8 The Exercise Book ‘RABINDRANATH TAGORE bind Tg (186-191) var br in Cal ont rd meth ach and et aly The ner oot Wry wasan cing ne fr tbe Bea ci, ayeridof nates Sa atine meckening ered to a Se “Bengt Renan Rah FRmmafian Roy. the soil eformer, as an importa Sg sine Mahi Beng Rents, and wa doe end pe’ rane, ‘Dwr Tigre, abo an eminent personaly of he ne, Than mens of he Bre ly were sins and useing snd heb an i vm cry gine and wren prc ‘Ba own pap gre Hal wa poet, shorty write, mor, oyuvight and est 4 pioner in education who esabished etanitcean: an intator of economic projects for community event anda are engged hiker nh context of maior ‘Srghe. i 1913, he was trated the Nobel Pre fr bare Archi Tiare showed esac formal schooing apr om which he was eh tome orn er bros. Ase, Ihe went to Engad ad ths two-year gene of deen care Tepe ease wa oil estos parc abou de rans is ow acc inthe mind of the young Rabindranath, His done CGperonce of te womens ares paul his ebonship with ‘hier stein I ba aed gen him 2 seni ini nt the ‘ion andconGncnent fworen ins maou. These gees ‘pore toe an ie cor i the many tes abo the “on Baal Tig Snel St Serer Eby Slat Chaar, uand uo Onl Univers Pres 200 Thi try eae by Sop Chat et Tago ston and rl of women he deb of refn, current in the [Eevee anf aly trent cnr, Some of Tague’ Gest ‘wok, for imtace the shor ogy ‘See Pat’ or "The Wie’ ete’ (0914) ae sete exploration of were Hves and experienc in ‘omemporry Beng ‘Ua became great nuisance a s90n 25 she earned to write. ‘On every wal in the house, she would draw unsteady lines and write with 4 piece of coal i big unformed leers—Rain rope ow te ops ‘She hunted out th copy of Haidar Seeres under her sster~ inlaws pillow and wrote in pencil on every page—Blac water, ted flower ‘With huge scrawled leters, she obliterated most of the awspicious dite in the new almanac kept for the household's Right in the mide ofthe credits column in her fither's account book, she wrote— He who writes and studies hard Will one day ride hore and cat So long she had never Been thwarted in these literary pursuits, but in the end, one day there was a major disaster ‘Una's elder brother Gobindslal looked inofensve enough, ‘but he was always writing in the newspapers. Listening to him talk, not one of his telatives or neighbours would ever think ‘him capable of deep though; and indeed no one could ever accuse him of thinking on any subject; but he wrote. And his ‘Views coincided entirely with those of most readers in Beng. "Without any recourse to logic, depending solely on the effect of his thrilling rhetoric, Gobindalsl had composed an16 Th nin nt Sy coertsiningesy vigorously demolishing the gv mi a ete poly cmeent among EOTopeAn omer ay inthe seypoon weno one #2 ares Oe pear pen an i and wot he a coco ba rg le et war 4 T do not think that by her use of the name ‘Gopal, Una vraag pect efcevon om he sxders of het a purer bret ant kr ao bund Ps Fr a ponte her ere cece, mE a plane sy pene a Ban ike Se the homed Bele gil male aly ode Se ors svte s pnimen 2 #3 COT Fine oom and bea 1 7 ero a fase was oe, Gobind anew ne ord Unt ane property 208 moeenet hee gts By prong er wih 2 ToS leds out eee Dok a cen yess ei From that dy otis ee nigh ander Ure’ pillow a dys arabe op When, er hain dy ba es mse wet the lt shel be com pk nent ang wih Te et fit a ede i me ot gin sd orem Tien he st year she wre ctf inher eerie book se eat sgt pat, She wld ton the Sor of Ta hg cco book and wt rad 08 en aegong ven is way be clected Seine of roves PoE a anepedea compostins bean ne ce They were ey be teary 2 i th odes nd conch: We mY Oia fow amr tinh Tage 7 Below where she had coped out the tle of the tiger and heron frm Kathamala, you wold come across 3 line not 10 te fun in Katamade, nor for that mater anywhere Bengal Tatar to this day. The lie ran 2 fllows-—' [love Jshi ory much YLerno one think tat Iams about wo tell a love story. Jashi was not an cleven of twelve-year-old boy of the neigh Touthood. She was an elderly sevant of the households her real name being Jashoda. ‘Buti is impossible co gauge dhe real mature of he litle get's feeling for Jas from this one sentence, He who wishes To write 4 telah history ofthis mater would find 2 clear tena ofthe eavier statement just two pags Iter, This is not just one instance: throughout Uma's com- positions, one might note this fut of self-contadition. In De lace we might read—Til-newer speak to Har agai’! (Not bow Haticharan, but 2 gil schoolmate of Uns called THuridas) But soon after tht was a statement which might indoce one eo dink dat Uma had no dearer friend a all the world than Hari "Nest yes, when te litle gi was nine years od the trains tthe shelina could be heard one morning in the house. 