Small Towns and the River Poem Summary, Questions and Answers
Small Towns and the River Poem Long Answer Questions
Question 1.
Write and critical appreciation of the poem Small towns and the River.
Or
Question 2.
Small towns and the River “attempts to contrast the ephemeral nature of life with the permanence of rituals and nature.” – Discuss.
Answer:
Small towns and the River is all about the ‘rich biodiversity and the natural phenomena of the panoramic Arunachal Pradesh’ meticulously explored by the poet. Life in her’small town’ is simple, slow moving and full of tension. Dai covers up everything that constitutes her culture along with the political unrest which seems be the potential threat to the people of Pasighat. But what makes the poem outstanding is the contrast between the ephemeral nature of life and the permanence of rituals and nature.
Hailing from a small town named Pasighat, Dai feels deeply cheerless when reminded of her hometown. This is not because of her homesickness but because of the lifelessness of the town which goads her to be reminded of death. She’ remembers how the entire community once wept silently over the death of someone, ‘”just the other day”. The reference to death and the ‘dreadful silence’ that follows suggests the problem of insurgency in Pasighat which destroys peace and leads to endless massacre.
Death here might also suggest the death of the younger sister of the poet’s mother who died too early. The ephemeral nature of human life is at once established which Dai contrasts with the permanence of rituals practiced after death. In other words, human lives ends one after the other but the rites practiced after death remains all the same years after years.
Even nature too is eternal. Mamang however refers , to the river Siang which continues flowing perpetually amidst all odds. The river dries up in summer and loses its identity when devoid of water. Mamang considers it as a living entity that witness everything around whether be the first drop of the rain in summer or the mist which blurs the clear view of mountains. On the contrary, the happy phase of life rapidly changes into fear and anxiety, found in the children of the small town.
In fact, small towns are always in terror of being ‘ swallowed up by the big cities as people often migrate there for better future. Small towns aren’t liberal like big cities. Here people still cling to various superstitions evident from their belief of human resurrection from graves. Corpses are thus, placed with heads pointing towards vyest so that one can move straight towards the “golden east”, meaning, heaven.
But despite all limitations, life matters in small towns. , People here lead simple life without big dreams. They cultivate bamboos which grow under sun and look forward to the blessings of gods. With divine blessings, life goes on in small towns without any complicacy.
Question 3.
Small Towns and the River is essentially a reflective poem. Discuss
Answer:
Small towns and the River is essentially a reflective poem which meditates upon the mutability of life as opposed to the permanence of nature and rituals practiced by humans. The North-Eastern tribal communities have a rich oral culture, in which their myths, folklores, conventions, and beliefs are passed orally from generation after generation. Mamang Dai however recalls those memories from her “shrine of happy pictures” and establishes the diverse culture of her community.
At first, Dai meditates on the death of “someone” which leaves her town into ‘dreadful silence’. We get a typical Indian picture of reverence shown to the corpse with garland of white flowers placed on the body. People are seen weeping silently and the poet bemoans the ephemeral nature of life. On contrary, rituals practiced after death is permanent. While people die one after the other, rituals pass down from generation after generation without any change. This is typical indianness which lends the cultural identity of the nation.
Next we get a picture of the river Siang that flows through Pasighat, perpetually. Keeping in mind the Indian sentiment, Dai says that the “river has a soul” which is immortal. The soul of the river is water which dries up in summer and yet the river continues flowing perpetually amidst all odds. Moreover, because of its antiquity of soul, the river witness everything around whether be the first drop of the rain in summer or the mist which blurs the clear view of mountains.
On the contrary, the happy phase of life rapidly changes into fear and anxiety, found in the children of the small town. In fact, small towns are always in terror of being swallowed up by the big cities as people often migrate there for better future. Small towns aren’t liberal like big cities. Here people still cling to various superstitions evident from their belief of human resurrection from graves. Corpses are thus, placed with heads pointing towards west so that one can move straight towards the “golden east”, meaning, heaven.
But despite all limitations, life matters in small towns. People here lead simple life without big dreams. They cultivate bamboos which grow under sun and look forward to the blessings of gods. With divine blessings, life goes on in small towns without any complicacy.
Small Towns and the River Poem Short Answer Questions
Question 1.
What picture of Indian life is presented in the poem Small town and the River?
Answer:
Small towns and the River lends a succinct picture of the Indian culture which runs throughout the poem. Belonging to the Adi tribe of the North East India, Dai however is well aware of the cultural identity of her nation which she explores in her poem. At first she we get a typical Indian picture of reverence shown to the corpse with garland of white flowers placed on the body.
People are seen weeping silently and the entire community is left into ‘dreadful silence/ Rituals practiced after death remains unchanged forever which is a typical Indian mindset. Dai however also mentions the importance of river in Indian culture with her presentation of river Siang which flows through her “hometown”, Pasighat. The river has a soul” which is immortal.
