Introduction
Arun Kolatkar is a prominent modern Indian English poet. He is well known for his collection ‘Jejuri’. Jejuri is a famous pilgrimage site of Maharashtra. His poem ‘The Bus’ also belongs to this collection.
Central Idea of ‘The Bus’
Poem is centered on the journey to Jejuri. It basically states condition of Indian local buses, journey of the poet, observation of poet and contrary beliefs of modern and traditional people regarding religion. Poet gave minute details of all of these and vividly showed the journey like a picture.
Themes
- Journey in an Indian bus – The main theme of the poem is describing journey in an Indian bus. Even the title states that it is about bus. Poet picturesquely shows us how dilapidated the bus is by mentioning ‘tarpaulin flaps’ which are used as windows glasses. They were constantly flapping due to wind. Journey was bumpy as the poet says ‘at the end of bumpy ride with your own face on the either side’ signals about condition of the road. Hence poet shares his experience of journey in an Indian bus that too in countryside.
- Modernity against traditional orthodox beliefs – Poem also highlights traditional orthodox beliefs in the form of an old man in the bus who is having castemark on his forehead. He is a devoted pilgrim. But the poet seems to have contrary beliefs to him and considers himself as a non conformist as he ended poem with statement that ‘you don’t step inside the old man`s head’. It can be interpreted in the form having different beliefs than old man’s.
Literary Devices
- Alliteration – It is a device in which repetition of consonant sound happens at the starting of the words. Examples are – ‘roaring road’, little light’ and ‘sawed off sunbeam’ where /r/, /l/ and /s/ consonant sounds are repeated.
- Transferred Epithet – It is a device in which a noun or pronoun is preceded by an adjective which is utilized not for the paired noun or pronoun but for some other invisible noun or pronoun. Example – In ‘roaring road’ roaring is the adjective used for bus and not for road. Hence its meaning is transferred to the bus although it is used with road.
- Personification – In the lines ‘cold wind keeps whipping
and slapping a corner of tarpaulin at your elbow’ cold wind is being treated as a person who whips and slaps hence it’s a case of personification. - Consonance – ‘little light’ has consonance where after first sound of consonant immediately succeeding vowel sound is changed.
Picturesque elements
The poem has striking imagery exemplifies by images one after another. When the sun light ‘shoots at oldman’s glasses’ it indicates of daybreak and when one ray of this light changes its place and reaches to ‘driver’s right temple’ it gives indication of change of direction. Use of sounds like ‘flapping, slapping, roaring’ makes poem sensuous too.
Elements of Travel literature
Arun Kolatkar as such didn’t write travel literature but his poem ‘The Bus’ seems to have some of the elements of that. A travel writer basically describes journey and or have quest for new places. Similarly poet don’t have interest as a pilgrim for the destination. He is more like a traveler who gives importance of Jejuri as just any other place. As a travel writer poet has described the wearisome and bumpy bus journey of a dilapidated bus. Hence poem can be seen as a piece of travel writing.
Modernism
Arun Kolatkar is a well known modern poet. The Bus has elements of modernism too such as – it shows poet’s anti traditional attitude towards religious sites and rites, uncertainty in life (evident by bumpy and wearisome ride of the bus), ambiguous and complex language (examples like ‘your own divided face in the pair of glasses
on an oldman`s nose’, ‘you seem to move continually forward toward a destination just beyond the castemark beyond his eyebrows’ and ‘when you get off the bus. you don’t step inside the old man`s head’). These statements can be interpreted in different manners.
Structure and Rhyme scheme
The poem is written in free verse. It doesn’t have any rhyme scheme or rhythm. It also not have any particular stanza formation.
To read my post on critical appreciation of ‘An Old Woman’ written by Arun Kolatkar Click here
Copyright 2024 Our Guruji. All rights reserved.