1 tas Una's wedding-day. The groom was called Pyarimahan; the war 2 iterary associate of Gobindala’. Although Ibe was fot very off and had received Some education, his mind had Temained entirely closed to new ways of thought. For this Tenn he was very highly fegarded by his neighbours, nd ‘Gobindalal tried to follow his example, though without ‘complete succes. ‘Draped in a Benarasi sti her Kee face veiled, Ua went weeping to her husbands hows. Her mother told her, Listen {o your mother-in-law, dling: and to she household dont Spend all your time reading and wring” CGobinfatal told her, ‘Remember not to scratch lees onAna aebble onan of Pyaimotas weg” “The ine gts heart qed. Ste elas tha a0 one wold sak lanes fret in he hows wich sh ws ig ‘Through many reprimands sllered over many days she ould veto ha thy pda Gl wat an oc, hat anor "Thea was pling pin dat moming But tisdobeal wheter here was On person in the cowl who undesood ‘hate ing on he wenblng hear fa ie gi covered ‘Hh oramenty a er el nd Beart a ish wen wh Un, Is understood that she would sy for 1 ow day to ee Ua in er tla nse, ad tenes “The Kindred Ji, afer much thought ok Una’ cree bok slong he The ook wa rf er peel use loving render ex bet say he howe of her Sir te goakt. unformed eter tl he aed history fer cn lve and cre for er bought» ret sur Gf tender eedom to hele gil the midst of her ematare ie In the first few days after her arrival in her in-laws’ house, ‘Uma woe oting head no me. Ae eng ome days Iver Ju camed 0 her former eine. “iat day. Uimn shut te dor of er bedroom in the afcroon ok he cc bok on ern ba nd wre cer infu has pone home, Twang bck Mother to Now Uin no longer fad he ete 0 copy aycing out fhe Charypth or thc Badd, props she di the thine ete Soom here were a0 gx nea fermen U's own bi componos. Immediate She ove semen, we might ead Dade comes ee tee home je onc, never pit wens ai. aint Tae 8 leis said that Ua’ fither ofen attempted to bring Um home, but Gobindalal teamed up with Pyarimokan t fastate these pins. He said that now ws the time for Unt lear ‘devon to her husband if she was broughe sway fequently ‘om her husband's houte into the falar ambi of her parent? love, her mind would be unnecestanly distracted. Mixing advice and mockery, he composed so excellent an essay on thi theme that none of his like-minded readers could refrain from admitting the undeniable truth of his exposition. “Having heard people say this, Uma wrote in er exercise- book "Dads, I beg of you, ake me home just once, never ‘make you angry again” ‘One day, Uma had shue the door and was writing some suc meaningless evialty im her exercise-book. Her sister in-daw Tiakomanari become exceedingly curious. She thought, [must find out what Boudidi docs when she shuss the door ‘every so often. Through a crack in the door, she observed that ‘Uma wa writing, She was amazed. The goddess of learning Surana had never made even so secret a site the women's ‘quarters oftheir howse Her younger sister Kananmanjai also come to have a peep. ‘And the sill younger Anangamanjar—she too stod on tiptoe and looked with much dficuly through the crack in the door (@ penetrate the mystery ofthe locked room. ‘As she was writing, Uma sadéenly heard the laughter of three familar voices outside the room. She realized what had happened. Hasaly shuting the book away in her box, she bid her fice on the bed in shame and terror Pyarimohan was much disturbed by this news. If women began to read and write, novels'and plays would soon make hele way ito the home and it would be had to uphold the hhouschold virtues. Moreover, he had, by special election, volved an exceedingly subtle theory. He said that che power of the female and the power of the male together produced12 The Inia and Secy the sacred power othe conjugal tlasionships but if the power ‘of he female was vanquished through eduction and study, the power of the mal alone would be paramount. Them male power would clash with male power vo produce so terrible a estacive energy thatthe power of de conjugal bond would be completly destroyed, and so the woman wouk! become a ‘widow To this day no one has been able e refute this hear. ‘On returning home in the evening, Pyarimohan scolded ‘Uma roundly, and made fon of her 25 well, saying, ‘Wel