Page No. 31
Thinking About the Poem
Q1. What are the things the wind does in the first stanza?
Ans: In the first stanza, the wind shutters breaks the shutters of the windows, scatters the papers, throws down the books from the shelf, tears the pages of the books and brings showers of rain.
Q2. Have you seen anybody winnow grain at home or in a paddy field? What is the word in your language for winnowing? What do people use for winnowing? (Give the words in your language, if you know them.)
Ans: Yes, I have seen many women winnowing grain in villages. Pachhorana is the word in my language for winnowing. People use chaaj or winnowing fan for winnowing purposes.
Q3. What does the poet say the wind god winnows?
Ans: The
poet says that the wind god winnows the weak crumbling houses, doors,
rafters, wood, bodies, lives and hearts, and then crushes them all.
Q4. What should we do to make friends with the wind?
Ans: To
make friends with the wind we need to build strong homes with firm
doors. We should also make ourselves physically and mentally strong by
building strong, firm bodies and having steadfast hearts.
Q5. What do the last four lines of the poem mean to you?
Ans: In
the last four lines, the poet inspires us to face the wind, which
symbolizes the hardships of our lives, courageously. He tells us that
the wind can only extinguish the weak fires; it intensifies the stronger
ones.
Similarly, adversities deter the weak-hearted but make stronger those who have an unfaltering will. In such a case, befriending the wind or the hardships of life makes it easier for us to face them.
Q6.
How does the poet speak to the wind — in anger or with humour? You must
also have seen or heard of the wind “crumbling lives”. What is your
response to this? Is it like the poets?
Ans: The
poet speaks to the wind with anger. Yes, strong winds are known to
cause plenty of damage and destruction to both life and property.
Storms,
cyclones, gales and strong winds cause havoc on the land. They uproot
trees, bring down houses, tear down electric posts and claim lives. They
also cause damage to boats and frighten the poor sailors and fishermen
out at sea.
Yet,
I do not agree with the poet that the wind only 'crumbles lives'. The
wind is responsible for bringing rain; it cools the land and makes the
climate pleasant.
Today,
wind energy is harnessed for several useful purposes including turning
windmills, wind turbines and generating electricity.
II. The poem you have just read is originally in Tamil. Do you know any such poems in your language?
Ans: Yes, I have read another poem on wind. It is titled 'Toofan' and was originally written in Hindi by Naresh Aggarwal.
