Father, when he passed on,
left dust
on a table of papers,
left debts and daughters,
a bedwetting grandson
named by the toss
of a coin after him,
a house that leaned
slowly through our growing
years on a bent coconut
tree in the yard.
Being the burning type,
he burned properly
at the cremation
as before, easily
and at both ends,
left his eye coins
in the ashes that didn’t
look one bit different,
several spinal discs, rough,
some burned to coal, for sons
to pick gingerly
and throw as the priest
said, facing east
where three rivers met
near the railway station;
no longstanding headstone
with his full name and two dates
to holdin their parentheses
everything he didn’t quite
manage to do himself,
like his caesarian birth
in a brahmin ghetto
and his death by heart-
failure in the fruit market.
But someone told me
he got two lines
in an inside column
of a Madras newspaper
sold by the kilo
exactly four weeks later
to streethawkers
who sell it in turn
to the small groceries
where I buy salt,
coriander,
and jaggery
in newspaper cones
that I usually read
for fun, and lately
in the hope of finding
these obituary lines.
And he left us
a changed mother
and more than
one annual ritual.
About the Poet: A.K. Ramanujan
A.K. Ramanujan (1929–1993) was one of India’s most influential poets, translators, and scholars of Indian literature. Renowned for his ability to blend classical Indian themes with modern sensibilities, Ramanujan’s work is celebrated for its economy of language, deep irony, and a keen observation of cultural contradictions. His poetry often reflects on the complexities of life and death, memory and loss, and the inadequacies of language in capturing the fullness of human experience. In addition to his original poetry, he is known for his translations of ancient Indian texts and his critical essays, which have significantly shaped the field of Indian literary studies.
Background of the Poem
Obituary is one of Ramanujan’s poems that examines the nature of remembrance and the manner in which a life is encapsulated after death. Written with his characteristic blend of understatement and irony, the poem can be read as a meditation on the gap between the grand language often used in public memorials and the subtle, sometimes unrecorded, truths of a person’s life. Although the exact circumstances of its composition may be less documented than some of his other works, the poem reflects Ramanujan’s ongoing preoccupation with the limitations of language and the cultural rituals surrounding death and remembrance in modern society.
Summary of the Poem
In Obituary, Ramanujan presents a concise yet incisive reflection on the act of memorializing the dead. The poem typically unfolds as follows:
-
Opening Lines:
The poem opens with an almost clinical description of an obituary notice. Ramanujan’s language is plain and unadorned, immediately setting up a contrast between the formal, public record of a life and the nuanced realities that lie beneath it. -
The Irony of Public Remembrance:
As the poem progresses, the reader is invited to question the efficacy of the obituary. While the notice may list achievements or personal attributes in a neat, categorical manner, the poet suggests that such summaries are inherently reductive. They fail to capture the full complexity of a human life or the inner world of the deceased. -
Subtle Personal and Cultural Critique:
Ramanujan’s tone is both detached and wry. He hints at the absurdity of attempting to encapsulate an entire life within a few lines of print. There is a quiet lament for what is lost in the translation from lived experience to official record—and, by extension, a commentary on the nature of modern memory and cultural rituals surrounding death. -
Concluding Reflections:
The poem ends on a note that is both reflective and slightly ambiguous, urging the reader to consider that the true meaning of a life may always lie beyond the limited scope of any obituary. This open-ended conclusion reinforces the idea that while death is final, remembrance is an ever-evolving process that cannot be neatly summarized.
Main Themes
A. Mortality and the Inevitability of Death
- Oblivion versus Remembrance:
The poem meditates on how death inevitably reduces a person to a set of facts or a brief record, no matter how rich or complicated the lived experience might have been.
B. Irony and the Inadequacy of Language
- Language as a Failing Vessel:
Ramanujan employs irony to show that while language is used to immortalize, it often falls short. The formal tone of an obituary contrasts sharply with the messy, multifaceted reality of life.
C. Public Remembrance vs. Personal Reality
- Ritual and Reduction:
The poem critiques the conventional methods of public memorialization—obituaries, commemorative notices—that flatten a vibrant human life into a series of dates, names, and achievements.