have tw order a lawyer's turbans my wife will go to office with a pen ‘mcked behind her ext! ‘Uma was unable to understand all his, Since she had not read Pyarimohan’s sty, he had not leat to appreciate such twit But she shrank within herseli seemed to her that if the earth opened, she would disappear into is depths to hide hae shame ‘For many day afer tat, she did not write in her book. But cone day. om an autumn morning, a beggar-woman Was singing fm Agemani song outside. Urea sat listening silently atthe ‘window, resting her fae on te bars. The autumn sun in any ‘ase brought back memories of childhood; on top of hat, the ‘Aeamani song was too much for Una to bea. ‘Uma could not sing, bt since leaning to writ, she had developed the habit of writing down any song she heard 10 Jessen the pain of not being able sng it Today the begat woman was singing— “Te folk ofthe city say to Uma's mother ‘Your lost light has resumed.” [A this, halfcrazed, the queen rushes out— ‘Where are you, Uma, where are you! “The queen sys weeping, ‘My Uma, you've come, ‘Come to me, my daring, come to my arms, ‘Come to me, my darling, Jee me hold you just once” Riis Toe [At this stretching er arme around her mother's neck, ‘Uma weeps in hort pride and says so the queen, “Why didn't you come to fetch your daughter?” Resenifl anguish welled up in Uma's heart, her eyes filed ‘with tears. She elle the singer secretly wo her room, shut the door and began to write down te song in her eccentric speling. “Tilsmanjati, Kanakmanjari and Anangamanjari observed crerything through the crackin the door, and burst ont, clapping their hands, “Boudidi we've seen what you're doing” "Uma quickly unfistened the door, came out and began to ‘plead with them, ‘Darling sister, please don' tell anybody. 1 beg you, please don’t I'll never doit again, Il never write 20 'A eagth, Uma noticed that Tiakananjart was eyeing her cxerese-book. She ran and clutched the book to her chest. lr sisters inlaw tried to ake i away fom herby force, but when they did not succeed, Anangamanjari went to summon her brother Pyarimohan arrived and sat down grimly on the bed. He ssid noice like thunder, "Give me the execse-book" Seeing thathis command was nt obeyed, he lowered his woice2 couple of notes and sid: ‘Give it to me.) “The litle gil clasped the exereise-book to her chest and directed glance of ter supplication at her husband's face. ‘Bot when she saw Pyarimohsn vas geting upto snatch the ‘book fom her, she Aung it down, covered her face with her hands and collapsed on the floor Pyarimohan took dhe exercise-book and stared to read the lie gis compoitons out i aloud voice. Hearing this, Ua clasped the earth in a ail sghter embrace, while the other thre litle girls were beside themselves with laughter. "Afcr that day, Uma never got back her exercise-book Pyarimohan had an exercise-book to, filled wid barbed esays4 Th aia and Sci, ‘expounding his elaborate doris: But there was no benefictor ‘of humankind ta seize the book ad destroy i Noms Raindrops om tee tops: Literally water drop, he les sha’ rye commonly tight to smal cide ering t ea Harldas'e Secrets: A stonstional novel by Bhubanchandes ‘Makhopainaya, published in par bere 87 and 173 cbc opie Nien reading for Benge inthe ie ricco ey. ‘Black water, re ower Closely sages shoarhandr Visa's Pioneering textbook Burpy He who writes, et: A adam thyme poplar among primet= ‘eer relecting the spration of he pow edocted mide cs “The birds sing ete: The opening ine of pocm by Madsnmatan “Tlalanay, commonly inched in tebooks Kathamale: A book of aeimal bles by bhwatchndea Vidya, ‘Charupath, Bodhoday: Popular hoo primers ‘Agamani song A tational song 10 welcome te goddes Dur to er parent? home, which she eld isi at the ime of Dur ‘aj eaey seam, Un another nme for Dg. Quesnons Anal the ign ofthe eerie hook fr Uma. Wh do the examples of Ua’ wring sags abot he? (Ce this story be veda + sro vformist plea for geter qui edvetional oppornines for men 3nd women? Comet on the stor depiction of child marage {Can the Song for Dura be Sen a oni apostion wih ‘ins sition? What ate the Ways a which tonic? ein Tapre 85 5. Aves the martorlstitde towards Uma, Gobind and Pyarmohian Amat the llowang deacons reas ip eee ane te ret "Fis (Gobind) views coincled ently wit hose of moet readers in Beng "He [Pysimahan] had, by spec reecton, evolved a8 xeedingly sulle theory 6 Do you think itis possible for writer sensitively or efetely to pray astuston dat he may ot have personally