The soul of the river is water which dries up in summer. Yet it continues flowing perpetually witnessing everything around whether be the first drop of the rain in summer or the mist which blurs the clear view of mountains.
The antiquity of the soul of the river is established when Dai assures that the river “knows the immortality of water.” Moreover, the belief of human resurrection from graves, the cultivation of bamboo the belief in god’s benevolence all lend the cultural identity of the nation.
Small Towns and the River Poem Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Question 1.
The hometown of the poet reminds her of ……..
a. Trees
b. Green landscape
c. River
d. Deathx
Answer:
d. Deathx
Question 2.
What made people cry in dreadful silence?
a. The dreadful nature around
b. Death of someone dear
c. The emptiness of the place
d. The death of river
Answer:
b. Death of someone dear
Question 3.
What is practiced after death?
a. Funeral procession
b. Rituals
c. The process of recalling soul
d. None of the above
Answer:
b. Rituals
Question 4.
Which river is mentioned in the poem?
a. Ganga
b. Siang
c. Narmada
d. Krishna
Answer:
b. Siang
Question 5.
What is the soul of river?
A. Aquatic creatures
B. Sand
C. Water
D. Minerals
Answer:
C. Water
Question 6.
After death corpses of the dead people in the community of the poet are placed towards the direction of …………..
a. North
b. West
c. South
d. East
Answer:
b. West
Question 7.
In which direction does soul walk after death?
a. North
b. West
c. South
d. East
Answer:
d. East
Question 8.
What remains permanent after death?
a. soul
b. bones
c. rituals
d. wealth
Answer:
c. rituals
Question 9.
The poet belongs to the ………….. tribe.
a. Adi
b. Garo
c. Khasi
d. Kiowa
Answer:
a. Adi
Question 10.
The poet says that life will continue moving ahead in small towns with the …………..
a. influence of technology
b. practice of rituals
c. blessings of God
d. help of big cities
Answer:
c. blessings of God
Small Towns and the River Poem Summary
Small Towns and the River Poem Introduction
Small towns and the River is all about the rich bio-diversity and the natural phenomena of the panoramic ‘Arunachal Pradesh’. The poet explores life in small towns which is so unlike the cosmopolitan culture of big cities. Life here is simple, slow and full of tension.
The poet explores everything that constitutes her culture including the vibrant cultural heritage of the Adi tribe. The poem is remarkable for its attempt to contrast the ephemeral nature of life with the permanence of rituals and nature.
Small Towns and the River Poem Summary
Pasighat, the speaker’s hometown, is a small community in Arunachal Pradesh which lacks diversity and seems lifeless. The town looks all the same both in summer as well as in winter. Dust hovers all around and wind roars down the narrow valley.
The small town however reminds the speaker about death. The speaker remembers how the entire community once wept silently over the death of someone dearly loved. She was probably the younger sister of the speaker’s mother. The speaker bemoans the ephemeral nature of life. The cycle of life is the cycle of birth and death. What is constant is the rituals practiced after death.
In other words, human lives ends one after the other but the rites practiced after death remains all the same years after years. There is a river named Siang which flows through Pasighat. River however is a living entity which seems to respond to the climatic changes. In summer the river dries up and looks as if plunged in grief while it moves through the land.
The river then looses its identity since being dried up the stars overhead are not reflected upon its water and the aquatic creatures like fishes are no more found. Because of being a living entity, the river witnesses everything and continues flowing perpetually through Pasighat. Whether be the first drop of the rain in summer or the mist which blurs the clear view of mountains, the river sees everything around. In a way, river is immortal despite its diversity.
Childhood is the most delightful stage of life. But, children from small towns suffer from various anxieties particularly because of the fear of relocation in future. In fact, small towns are always in terror of being swallowed by the big cities as people often migrate there for better future.
Small towns aren’t liberal like big cities. Here people still cling to various superstitions evident from their belief of human resurrection from graves. Corpses are thus, placed with heads pointing towards west so that one can move straight towards east, immediately after being born. The eastern side however is the abode of sun.
But despite all limitations, life matters in small towns. People here lead simple life without big dreams. They cultivate bamboos which grow under sun and look forward to the blessings of gods. With divine blessings, life goes on in small towns without any complicacy.
Small Towns and the River Poem Paraphrase
Lines 1 to 6 :
Small town reminds the speaker about death. Pasighat, the speaker’s hometown, is a small community in Arunachal Pradesh which lacks diversity and seems lifeless. The town looks all the same both in summer as well as in winter with dust hovering around and wind roaring down the narrow valley.
Lines 7 to 11 :
Once the death of someone dearly loved shattered the entire community. All wept silently looking at the garland of white flowers placed on the corpse. Life however is ephemeral. The cycle of life is the cycle of birth and death. What is constant after all is the rituals practiced after death. In other words, human lives ends one after the other but the rites practiced after death remains all the same years after years.