D. The Paradox of the Obituary Genre
- Celebration of Life Through Its Negation:
There is an inherent paradox in celebrating someone’s life through a text that is, by its nature, about their absence. Ramanujan’s poem explores this tension and questions whether any public record can truly do justice to an individual.
Poetic Devices Used
A. Irony and Understatement
- Subtle Irony:
Ramanujan’s tone is marked by understatement. By presenting an obituary in a matter-of-fact manner, he ironically exposes the gap between the grand rhetoric of memorialization and the banal reality of a person’s existence.
B. Imagery and Diction
- Economy of Language:
The poem’s spare language and carefully chosen images serve to heighten its emotional impact. The plain diction mirrors the flatness of the official record while hinting at the deeper, unspoken layers of meaning.
C. Juxtaposition
- Contrast Between Form and Substance:
The poem juxtaposes the formal, impersonal language of an obituary with the inherently complex nature of human life, inviting the reader to read between the lines.
D. Paradox
- Celebratory Mourning:
The inherent paradox of memorializing a life through a document that signifies its end is a central device, prompting readers to question how life is both celebrated and reduced by such conventions.
E. Tone and Voice
- Detached Yet Compassionate:
The narrative voice maintains a cool detachment that underscores the irony of the obituary form, while also conveying a quiet compassion for the irreducible mystery of human life.
Essay Questions for Further Exploration
-
The Limits of Language in Remembering Life:
Discuss how Ramanujan uses irony and understatement in Obituary to critique the limitations of language in capturing the full essence of a human life. Provide examples from the poem to support your analysis. -
Public Ritual vs. Personal Memory:
Examine the tension between public memorialization and the private reality of a person’s life as depicted in Obituary. How does the poem suggest that official records fall short of conveying the true nature of a person? -
Paradox and Irony in the Poetic Form:
Analyze the use of paradox in Obituary. In what ways does the poem’s structure and tone reflect the contradictory nature of commemorating a life through its negation? -
The Role of Cultural Conventions:
How does Obituary comment on cultural rituals surrounding death and remembrance? Discuss the social implications of reducing a complex life to a few lines of text. -
Comparative Analysis:
Compare and contrast the treatment of death and remembrance in Obituary with another poem by A.K. Ramanujan or a contemporary poem dealing with similar themes. What similarities and differences emerge in their approaches?
Multiple Choice Questions (with Answers)
-
Which of the following best describes the overall tone of Obituary by A.K. Ramanujan?
a) Sentimental and effusive
b) Detached and ironic
c) Melancholic and verbose
d) Joyful and celebratory
Answer: b) Detached and ironic -
What is the primary subject matter of the poem Obituary?
a) A detailed biography of a famous personality
b) A critique of the conventional methods of memorializing a life
c) A celebration of life’s achievements
d) A narrative of a historical event
Answer: b) A critique of the conventional methods of memorializing a life -
Which poetic device is most evident in the way Ramanujan presents the formal language of an obituary?
a) Hyperbole
b) Irony
c) Alliteration
d) Personification
Answer: b) Irony -
The poem Obituary primarily questions the adequacy of language in capturing what aspect of human existence?
a) Economic success
b) The complexity of a full human life
c) The beauty of nature
d) The achievements of political figures
Answer: b) The complexity of a full human life -
In Obituary, the juxtaposition of a sterile, official record with the lived experience of the deceased primarily serves to highlight:
a) The accuracy of public records
b) The gap between public remembrance and private reality
c) The necessity of detailed biographies
d) The emotional warmth of memorial ceremonies
Answer: b) The gap between public remembrance and private reality
Conclusion
Obituary by A.K. Ramanujan offers a compact yet profound exploration of how a life is summarized in public memorials—and the inherent inadequacy of such summaries to capture the fullness of human existence. Through its use of irony, precise diction, and subtle juxtaposition, the poem challenges readers to question the cultural conventions of remembrance and to appreciate the complexities that lie beyond the surface of official records. This study guide is intended as a framework for deeper discussion and analysis, inviting you to engage with both the technical mastery and the thematic depth of Ramanujan’s work.