seed? (Consider Pemchand's‘Delieranc’sndTagores The secee Book? with reference to this question,10 Breaking Out ‘Mare Piercy Marge Piercy (1936- ) wat bor in Deri, USA to fy Wat had bea ie many others afte by the Depression, Her thes, oot ‘of work for some time, go 3 jb installing and repairing eary machinery 2 Wessnghowe When Percy wat 2 young ch, they ‘more nto2 small house in 2 working clas neighbourhood in Dero. -Avseverten, Piercy went stad atthe Unies of Michigan, and ‘he ss participated vigorously in many propesive movement, uch 2c igs, a-Vieam wa feminism, and rece he esse tothe lag war Shes the autor of seventeen noel acing man en he Eye of Time (1976), Gone Sle (1987) and The Longing’ of mon (1994 wel ar event volume of postr, some of ick 220 The Mao sys er (58), Cine om te Wier (192) rd What Bg Git Mate of 1957), Dreskig Out wa fr plished nthe (My Gat political ac? I am secing ‘0 doors that usually stood open, leaning togecer like gossips, making 4 lore oftheir corner. ‘A mangle stood there, for ironing ‘what I never thought needed it Fm My Mrs Bly, Ae A opt In 1985 Fs published in The sheets, towels, my Githers underwear; an upright vacuum with is seffed sausage bag that deflated with 2 gusty sigh a5 if weary of housework aT who swore I would never dust or sweep after Left home, who hated to see my mother removing daily the sludge the arly down like 3 smi’ track 0 that when ia school I read of Sisyphus and his rock, it was ber 1 though of, housewite srubbing fon raw knees as the acories rained ach [Nasty stork king ofthe hobnobbing doors was a wooden yardstick dias ‘with chal marks from hems’ rise nd fll ‘When I had been judged euly wicked that stick wa the tool of punishment, vas beaten 25 I bellowed like locomotive 2 if noise could ward off blows, (My mother wielded it more frcely bbut my father longer and harder. Twist my headin the mirror to inspect. Td study those ted and blue mountain ranges as on 4 map that offered escape, the veins and arteries the roads could wave to freedom when I grew. When I vas eleven, afer beating 1 took and smashed the ruler to kindling. Fingering the splinters T could not believe,0 Th nd ad Sosy How could this rod prove weaker than me? Te-was not that Iwas never again beat ‘But in destroying that sick that had measured my pin the nex day I was an adolescent, nota child “This nota tale of innocence lst but power 40 sained:T would not be Sisyphus, ‘There were things that I should lean to break. Noms Mange: (athe US) » machine sed fr ironing damp abet ng ested role. ‘Vacuums stenge bag: Olle upright co canes ha 2 fo ag che whch nied we he ht wo ck {no emt, Ts gw aed sioyptu: A lgendry Greck King of Cain Fr varios fxs Tris condemned in he underwoieeoaly ovl 2 boler fo be op of al on whee ays rol down Quistions 1. Writ ipl st the poem Begins with fering toad ny led a 2 Wherdoyu thnk compton of he moter wih Sih 2. We the wes ofthe yc hi poem and hey (ried tn some wy? 4 How cst pos eae of eld coe te 0 fe ceament pel ole? 5. Do jon tk dr te spel in he oem wa in 2 poston of Able pressions il anda 6 Comment on te impion of the cores iad S, Seeapser in por sponds lence wha wl How doy 2008 st ctr A Prayer For My Daughter Witt BuTLER Yeats ‘Wiliam Boder Yeu (165-199) was torn in Dublin, tela is fami which was Protest, orgy hale fre England, but had ‘been in rend for seer generations. The Yeas my win London ‘Som 1574 an 88, whem hey reset ead, Ys dood ad early manhood were thus spent between Dub, London and Sho (the Wes of rel, and each af these places conta 0 tis poo develope ‘Yeas personal, pblic sd pos Mf is mare by his nga o€urmoete-cenary rh national, Sign in thi cone {he bean seme and wilt inh rasonalse Mas Goon, wih ‘tom he was deprive fr may ya, ba who perieaty ‘efsed to mary him. She ica igure compared with ele in various ‘oes, noaby in ‘No Second Thy’ and ‘A Woman Homer Sang. ‘Yo had arog ifercoces wth Mand Gonne oe her comment to revltionary violence She maid he revolunar lee Jn ‘MaeBride, who was exec afer the Easter ring of 1916 “eats was ao deeply enuaged with dione of tei hog, ‘eening © mysscam and fare fll chor sabe sry ot hi own bed on 4 vey of roe. (One ofthe mos sigan ett oar posts Ys pbb ‘umerour volumes of por Benen 889 and 1039. Some of hese Me The ie (1959, The Gr Haan ter Par (189) and The “Tae (192) Prayer fr My Daughter (1919), writen son fier he ‘ih hie aogier Anne Baer Yes, is rom the vlame Mad Rokr ond te Boner (192). ‘rr Sil Tow of WB. Yn. Bed by Norman Jeti, London: