November 8, 2015 / como / 0 Comments
MAN-WOMAN RELATIONSHIP IN THE POETRY OF KAMAL DAS
India is a unity in diversity and its literature also gives the same fragrance. Modern Indian English poetry emerged at the end of the Second World War after the end of colonialism. It is one of the many -new literatures’ which began at that time. It is also a fact that modern Indian poetry in English has been neglected by the most of the critics, foreign readers and intellectuals as compare to the creative writings of Africa and the Caribbean. The reason is that it has no obvious and direct relationship to the cultural movements which led to national independence. But by 1947, the situation had changed and with it the concern of the new poets became their relationship to and alienation from the realities of their society. They got a hard challenge from older nationalist writers and from regionalists who demanded a renaissance of the culture of pre-colonial languages of India.
Now English is no longer the language of colonial rulers. It is a language of modern India in which words and expressions have recognized national significances and references. English is not the language of ordinary people. It is the language of those who govern, communicate, produce and make decisions at the national level. Words, phrases, expressions of modern Indian English poetry show the local realities, Indian traditions and ways of feeling. Such Indianization is present in the poetry of Kamala Das, Pritish Nandy and more strongly in the works of Keki Daruwala. It is more commonly present in terms of voice and stress in the poetry of Nissim Ezekiel and Jayant Mahapatra.
Indian English poetry is become a part of the process of modernization which includes urbanization, industrialization, independence and social change and resulting the evolution of an English language culture alongside that of Hindi and the regional languages. Despite continuing attacks on the Indian English poets, their place in modern Indian culture is recognized.
The Indian English poets as a group tend to be marginal to traditional Hindi society not only by being alienated by their English language education but also by belonging from such communities as the Parsis, Jews and Christians or being a rebel from Hinduism and Islam or by living in foreign countries. Many poets of Indian English language come from westernized Indian families and several poets were sent to boarding schools in their childhood. They often do not have local roots.
The Indian English poet’s decision to use English as a language of writing poetry is not only influenced by education but also by the poor state of regional language poetry. In this regard, a critic of Kamala Das says that:
-When she began writing in English, there was no modern poetry in Malayalam.- Manohar Shetty also has the same views regarding his regional language poetry or literature. He opines that:
-In Tulu (the language of his family) there is no creative literature.-
Many Parsi poets writing in English language may be explained by the fact that Parsi-Gujrati is a dialect without a tradition of serious and creative literature.
Many of the poets have been particularly active in translating from regional languages. Ramanujan is famous for his translations from classical and medieval Tamil and modern Kannada, Jayant Mahapatra from Oriya, Kolatkar from Marathi, Patel from Gujarati, Mehrotra from Hindi and Nandi’s translations Bengali are known to every one who is familiar with Indian English poetry.
Kamala Das is the most distinctive and unique voice in Indian English poetry in particular and the whole Indian literary scene in general. She brings a most noticeable and directly perceptible feminine sensibility and an explicit, undisguised, natural idiom in her poems. Recognized as one of the foremost poets of India, Kamala Das was born on March 31, 1934 in Malabar in Kerala. By the influence of her great uncle Nalapat Narayan Menon who is a prominent writer, her love poetry began at an early age. Kamala Das remembers watching him -work from morning till night- and thinking that he had a blissful life. Kamala Das was also greatly affected by the poems of her mother, Nalapat Balamani Amma, and the sacred writings kept by the matriarchal community of Nayars. She was married to K. Madhava Das at the tender age of fifteen. She herself says in her interview that she -was mature enough to be a mother only when my third child was born.- Her husband -often played a fatherly role for both Das and her sons-. There is a big age difference between kamala Das and her husband.
When Kamala Das wished to begin writing, her husband supported her decision only because of his want of improving the income of the family. However, she could not enjoy the morning – till – night schedule like her great uncle. She would wait till night to write. In an interview, she accepts:
-there was only the kitchen table where I would cut vegetables, and after all the plates and things were cleared, I would sit there and start typing.-
At the age of 65, in 1999, she converted Hindu to Islam and became Kamala Das to Suraiya. She had the view that only Islam could provide a woman love and protection.