Lines 12 to 16 :
There is a river named Siang which flows through Pasighat. River however is a living entity which seems to respond to the climatic changes. In summer the river dries up and looks as plunged in grief while it moves through the land. Sometimes it seems as if the river has lost its identity since being dried up the stars overhead are not reflected upon its water and the aquatic creatures like fishes are no more found.
Lines 17 to 22 :
Because of being a living entity, the river witnesses everything and continues flowing perpetually through Pasighat. Whether be the first drop of the rain in summer or the mist which blurs the clear view of mountains, the river sees everything while it flows either brimmed with water or being dried up. But despite its varied appearance, the river is yet immortal as it never ceases to exist.
Lines 23 to 30 :
Childhood is the most delightful stage of life. But, children from small towns suffer from various anxieties particularly because of the fear of relocation in future. In fact, small towns are always in terror of being swallowed by the big cities as people often migrate there for better future.
Small towns aren’t liberal like big cities. Here people still cling to various superstitions evident from their belief of human resurrection from graves. Hence, corpses are placed with heads pointing towards west so that one can move straight towards east, immediately after being born. The eastern side however is the abode of sun.
Lines 31 to 35 :
But despite all limitations, life matters in small towns. People here lead simple life without big dreams. They cultivate bamboos which grow under sun and look forward to the blessings of gods. With divine blessings, life goes on in small towns without any complicacy.
Small Towns and the River Poem Annotations with Comments
Lines 1 to 6:
Small town…death: because of slow moving life with almost nothing around, small towns reminds the speaker about death.
My hometown: refers to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh.
Calmly : serenely
Amidst : in the midst of
Lies calmly …. trees : the speaker’s home is amidst green foliage all around. This is another reason why small towns remained her of death. It’s all because of the picture of desolation and lifelessness.
always the same : the picture of small towns are always same irrespective of any climatic change.
Howling : make a long loud sound
Gorge : a narrow valley with steep sides and a river running through it.
Lines 7 to 11 :
other day : a day of past time
Someone : the younger sister of the poet’s mother
Dreadful : awful
dreadful silence : they were indeed so horrified with the death of someone dear that they wept being tongue tied.
Sad : they were indeed sad due to sudden death of somene dear to them
Wreath: garland placed over dead body
Tuberoses: white coloured flower used particularly for honouring the dead
Life and death : the antithesis of life and death suggests the ephemeral nature of life
Rituals : ceremonies. Here it suggests the rituals practiced after death
Permanent : something which exists perpetually.
Life after….permanent : While people die, one after the other, the rituals practiced after their death does not change.
Comment :
Life and death…….rituals are permanent: Human life is ephemeral. The poet contrasts the ephemeral nature of human life with the permanence of rituals and nature. The tribal rituals have been in existence since time immemorial. Hence, the poet says that while the cycle of life continues with birth and death, rituals remains permanent.
Lines 12 to 16:
River: refers to river Siang which flows through the town of Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh
Soul: life
river has a soul : the river is a living entity
cuts through : flows through
torrent : current
grief : sorrow. Here the timid flow of river water is suggested.
like a …………. grief : the river flows through the land almost being dried up, looking as if plunged in intense grief
holds its breath : stops flowing completely. The river dries up in summer and finds difficult to flow through the land looking for
seeking a land of fish and stars : this is the identity of the river which encompasses a vast area to incorporate huge variety of aquatic creatures. The clear river water reflects the stars twinkling in the sky.
Comment:
Seeking …. stars : Summer takes away the identity of the river. The river water dries which make It difficult for the river to flow through the land. The dried up river fails to identify herself since stars are not reflected upon river water and the aquatic creature like fishes are no more found.
Lines 17 to 22:
The river has a soul : If soul is immortal the river too is immortal alt because of the continuous flow of water.
Stretching : extending or spreading. The word here means location.
the town : Pasighat, the hometown of the poetess.
dry earth : dried up soil.
Mist : a layer made of very tiny particles of water
immortality: incessant flow of water.
Comment :
from the first drop of rain …… the mountaintops: The river witnesses everything. Whether be the first drop of the rain in summer or the mist which blurs the clear view of mountains, the river sees all and continues flowing either being brimmed with water or being dried up during summer. The river is thus, immortal unlike humans and other living beings
Lines 23 to 30:
Shrine : a scared place of worship
Happy pictures : refers to the childhood picture
Anxiety : worry Small town grow
with anxiety : anxiety of being swallowed by the big cities as people often migrate there for better future.
Dead : dead bodies
Pointing west : corpses are placed with heads pointing towards west
soul rises … golden east : when the soul resurrects it can move straight to the east
golden east : golden because the sun rises in the east and the colour of sky becomes golden
house of sun : heaven
Comment:
While people die rituals continue to exist from time immemorial. This is evident when the poet says that the old belief of soul resurrecting from the grave goads the Adi tribes to bury their people with heads pointing towards west. The soul will wake up from the grave and move towards east. which is the way to heaven.
Lines 31 to 35:
Cool bamboo: cool bamboo shades
Restored : brought back
Walk with God : move along with the blessings of God