H.L.V. Derozio's To India: My Native Land poem summary and critical appreciation.

 

Summary and Critical Appreciation of H.L.V. Derozio’s “TO INDIA: MY NATIVE LAND”

 

My country! In thy day of glory past

A beauteous halo circled round thy brow,

And worshipped as a deity thou wast.

Where is that glory, where that reverence now?

The eagle pinion is chained down at last,

And grovelling in the low dust art thou:

The minstrel hath no wreath to weave for thee

Save the sad story of the misery!

Well let me dive into the depths of time,

And bring from out the ages that had rolled

A few small fragments of those wreaks subline,

Which human eyes may never more behold;

And let the guerndon of my labour be

My fallen country! One kind wish from thee!

 

INTRODUCTION OF TO INDIA: MY NATIVE LAND:

To India: My Native Land poem is written by Indian poet Henry Louis Vivian (H.L.V. Derozio) in 1828. H.L.V. Derozio was a radical thinker and was a true patriotic. To India: My Native Land is one of the most famous and notable work by H.L.V. Derozio. The poet shows pain and love for his country India. This is a very thematic poem. He was very hurt and pained by the fact that his country India was under British rule.

 

ABOUTH THE AUTHOR OF TO INDIA: MY NATIVE LAND:

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio (H.L.V. Derozio) was born on April 18, 1809 in Kolkata, India. He was a poet and Assistant Headmaster at Hindu College, Calcutta, a radical thinker and one of the First Indian educators to disseminate western learning and science among the young men of Bengal.

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was son of a Portuguese Father and Indian Mother, Derozio was influenced by the English Romantic Poets. He began publishing patriotic verses when he was 17. His writings brought him to the attention of the intellectual elite of Calcutta. In 1826 he was appointed instrument at Hindu College, where his reportedly brilliant teaching influence his students and won him their loyalty. In 1828 his students organised the Academic Association, a debating society that drew both Britishers and Indians to discussion of religion and Philosophy.

In the spirit of English Rationalism Derozio criticized the social practises and religious belief of orthodox Hinduism. Accused of irreverence by his student’s orthodox Hindu parents, he was forced to resign by the directors of Hindu college in 1831.Derozio died on December 23, 1831 due to cholera. Long after Derozio’s death his influence lived on among his former students, who came to be known as Young Bengal and many of whom became prominent in social reform, law, and journalism.

 

SUMMARY OF TO INDIA-MY NATIVE LAND:

STANZA 1:

“My country! In days of glory past………… where that reverence now?”

In the first stanza of the poem the poet highlights My Country! i.e. India. The poet is weeping over the suffering of his Country. Henry states that his Country, India had a glorious past before British ruled in India in context to “in its days of glory past”. The phrase “It had a beauteous halo circled round her forehead and was worshipped as a deity thou wast” means that a circle of light which is often seen by us in pictures of gods, saints and angles surrounding their foreheads which a representation or symbol of their purity and he described India was a holy land. The holy land, India was worshipped as Goddess by the people for her wonderful beauty and purity she holds in the past. ” Where is thy glory, where the reverence now?” in this phrase the poet is asking his country that where is your glory (beauty) and respect (reverence) gone which she had in the post.

 

STANZA 2:

“Thy eagle pinion is chained down at last……… Save the sad story of the misery!”

In the second stanza, the poet says that “Thy eagle pinion is chained down at last”. In this phrase he says, India wings (pinion) has been chained and imprisoned to the ground (“last”). “And grovelling in the lowly dust art thou” this line means India is crawling in low status. And he says that after being enslaved (under British rule), the Country has lost its high status and in place of flying in the air it is crawling on the ground of low status. “Thy minstrel hath no wreath to weave for thee” this phrase means songs and poems written and sung on the honour of country. Now H.L.V. Derezio, the poets say that they cannot write or sing for the country. “Save the sad story of the misery!” the line says that what is left behind in his country is the sad story of the gloom.

 

STANZA-3:

“Well let me dive into the depths of time……… My fallen country! One kind wish for thee!”

In the third stanza the poet in the phrase “Well let me dive into the depths of time, And bring from the ages that have rolled” wishes to dive into the depth of time and bring from out of ages that have rolled in these past years. “A few small fragments of those wrecks subline” in this phrase he goes back to the wonderful past and bring back the respect and status which has been broken into a few small pieces. “Which human eye may never more behold” this line means that the respect that India deserves is not seen by the citizen eyes. In last line “My fallen country! One kind wish for thee!” he talks about the fact the he wants his country back as it was in the past as a reward. He hopes for a better future of India and thus, the poem, To India-My Native Land ends.

 

 

CRITICAL APPRECIATION OF TO INDIA: MY NATIVE LAND:

In this poem, To India: My Native Land every word of Derozio expresses out his patriotism in his heart for his country. The poet envisages his native land i.e. India which in the past had a supreme position in the world but now the country has been dishonoured to the most extend. The poet in this poem expresses his grief over the lost glory of India which has lost its grandeur. India was being worshiped by other, her prominence was beyond comparison. The poet says that India is a country which had a glorious past and had the capabilities of providing spiritual leadership to the other nations but now India was enslaved. She has been overpowered by a foreign power. After being overpowered by the foreign power the state of the country is pathetic and such dilapidated condition hurts the poet. She has lost her honour and prestige.

The panorama of the country appears dark to the poet as the past glory of the country has vanished completely. The poet says the India is now suffering just like an eagle suffers when it is chained. He desires to dive into the past so that he could bring the fragments of India’s glorious past and grandeur them to inspire the current generation and countrymen to fight against the foreign power for their motherland’s lost glory honour and prestige. He wants people to remember the golden period of our country.