns into a narrow trickle flowing through mounds of sand appearing like ribs. There is a river - the river Vaikai - which dries up in summer season. Many poets have written poems in the praise of city and its temples. The city of Madurai is famous for its temples and poets. Summary and Critical Appreciation of Poem A River by A.K. and remoteness from India, have sharpened his sensibility and he conjures up vivid pictures of Indian life from the vast treasure of his memory. His Western education, his stay in U.S.A. The poet depicts a regular occurrence in many parts of India during monsoons when the rivers are in spate and tend to wash away entire villages a stretch. The poet of this poem is concerned with the human aspect of a situation and highlights the bitter truth in all its shocking harshness. He also condemns those poets who emphasise only on the outer beauty of nature, ignoring its deeper significance. It is conspicuous for ironic contrasts and good humoured satire at poets who are fond of sensational events such as flood. The poet clearly reveals the attitudes of both old and new Tamil poets who have shown utter indifference and callousness to human suffering at the time of devastating flood. It is a poem on the river Vaikai which flows through Madurai, a city that has for long been the seat of Tamil Culture. The poem entitled A River was published in The Striders in 1966.
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