[Reader-list] Surat: Entry in the city

[Shivam Vij शिवम् विज्]

Dear Sadan,

I think any analysis of the Pushpa TS poem must keep in mind that it
is part of a series of eight odd poems called "Very Indian Poems in
Very Indian English". It is important that all of these poems be read
together; that challenges many notions that reading Pushpa TS in
isolation brings along.

best
shivam

On 1/11/08, sadan at sarai.net <sadan at sarai.net> wrote:
> "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..."
> For the full poem see, http://audiopoetry.wordpress.com/2007/08/22/goodbye-party-for-miss-pushpa-ts
>
> Like many other crucial functions, cities have been sites of memories too.
> The memory of this city of Surat comes alive at the moment of departure of
> Miss Pushpa, in this poem by Nissim Ezekiel.  It is a "good bye party for
> miss Pushpa T.S." 'She is departing for foreign'. The poet writes,
> "Miss Pushpa is coming
> from very high family.
> Her father was renowned advocate
> in Bulsar or Surat,
> I am not remembering now
> which place".
> As a history student, my immidiate impulsive responsibility is to find the
> date when this poem was composed, at least date of of publication is
> necessary. The geographical setting of this party, the social environment,
> the literary form and the affective charge are some of the primary areas
> needed to be attended by any researcher.
> I am informed,
> "Ezekiel( 24December 1924- 9 January 2004) belonged to Mumbai's tiny,
> Marathi-speaking Bene Israel Jewish community, which never experienced
> anti-semitism. They were descended from oil-pressers who sailed from
> Galilee around 150BC, and, shipwrecked off the Indian subcontinent,
> settled, intermarried and forgot their Hebrew, yet maintained the Sabbath.
> There were 20,000 Bene Israel in India 60 years ago; now, only 5,000
> remain". He stayed while his relatives left gradually for Israel. This same
> Guardian article by Lawrence Joffe( 9March, 2004) that maps his life sketch
> also informs that "Ezekiel's poetry described love, loneliness, lust,
> creativity and political pomposity, human foibles and the "kindred clamour"
> of urban dissonance".
>  I want to know more on this poet and his poems. But I am more interested
> to know about Bene Israel Jewish community in India, particulary in western
> part of this country. The linkages between this community and the city of
> Surat. However, before moving to a rapidly declining community and its
> association with Surat, that boasts its multi-cultural and multi-ethnic
> past ties, A brief pause at memory, literature and the city would be more
> pertinant. This is not merely because we began thinking about Miss Pushpa
> as a moment when the memory about the city came alive, memory of a visit to
> Surat. This is also because the space of the city of Surat is grounded and
> translated in and through the memories of specific experiences( i.e. visit
> to a fmaily, nicely cooked food etc.) and figures (family members, uncle's
> old friend, figure of a wife  through the act of cooking etc) and we come
> face to face with the placeness about the city. This transition from the
> space to place-ness is mediated here through the memory randered in specfic
> literary form, poetry. The question that needs attention is how to
> conceptualise this relation between the city, memory and literature in
> general and with poetry in particular.
> Any comment is welcome as the project is at its infant stage.
> sadan.
>
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