Background Casually by Nissim Ezekiel: Text and Analysis
Introduction (Background, Casually)
Nissim Ezekiel’s poem “Background,
Casually” is an autobiographical poem in which the poet narrates the
story of his life in a relaxed and conversational manner. The poem reflects
Ezekiel’s personal experiences, his cultural background, and his search for
identity as an Indian poet of Jewish origin. It is included in his well-known
poetry collection Collected Poems 1952–1988.
In the poem, Ezekiel casually recounts different stages of his life—his
childhood in India, his education, his stay in England, and his eventual return
to India. Through these experiences, he reveals the difficulties he faced in
defining his identity. Being born into a Jewish family in India and influenced
by Western education, he often felt a sense of alienation and cultural
conflict.
Despite these challenges, the poet gradually accepts India as his true home.
The poem highlights his struggle for belonging and his determination to
establish himself as an Indian poet writing in English.
Thus, “Background, Casually” is not only a personal
narrative but also a reflection on identity, cultural roots, and the experience
of being an Indian in a multicultural society.
Nissim Ezekiel की कविता “Background, Casually” उनकी आत्मकथात्मक
(autobiographical) कविता है, जिसमें वे अपने जीवन, पहचान और भारत से अपने संबंध को हल्के-फुल्के लेकिन गहरे अंदाज़ में बताते
हैं। यह कविता
उनके प्रसिद्ध संग्रह
Collected Poems 1952–1988 में शामिल
है।
Introduction in Hindi
“Background, Casually” में निस्सिम
एज़ेकियल अपने जीवन की कहानी को बहुत साधारण और बातचीत जैसे अंदाज़
में प्रस्तुत करते हैं। कविता में वे अपने यहूदी
परिवार, भारतीय परिवेश, और पश्चिमी शिक्षा
के बीच बनी अपनी पहचान की उलझन को बताते
हैं।
कवि बताते हैं कि उनका जन्म भारत में हुआ, लेकिन
उनकी सांस्कृतिक पृष्ठभूमि
अलग थी। इस कारण उन्हें अक्सर
यह महसूस होता था कि वे पूरी तरह किसी एक जगह के नहीं हैं। वे अपने बचपन, पढ़ाई, विदेश जाने और फिर भारत लौटने के अनुभवों
का उल्लेख करते हैं।
कविता का लहजा हल्का और casual
है,
लेकिन इसके भीतर identity, belongingness और
cultural conflict जैसे गंभीर
विषय छिपे हुए हैं। एज़ेकियल यह स्पष्ट करते हैं कि कई कठिन अनुभवों के बावजूद
उन्होंने भारत को ही अपना घर माना और यहीं रहकर साहित्यिक कार्य
किया।
इस तरह “Background,
Casually” केवल एक व्यक्ति
की जीवन कथा नहीं है, बल्कि यह आधुनिक भारतीय पहचान
और सांस्कृतिक द्वंद्व
की भी अभिव्यक्ति
है।
Background Casually by Nissim Ezekiel
The frightened child who would not eat
Or sleep, a boy of meager bone.
He never learned to fly a kite,
His borrowed top refused to spin.
I went to Roman Catholic school,
A mugging Jew among the wolves.
They told me I had killed the Christ,
That year I won the scripture prize.
A Muslim sportsman boxed my ears.
I grew in terror of the strong
But undernourished Hindu lads,
Their prepositions always wrong,
Repelled me by passivity.
One noisy day I used a knife.
At home on Friday nights the prayers
Were said. My morals had declined.
I heard of Yoga and of Zen.
Could 1, perhaps, be rabbi saint?
The more I searched, the less I found.
Twenty two: time to go abroad.
First, the decision, then a friend
To pay the fare. Philosophy,
Poverty and Poetry, three
Companions shared my basement room.
The London seasons passed me by.
I lay in bed two years alone,
And then a Woman came to tell
My willing ears I was the Son
Of Man. I knew that I had failed
In everything, a bitter thought.
So, in an English cargo ship
Taking French guns and mortar shells
To Indo China, scrubbed the decks,
And learned to laugh again at home.
How to feel it home, was the point.
Some reading had been done, but what
Had I observed, except my own
Exasperation? All Hindus are
Like that, my father used to say,
When someone talked too loudly, or
Knocked at the door like the Devil.
They hawked and spat. They sprawled around.
I prepared for the worst. Married,
Changed jobs, and saw myself a fool.
The song of my experience sung,
I knew that all was yet to sing.
My ancestors, among the castes,
Were aliens crushing seed for bread
(The hooded bullock made his rounds).
One among them fought and taught,
A Major bearing British arms.
He told my father sad stories
Of the Boer War. I dreamed that
Fierce men had bound my feet and hands.
The later dreams were all of words.
I did not know that words betray
But let the poems come, and lost
That grip on things the worldly prize.
I would not suffer that again.
I look about me now, and try
To formulate a plainer view:
The wise survive and serve–to play
The fool, to cash in on
The inner and the outer storms.
The Indian landscape sears my eyes.
I have become a part of it
To be observed by foreigners.
They say that I am singular,
Their letters overstate the case.
I have made my commitments now.
This is one: to stay where I am,
As others choose to give themselves
In some remote and backward place.
My backward place is where I am
Summary of “Background, Casually”
The poem “Background, Casually”
by Nissim Ezekiel is an autobiographical poem in which the poet narrates the
important events of his life in a simple and conversational tone. He describes
his childhood, education, and personal experiences while growing up in India as
a member of a Jewish family.
At the beginning of the poem,
Ezekiel talks about his early life in India and his schooling. He mentions that
he did not have a very impressive academic record and that his early years were
somewhat ordinary. Later, he went to England to study and try his luck, but his
stay there was not very successful. He experienced loneliness and financial
difficulties.
After some time, the poet returned
to India and began to build his career as a writer and teacher. Although he
sometimes felt like an outsider because of his different cultural background,
he gradually accepted India as his true home. He chose to remain in India and
contribute to Indian English literature.
The poem therefore presents the
poet’s journey of self-discovery and identity. Through his casual
narration, Ezekiel shows how his personal struggles and experiences helped him
realize his place in Indian society. The poem highlights themes such as identity,
belonging, cultural conflict, and the search for roots.
Background, Casually: Summary in Hindi
Nissim Ezekiel की कविता “Background, Casually” एक आत्मकथात्मक
कविता है जिसमें
कवि अपने जीवन की घटनाओं को साधारण और बातचीत
जैसी शैली में प्रस्तुत करते हैं। इस कविता में वे अपने बचपन, शिक्षा, विदेश
यात्रा,
संघर्ष और अंततः
भारत में अपनी पहचान स्थापित करने की कहानी बताते
हैं।
कविता की शुरुआत
में कवि अपने पारिवारिक और सामाजिक
पृष्ठभूमि का उल्लेख
करते हैं। वे बताते हैं कि उनका जन्म भारत में एक यहूदी
परिवार में हुआ था। उनके पिता वनस्पति शास्त्र (Botany)
के प्रोफेसर थे और माता प्रिंसिपल
थीं। इस प्रकार
उनका परिवार शिक्षित
और बौद्धिक वातावरण
वाला था।
इसके बाद कवि अपने स्कूल और कॉलेज के दिनों
का वर्णन करते हैं। वे बताते
हैं कि पढ़ाई
में वे बहुत उत्कृष्ट नहीं थे और उनका अकादमिक
जीवन सामान्य ही रहा। युवावस्था में वे इंग्लैंड चले गए क्योंकि उन्हें
लगा कि वहाँ उन्हें बेहतर अवसर मिलेंगे। लेकिन इंग्लैंड
में उनका अनुभव
बहुत सुखद नहीं रहा। वहाँ उन्हें
आर्थिक कठिनाइयों और अकेलेपन का सामना
करना पड़ा।
कुछ समय बाद कवि भारत वापस लौट आए। भारत लौटने के बाद उन्होंने विभिन्न प्रकार
के काम किए और धीरे-धीरे साहित्य, पत्रकारिता और अध्यापन के क्षेत्र
में अपनी पहचान
बनानी शुरू की। इस दौरान उन्हें
कई कठिनाइयों का सामना करना पड़ा, परंतु
उन्होंने हार नहीं मानी।
कविता में कवि यह भी बताते
हैं कि वे कभी-कभी अपनी सांस्कृतिक पहचान को लेकर उलझन में रहते थे। एक ओर वे भारतीय
थे,
लेकिन दूसरी ओर उनकी यहूदी पृष्ठभूमि
और पश्चिमी शिक्षा
उन्हें अलग महसूस
कराती थी। इस कारण उन्हें कभी-कभी समाज में अपने स्थान को लेकर असमंजस होता था।
अंततः कवि इस निष्कर्ष पर पहुँचते
हैं कि भारत ही उनका सच्चा
घर है। उन्होंने
भारत में रहकर ही अपनी रचनात्मक
प्रतिभा को विकसित
किया और भारतीय
अंग्रेज़ी कविता के महत्वपूर्ण कवि बने।
इस प्रकार “Background, Casually” केवल कवि की जीवन कथा नहीं है, बल्कि
यह पहचान (identity),
सांस्कृतिक द्वंद्व (cultural
conflict), आत्म-खोज (self-discovery)
और अपनापन (belongingness)
जैसे विषयों को भी उजागर करती है। कविता यह दिखाती है कि जीवन के संघर्ष
और अनुभव ही व्यक्ति को अपनी वास्तविक पहचान समझने
में मदद करते हैं।
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