Title: Exploring the Intricacy of A.K. Ramanujan's Poems

Welcome back avid readers and poetry enthusiasts! This week’s blog post delves deep into the mesmerizing world of A.K. Ramanujan as featured in the latest episode of "This Week in Poetry with Professor Nedumaran." Let’s enjoy a journey through the selected poems from Ramanujan’s works, exploring the nuanced layers of his writing.

### Introduction

In the recent episode, Professor Nedumaran shares several poems from A.K. Ramanujan’s collection "Uncollected Poems and Prose," edited by Molly Daniel and Keith Harrison. This collection, published by Oxford India Paperback in 2001, offers a profound contemplative experience of Ramanujan's works. Additionally, a companion piece, "Journey’s A Poet's Diary," edited by Krishna Ramanujan and Guillermo Rodriguez and published by Penguin Random House in 2019, is highly recommended for a comprehensive understanding of the poet’s life and thoughts.

### Waiting

The poem "Waiting" transports readers into a simple, yet intensely contemplative scenario. Here, a man stands in his drawing room, observing a family through the window as they walk by. The vivid depiction of the family members—the father, mother, son, and daughter—each engaging in their unique activity, contrasts sharply with the poet’s own sense of stagnation and uncertainty.

"Waiting for a friend from Milwaukee to pick me up on Sunday. I looked out the window. A family of four... They were waiting for nothing, while I waited, as always, for someone to arrive from somewhere and take me somewhere else."

This section illustrates Ramanujan’s remarkable ability to juxtapose the ordinary with the philosophical, creating a poignant reflection on life’s transient moments.

### Farewells

Switching from the theme of waiting, Ramanujan’s "Farewells" engages with the concept of goodbyes in various forms. Inspired by the essay by Max B. Bourne, this poem captures the anticipation, awkwardness, and profundity of farewells.

"At the railway station, standing at the window of your friend... you can neither go home nor stop talking over and again about the delay. Oh, the old days when banana sellers were not rude and tea was really from Darjeeling."

Ramanujan's conversational style is evident throughout as he explores the flavors of farewells, from the mundane to the emotionally charged. This versatility in capturing life's routine moments deeply resonates with readers.

### Returning

In "Returning," Ramanujan employs a narrative technique that is both nostalgic and surprising. The poem begins with a familiar scene of seeking a loved one, only to conclude with a jarring realization of time’s passage.

"Returning home one blazing afternoon, he looked for his mother everywhere... Suddenly, he remembered he was now 61. And he hadn't had a mother for 40 years."

Ramanujan’s craft in unfolding a seemingly simple narrative into a profound epiphany exemplifies his mastery in poetry, aligning with Robert Frost’s notion of poetry beginning in delight and ending in wisdom.

### Daily Drivel, a monologue

Ramanujan's "Daily Drivel" is a fascinating departure from the typical themes of poetry. It captures the tedium and trivialities of daily life, embedding a deeper meaning within the routines.

"I cannot tell you how many things I did in the four hours you were gone... not even wishing they were precious seeds that could sprout a harvest by springtime."

The poet’s reflective tone on mundane chores contrasts sharply with his wife's pursuit of higher meaning, striking a chord with readers who recognize the beauty in life's ordinary moments.

### Conclusion

As Professor Nedumaran concludes his podcast episode, he encourages listeners to share and subscribe, reminding us of the collective joy and contemplation poetry can bring. 

"Do share and subscribe to this podcast on Spotify, Apple or wherever you listen to your podcasts... We will meet you in the next one with more wonderful poems for your listening pleasure. Till then take care."

This insightful journey through A.K. Ramanujan’s poetry invites readers to pause, reflect, and appreciate the intricate tapestry of life captured through his words. Join the conversation, share your thoughts, and let’s celebrate the profound artistry that lies within poetry.

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We hope you enjoyed this deep dive into the world of A.K. Ramanujan’s poetry. Stay tuned for more enriching literary explorations!

Ep. 10 - AK Ramanujan

[00:00:00] Hello everybody. Welcome back to This Week in Poetry with Professor Nedumaran. The poems I'll be reading in this episode are from Ramanujan's work, Uncollected Poems and Prose by A. K. Ramanujan, edited by Molly Daniel, Ramanujan, and Keith Harrison, published by Oxford India Paperback in 2001. A companion work I urge you to read is Journey's A Poet's Diary by Ramanujan, edited by Krishna Ramanujan and Guillermo Rodriguez, published by Penguin Random House, 2019.

[00:00:42] It's a fascinating first person narrative. Notes and thoughts of a great Indian poet from youth to his death at 64. Let's begin with Waiting. It's an extremely intriguing poem. It talks about a very simple situation. A [00:01:00] man, possibly the poet, standing in his drawing room, peering through the window, and he sees a family walking.

[00:01:07] There was the father, and there was the mother, and then, of course, the son, who is playing as he was walking, and the daughter doing cartwheels.So they were going somewhere, some destination they were sure of. Poet is watching through the window quietly. He is waiting too. But he doesn't know who he is waiting for.

[00:01:26] And he doesn't know where he is going. And then he looks again through the window. The family, slowly walking on the road, turned left on the 57th street. Well, they got somewhere to go and I'm still waiting. I don't know for who, and I don't know where I will go. It's a very interesting poem in the way the poet describes the family in detail, each one different from the other, and brings out the differences admirably, detailing everyone.

[00:01:57] And also, standing [00:02:00] alone, becoming very philosophical. The entire poem is in speaking voice, if I can call it. Reminds you of Frost. And, I'm sure you'll enjoy listening to A. K. Ramanujan's Waiting.

[00:02:15] Waiting, by A. K. Ramanujan.

[00:02:19] Waiting for a friend from Milwaukee to pick me up on Sunday. I looked out the window. A family of four. Young bearded father. Tall mother slim in white shorts. Son practicing imaginary baseball on the sidewalk as he walks ahead. And daughter, small and busy, trying cartwheels on the strip of new grass between sidewalk and the car ridden road.

[00:02:53] They were waiting for nothing, while I waited, as [00:03:00] always, for someone to arrive from somewhere and take me somewhere else. As I watched them turn into 57th Street. I, too, waited for nothing for a moment.

[00:03:21] Farewells. I remember reading a very interesting article seeing people off by the English essayist Max B. Bourne in the late 60s as a teacher. It's about saying goodbye to someone, a friend or relative at the railway station or a bus station, and we go to see them off. But then the bus or the train gets delayed.

[00:03:46] And you spend an hour or so talking about some inane subject or, the other,

[00:03:53] then you realize you've got no more topics to talk about, especially when the train gets delayed. [00:04:00] And you know, this is a very tricky situation. But then the question, such a topic, seeing people off. It's okay for a prose piece, but is it fit for a poem? Poetry is supposed to dwell deep into crisis, matters more sublime, greater than bidding farewell to someone at the rail station.

[00:04:21] But Ramanujan takes up such instances from our humdrum routine life, typically humorous, and he uses a very conversational style. He talks about different kinds of farewells including some emotional ones, such as between grandpa and grandson, and one between mother and son. Very poignant, touching, and very Indian too.

[00:04:45] Farewells There are farewells with formulae, farewells without. At the railway station, [00:05:00] standing at the window of your friend, the train delayed for two hours, and then again for another two. You can neither go home nor stop talking over and again about the delay. Oh, the old days when banana sellers were not rude and tea was really from Darjeeling.

[00:05:21] Also, the recurring farewell to the lady president of the cooperative society when they present her with a silver medal but don't have the time to inscribe her name. So, they take it back to get it properly inscribed. Now the secretary ducks under his umbrella and turns into the garbage alley whenever he sees the lady in the road as he cannot bear the thought of the unfinished farewell the nameless medallion lost in his office drawer.

[00:05:56] Then there is the farewell of the dying [00:06:00] patriarch among all his clan. The youngest grandson standing next to grandpa with a peculiar smell, two mouths without front teeth. Mother crying into her sari, father busy on the phone trying to locate brothers on trains that do not arrive according to the time changes in April.

[00:06:24] Mother's babble had no words, no tears, only a long look. That moved on your body from top to toe with the advice that you should not forget your oil bath every Tuesday when you go to America.

[00:06:43] Returning. It's a short poem with a shocking turn at the end. All the poems I have read in this edition seem to justify Robert Frost's take on poetry. Poetry begins in delight and ends in wisdom. [00:07:00] Also, we are reminded of American poet laureate Billy Collins, his observations on poetry. of how the opening lines unfold a rather familiar day to day event or happening and then progresses in a more complex manner leading to a provocative but thoughtful close.

[00:07:20] Returning Returning home one blazing afternoon, he looked for his mother everywhere. She wasn't in the kitchen. She wasn't in the backyard. She wasn't anywhere. He looked and looked, grew frantic, looked even under the beds where he found old shoes and dust balls, but not his mother. He ran out of the house shouting, Amma, where are you?

[00:07:51] I'm home. I'm hungry. But there was no answer. Not even an echo in the deserted street [00:08:00] blazing with sunshine. Suddenly, he remembered he was now 61. And he hadn't had a mother for 40 years.

[00:08:13] Daily Drivel, a monologue. Drivel is all about the kind of nonsensical things, you know, daily routines, chores we do every day, without being really, excited about, like washing dishes, for instance, or going to a laundry. But how can they provide the staple for a poem? And they do for AKR anyway.

[00:08:40] I find the poem moving at a very fast pace, and Ramanujan moving from one chore to another. But what follows this is very curious . Suddenly the narrative changes, and addressing possibly his wife, the poet says, Oh, you're gone while I was doing all this. You're [00:09:00] gone with the sole intent of watching the play Othello.

[00:09:03] And you wanted to deepen your sense of life. Leaving me with the mundane. And the poet uses some very interesting images, scattering precious seeds, reference of course to chores, with no hopes that someday the seeds will sprout the harvest by springtime. A very interesting close to a poem. I'm sure you'll enjoy this poem, which Ramanujan wrote in 1992.

[00:09:31] Daily Drivel a monologue, I cannot tell you how many things I did in the four hours you were gone. Chored my burning bottom to a young doctor who inevitably had to finger my deep and palpate my prostate. Hobbled back to do my laundry. Huff and puff at my weights at the gym. Run in the rain to the grocery store [00:10:00] for lettuce and the forbidden ice cream.

[00:10:02] Get my income tax returns postmarked by a surly post office. Eat my dinner of spinach, pasta, and yogurt. And send off taxi receipts to a college where I had lecture two days ago. And write this daily drivel, which I hadn't done for a week. I even washed all my cups and saucers and put away my forks and spoons in the drawer and sat down for 10 whole minutes doing nothing.

[00:10:32] But you went single mindedly to see Othello deepening your sense of life. While I scattered my hours on the wind, not even wishing they were precious seed that could sprout a harvest by springtime.

[00:10:50] that's all we have in this episode of this week in poetry by Professor Nedumaran

[00:10:59] I hope you [00:11:00] enjoyed this rendition of a selection of poems by A K Ramanujan.

[00:11:04] Do share and subscribe to this podcast on Spotify, Apple or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Your feedback is much appreciated.

[00:11:13] We will meet you in the next one with more wonderful poems for your listening pleasure. Till then take care.