Chapter - 6 Poem - 2

Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T. S.

 

About the Poet and the Poem

            ‘Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T. S.’, included in Hymns and Darkness, is one of Ezekiel’s ‘very Indian poems in Indian English’. The poem is a hilarious parody of and a biting satire on the dialectical features of English spoken by people from Gujarat. Besides underlining the common Indian use of the present progressive for the simple past and a variety of other Indianisms, the poem vividly reflects the rambling style invariably associated with Indian speakers. The speaker’s drifting off into his memories, his trying to show his intimacy with the guest of honour and his ambiguous statements are viewed humorously. Under the veneer of humour, however, one may discern certain teasing issues in our social structure. The use of unrhymed diction, a colloquial tone and the ‘speaking voice’ are essential for the nature of the poem, which is meant, above all, to be read aloud.  

Poem

Friends,

our dear sister

is departing for foreign

in two three days,

and

we are meeting today

to wish her bon voyage. (1)

You are all knowing friends,

What sweetness is in Miss Pushpa.

I don’t mean only external sweetness

but internal sweetness.

Miss Pushpa is smiling and smiling

even for no reason

but simply because she is feeling. (2)

Miss Pushpa is coming

From very high family.

Her father was renowned advocate

In Bulsar or Surat

I am not remembering now which place. (3)

Surat? Ah, yes.

once only I stayed in Surat

                        with family members

of my uncle’s very old friend –

his wife was cooking nicely…..

that was long time ago. (4)

Coming back to Miss Pushpa

she is most popular lady

with men also and ladies also.

Whenever I asked her to do anything,

she was saying, ‘Just now only

I will do it.’ That is showing

good spirit. I am always

appreciating the good spirit.

Pushpa Miss is never saying no.

Whatever I or anybody is asking

she is always saying yes,

and today she is going

to improve her prospects

and we are wishing her bon voyage. (5)

Now I ask other speakers to speak

and afterwards Miss Pushpa

will do the summing up. (6) 

Comprehension:

Stanza: 1

The speaker says that their dear sister, Miss Pushpa is leaving for a foreign country, and they all wish her bon voyage.

Stanza: 2

He says that they “are all knowing” the sweet nature of the Miss Pushpa who “is smiling and smiling for no reason, but simply because she is feeling”.

Stanza: 3

The speaker goes on to say that her father was a renowned advocate in Bulsar or Surat, and that he is “not remembering” the correct place.

Stanza: 4

Then he suddenly remembers that the place is Surat. He seems to be a poor speaker when he points out the irrelevant fact that he stayed there once with his uncle’s very old friend whose “wife was cooking nicely”.

Stanza: 5

Again, the speaker starts praising Miss Pushpa, and says that she is very popular with men and ladies also. Whenever he asked her to do anything, she said, “just now only I will do it”. Clearly the speaker means Miss Pushpa’s readiness to do any work, and the unnecessary use of “just” and “only” exhibit the Indian speaker’s ignorance of the usage of English words, creating laughter and fun. The speaker concludes his amusing speech, saying that they are wishing Miss Pushpa bon voyage.

Stanza: 6

He informs that Miss Pushpa ‘will do the summing up’, when the other speakers finish their talk. What he means is that Miss Pushpa will respond to their words of praise in the end. Thus the poet makes fun of the faulty Indian way talking English.

Summary

 

Nissim Ezekiel is a popular figure in the field of Indian Writing in English. In his lifetime, he has written so many poems like “The Night of the Scorpion.” and “Enterprise,” which are entertaining and enlightening.

The poem,” Goodbye Party for Miss.Pushpa” comes under his sixth volume of poems, namely “Hymns in Darkness.” The occasion is a farewell party given to Miss T.S. Pushpa by her friends and colleagues in her office when she leaves for a foreign country to improve her prospects. The speaker wishes her a happy voyage, and praises her for her good qualities. In fact, Nissim Ezekiel makes fun of the way in which semi-educated Indians speak or write the English language. He ridicules the errors in grammar, syntax, and idioms which many Indians commit while speaking the English language. In other words, he mimics the Indian way of speaking English with so many faults, and the poem is highly amusing.

            The speaker says that their dear sister, Miss Pushpa is leaving for a foreign country, and they all wish her bon voyage. In his speech, he again and again uses the present continuous tense instead of the simple present, which creates a ridiculous effect. He says that they “are all knowing” the sweet nature of Miss Pushpa who “is smiling and smiling for no reason, but simply because she is feeling”. The speaker goes on to say that her father was a renowned advocate in Bulsar or Surat, and that he is “not remembering” the correct place. Then he suddenly remembers that the place is Surat. He seems to be a poor speaker when he points out the irrelevant fact that he stayed there once with his uncle’s very old friend whose “wife was cooking nicely.”

            Again, the speaker starts praising Miss Pushpa, and says that she is very popular with men and ladies also. Whenever he asked her to do anything,  she said,” Just now only I will do it”. Clearly the speaker means Miss Pushpa’s readiness to do any work, and the unnecessary use of “just” and “only” exhibits the Indian speaker’s ignorance of the usage of English words, creating laughter and fun. The speaker’s frequent wrong use of the present continuous instead of the simple present is further revealed in his speech when he says that he is always appreciating Miss Pushpa’s good nature, and “she is always saying yes” when he or anybody “is asking” any help. The speaker concludes his amusing speech, saying that they are wishing Miss Pushpa bon voyage. He informs that Miss Pushpa ‘will do the summing up”, when the other speakers finish their talk. What he means is that Miss Pushpa will respond to their words of praise in the end. Thus the poet makes fun of the faulty Indian way talking English.

            This poem is in free verse, typical of modern poetry. Poetry which is written without rhyme and without any traditional metrical pattern uses free verse. It has no regular recurring rhythm.

The character sketch of Miss Pushpa

The speaker, throughout the poem, talks about Miss Pushpa and slowly reveals her character. The opening lines reveal two different characters of Miss Pushpa. First is that she is intelligent, because she goes to some foreign country. The second is that the speaker calls her as his sister. This shows that Miss Pushpa is a woman of some respect.

Miss Pushpa has a smiling face. The speaker says that Miss Pushpa is always found smiling. She takes life in a happy way. The speaker also says that Miss Pushpa is kind. She is kind at heart too. She is popularly known for her kindness among many men and women.

The speaker also talks about her family background. He says that she comes from a rich family. Miss Pushpa is also known for her helping tendency and good spirit. The speaker says that whenever someone approaches Pushpa, asking for help, she would never say no. She helps everyone at all times.