Introduction
In the poem Freedom, Jayant Mahapatra questions the concept
of freedom popular in India and celebrated with great pomp and
show. He compares and contrasts the life of politicians and
godmen with that of the poor on the street.
Stanza 1
The floating body symbolizes the Hindu Tradition in which a body
is cremated and its ash is let to float in the river. Hence the lines
mean that though the country is free yet her original condition is
quite different. It has been burnt down by the people and its
ashes are left to float in the river i.e. left to ruins.
Stanza 2
In this stanza, the poet assumes himself to be the country
himself which is dying because its own people are destroying it.
The people who have made it sink into the water are no others
but the rulers and the godmen.
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Stanza 3
Now the old widows and dying men pray to get freedom from
life. The line resonates with the pain of Poors who are abandoned
or sent to the old age houses or near a river by their children to
die in their final stage. Having no hope left, they keep praying to
God with a dedication to take out their souls from the body.
Stanza 4
The aspirations of the young are quite different from the old
ones. While the olds are desiring to leave the world, the young
generation is crying so that they may be able to change the
world. The line depicts how slavery prevails in society even
though we call ourselves independent.
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Stanza 5
The line depicts the helplessness of the people who desire to
help others but because of their own economic conditions, they
fail to do so.
Stanza 6
The lines are quite symbolic as they refer to the generations that
are economically poor and their condition has not improved
since the independence of India. The people have not food for
even one time a day.
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Stanza 7
After independence, our country was supposed to be of the
people, by the people and for the people. However, even after 50
years, people don’t know what is going on in parliament. The
politicians are ruling the country like kings, using the resources
for their own luxury.
On the other hand, the poor are still struggling for their life. They
don’t have time to even look beyond their daily wages. This is
what makes the rulers do whatever they want.
Stanza 8
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The lines expose the reality of our religious places. The priests
who are supposed to be the servants of God are the ones who
enjoy the freedom and all kind of luxury. While on the other hand
God who was supposed to be free remains enslaved in the dark
of the temple like an alien.
The religious leaders have made temples as business hubs. The
people struggle to find Him and pray to Him while the priest
extracts money from them and leads a luxurious life. It is the
priest who decides the availability of God rather than God
Himself.
Stanza 9
As there is literally no freedom, the poet keeps looking for the
light shadows (oxymoron) i.e. little hope of freedom which is the
freedom of body from all the social and economic hurdles. This
hope is an excuse to satisfy his own heart.
If we go deep into the words, the poet means that the freedom
that he knows about is the death. Death is something that gives
the ultimate freedom to people.
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And particularly seeing the condition of people, the poet
considers death to be better than the life they live. This again
questions the celebration of freedom.
Stanza 10
After dying, the ashes float in the water (the funeral practice in
Hinduism). These ashes and remains of the humans are the only
ones that enjoy the freedom, the freedom of silent rocks, the
freedom coal which is deep inside the earth and the freedom of
beds of rivers and streams on which river (sleeping God) flows.
I don’t understand the last line. I think the poet does not want to
take away the freedom of any of the people whose ashes are
roaming freely. Hence he does not even touches wear them on
his forehead or else they will also become the slave again like
the poet.