Kamala Das began to write at the tender age of six and after that she gave a number of remarkable and memorable works. She has the great writing skill both in poetry and prose. She has the perfect hand both in prose and verse. She wrote effectively in both the languages i.e. in English and in Malayalam. In English language, she published her first work in 1964 titled as -The Sirens’. After that -Summer in Calcutta – in 1965, -The Descendants’ in 1967, -The Old Playhouse and Other Poems’ in 1973, -My Story’ in 1976, -Alphabet of Lust’ in 1977, -The Anamalai’ in 1985, -Padmavati the Harlot and Other Stories’ in 1992, -Only the Soul Knows How to Sing’ in 1996 and -Yaa Allah’ in 2001 were published. Among them -My Story’ is an autobiography, -Alphabet of Lust’ is a novel, -Padmavati the Harlot and Other Stories’ is a collection of short stories and the remaining are the collections of poems.
In the language of Malayalam, she wrote -Pakshiyude Manam’ in 1964, -Naricheerukal Parakkumbol’ in 1966, -Thanuppu’ in 1968, -Balyakala Smaranakal’ in 1987, -Varshangalkku Mumbu’ in 1989 and -Palayan’ in 1990.
Kamala Das received many national and international awards for her great literary contribution. Some of them are Asian Poetry Prize, Kent Award for English Writing from Asian Countries, Asan World Prize, Ezhuthachan Award, Sahitya Academy Award, Vayalar Award and Kerala Sahitya Academy Award.
Kamala Das is a poet of many facets and moods. She is a poet of free love. Love is the lynch-pin round which the poetry of Kamala Das revolves. Her unfilled need for love is the main treatment in her poems. Love is a complex and multi-dimensional human experience in her poetry. It has physical, emotional and spiritual moods in the poetry of kamala Das. Love and hate are often neighbors in her poetry. The theme of alienation is also present in the poems written by her. Because of her disillusionment and alienation from this physical world, she gives the note of protest with feminism in her poetry. Apart from these themes, the theme of glorifying the womanhood is also grabbing our attention. Her poems are mainly concerned with her uncaring husband, her childhood, her marriage, love, life and her intimacy others. Kamala Das delights in celebrating herself in her essential feminine self. Kamala Das is not only a poet of Indian English language, but she is an age herself.
The treatment of man-woman relationship is the main and most important theme of the poems of Kamala Das. Although the treatment of man- woman relationship in her poetry is something subjective, but it is also true for general life of common man common woman. In her famous poem -The Freaks’, Kamala Das talks about the disgust relationship of a husband and wife. In this poem she concludes about the base of the husband- wife relationships in the following lines:
-But, they only wander, tripping Idly over puddles of Desire-can’t this man with Nimble finger-tips unleash Nothing more alive than the Skin’s lazy hungers?-
Here she has the view that only physical relation cannot give a perfect touch to a man-woman i.e. a husband-wife relationship. She asks:
-Who can Help us who have lived so long And have failed in love?-
Meaning is that love is necessary to build a healthy and long lasting relationship between anyone. Only physical relationship is not able to bind the two persons.
In her another poem -The Sunshine Cat’, she also talks about the same kind of loveless relationship of the man and woman. She complains:
— the man she loved who loved her not enough-
the husband who neither loved nor used her
and concludes the fate of this loveless bond of man – woman relationship in the following way: -a bed made soft with tears and she lay there weeping..-
Hence, in the poetry of kamala das, she strongly recommends that the presence of love is necessary to make any kind of healthy and long lasting relationship between man and woman. Whether it is a bond of husband and wife or lover and beloved or it is bond of mother and son, all types of man-woman relationship can be made only by a bond of love.
November 7, 2015 / como / 0 Comments
Is a family holiday on the cards? Germany is an easily accessible, family-friendly destination with entertainment for all ages. Numerous low cost airlines offer direct links between the United Kingdom and the European mainland country’s airports such as Frankfurt-Hahn, Dusseldorf-Weeze, and larger city airports. It needn’t be a pricey holiday!
Accommodation
If you’re hoping to save money and don’t mind very basic accommodation, hotel chains such as Formule 1 offer very reasonably priced family rooms with bunk beds and communal bathroom facilities. Alternatively, you might be able to snap up an affordable self-catering deal if travelling at low season. Holiday lets are quite common in tourist areas such as the Rhine wine region and Black Forest.
Keen on meeting some German locals? Consider arranging a place to stay through Airbnb, an exciting internet-based project that sees people opening up their homes to foreign visitors for short stays in return for a small fee.
If money’s no object, both Germany’s cities and rural areas boast posh hotels and luxurious guest houses to choose from. For inspiration, think Villa Kennedy in Frankfurt and Schlosshotel Im Grunewald in Berlin.
Sights and Attractions
It’s impossible for any family member to get bored in as big and diverse a destination as Germany. From world class museums for history buffs to theme parks for thrill seekers, no one risks being left dissatisfied with the holiday.
Many families choose to visit Heide Park near Hamburg. It’s one of the country’s largest theme parks with rides including a freefall tower, and various seriously scary rollercoasters.
Outdoor-loving families should visit Bavaria and its Alps. Here, you don’t have to splurge on entrance fees to museums and theme parks as everywhere is an attraction in itself. Hiking is the best way to discover the area so cram your backpacks full of snacks and set off for a day in the wilderness. If you’re kids are begging for more entertainment, visit one of the Kinderlands in Oberstdorf or the Ammergau Alps where they can pet farm animals, go on some rides, and even try their hand at canoeing.
Berlin and its history are fascinating and so worth exploring. For a bizarre adventure with a bit of an edge, visit the abandoned Spreepark fun park that features eery old rides overrun with flora. Guided tours are held over weekends. You could also be checking out MountMitte, an urban adventure park where families can go wild, climbing up all sorts of contraptions and even sliding in and out of old cars suspended in the air. Full safety gear and harnesses are provided.
General Tips
To set your mind at ease, book your accommodation, rental car, and any planned activities in advance. A cheap calls to Germany service may come in handy to sort out all the details quickly and effectively.
Airports served by low cost airlines, such as the above-mentioned Frankfurt-Hahn, do have a tendency to be located outwith city boundaries. Make sure you’re aware of this when you book your flights, and ensure you can get to your chosen accommodation easily and on time.
In Germany, autobahns (expressways) have no speed limits for regular passenger vehicles travelling without an additional load, unless signs indicate otherwise. An advisory speed limit is in place, however, and is 130km/h.
November 7, 2015 / como / 0 Comments
Skoda Octavia TDI Diesel Engine : A Perfect Family Wagon
A family wagon that fulfills its job without any hassle on the way is Skoda Octavia TDI diesel. Its speciousness is quite enough to take whole family to a long drive. Its flexibility of handling worth every penny you spent for a smooth controllable car. Every feature is user friendly and ensures a high enough level of comfort to both driver and riders of back seats. Its overall driving quality is its class leading. The credit goes to its safety gear system. It”s a family friendly with most economic fuel consumption. With an honest judgment it”s the car you can rely on the road with your family.
It has 2.0 litters diesel engine under its bonnet. You might think about turbo diesel engine to have, if you want to have diesel engine. But overall performance might take to rethink about this Skoda Octavia TDI engine. Despite not being a turbo diesel it has appreciating level of performance of power. Skoda Octavia generates 26 KW of power and 70 NM of torque. As a family wagon it is quite grunt. Its revving is a typical diesel engine rev. it”s easy to understand that its noise is much more than other diesel engine of turbo technology. It has some draw back while stops and even taking on high acceleration on run. Skoda Octavia comes with two gear box. You can choose to be automated on transmission or do it manually. The performance wise automatic gear box has got less fame than the manually one.
Because the manual gear changing is far quicker than its automatic gear shifting. And it”s not good a have a slow gear transmission system for safe and smooth driving experience. Skoda Octavia has offered much appreciating driving quality with its both of two models. Hatch and wagon has pretty much similar smoothness in driving with a similar suspension quality. Both of them also shares the same vital measurements. In city driving performance of the wagon is better reported on different road test. Skoda Octavia is spacious inside enough for family with a handsome big luggage. Its seats are well designed enough to sit with enough knee moving space. Driver”s seat is also engineered intelligently. The details of eyes are huge from the pilot seat. To give the most comfort driving experience its dash is designed in a neat and clean arrangement with flexible functionality. With six airbags and anti lock brake system its safety promise is also enough as family car.
November 6, 2015 / como / 0 Comments
Being able to maintain a positive outlook on life despite all the obstacles and troubles we encounter all throughout our lives can be very difficult when there seems to be no end to what we can suffer and endure. Yet we must thrive, we must go on because that is what people do, that is what defines our species. We can always find solutions to our problems, no matter how difficult or complicated they are, and we can always find things that help us more forward and give us strength. One way to motivate ourselves would be to read happy family quotes, especially if our problems stem from this area of our lives.
Happy family quotes can help put our troubles into perspective, and remind us that every family has its problems, but that what really matters is that family members, relatives, work together to solve those problems, they support each other unconditionally no matter the situation. It doesnt matter whether the happy family quotes that you find were uttered by famous personalities or by anonymous people, individuals like you; only the message is important, and the way that it manages to help you overcome any issues.
Living within a family can be both rewarding and exhausting, because there are numerous advantages you get, but there are also sacrifices. Yet if were to look at happy family quotes, we might get a different view of how things really are. For example, the following quote by John Bowring says that A happy family is but an earlier heaven. It is a romanticized way of looking at things, but sometimes this is exactly what we need, especially when were down and out of luck. Besides, looking at harsh, cold truths isnt always helpful if we want to make positive changes in our lives.
Perhaps more skeptical people will say that the way you think cant have such a big influence on your life, but they couldnt be more wrong. We need to maintain a positive attitude, because it will bring forth positive effects on our lives. This is another reason why happy family quotes can be helpful; you dont even need to be stressed by a family issue in order to find pleasure and comfort in them. Use them to remind you that no matter what happens, you have your family by your side, and they will help you get through every rough patch.
November 6, 2015 / como / 0 Comments
We live in Seattle and we just came back from a weekend camping trip in Battle Ground Lake in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. I bought my family (wife and two kids) and my brother in law who is also college buddy of mine bought his wife and three kids. I know camping with a big group could be hard but I was kind of confident because I just bought my latest tent, the Eureka! Copper Canyon 12-Person Tent. I know that this is a big and heavy tent but my buddy and I wanted to make the kids safe and comfortable. Since it was a big tent I was glad my buddy Rick was there to help me. It really takes two adults to make sure that the fly is properly set up but other than that, the rest of the setup was a breeze. When the tent was already standing, Rick and I cant help but admire the tent. We bought in four inflatable air beds and soon the kids were inside the tent excited to be camping the real way!
I did not know how comfortable the tent was until it started raining. Although the rain dampened the kids spirit because they wanted at first to walk along the shoreline, they soon settled in seeing how warm and inviting the tent looked. The capacity of the tent at 180 square feet was just huge. The kids wanted to sleep in their own room so we just let the built-in divider separate the tent into a kids section and an adults section.
Man it did rain the whole night and by the time we woke up at six, the rain had already stopped. The tent really lived to its 3 season category. We were all dry inside the tent and we went back to the car to get the rest of the stuff so that we can cook breakfast. Thankfully, it didnt rain for the rest of the day. The kids had their full day outside while the adults just stayed inside the tent watching the kids have the time of their lives.