Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T. S.

Introduction

This poem is often described as a parody of or satire on Indian English. It illustrates the idiolectical features of the brand of English used by Gujarati speakers, as a humorous reconstruction of a particular variety of Indian English. It is actually “a satiric self-revelation of the speaker”. As Bruce King has put it, “Language reveals the speaker’s mind and social context; clichés, triteness, unintended puns are among the devices used to imply hypocrisy, pretence, limited opportunities and confusion”.

Note the Indianness inherent in the very title of the poem, the occurrence of the initials at the end of the name, a very Indian habit both in speech and writing. Even ‘goodbye party’ seems to be an Indian imitation of ‘birthday party’!

Text of the poem

Goodbyt Party for Miss Pushpa T.S by Nissim Ezekiel

Click here to access the text of the poem.

Idea of the poem

Core Meaning

The meaning of the poem according to specific stanzas is given below:

Stanza: 1 The speaker says that their dear sister, Miss Pushpa is leaving for a foreign country, and they all wish her bon voyage.

Stanza: 2 He says that they “are all knowing” the sweet nature of the Miss Pushpa who “is smiling and smiling for no reason, but simply because she is feeling”.

Stanza: 3 The speaker goes on to say that her father was a renowned advocate in Bulsar or Surat, and that he is “not remembering” the correct place.

Stanza: 4 Then he suddenly remembers that the place is Surat. He seems to be a poor speaker when he points out the irrelevant fact that he stayed there once with his uncle’s very old friend whose “wife was cooking nicely”.

Stanza: 5 Again, the speaker starts praising Miss Pushpa, and says that she is very popular with men and ladies also. Whenever he asked her to do anything, she said, “just now only I will do it”. Clearly the speaker means Miss Pushpa’s readiness to do any work, and the unnecessary use of “just” and “only” exhibit the Indian speaker’s ignorance of the usage of English words, creating laughter and fun. The speaker concludes his amusing speech, saying that they are wishing Miss Pushpa bon voyage.

Stanza: 6 He informs that Miss Pushpa ‘will do the summing up’, when the other speakers finish their talk. What he means is that Miss Pushpa will respond to their words of praise in the end. Thus the poet makes fun of the faulty Indian way talking English.

Source: Click here

Context of the poem

The main theme in the "Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T.S.” isn’t the loss of a friend but it’s human foibles, or character faults. The poem offers a satirical look at how some people in India speak English, a device that the poet presumably used to get an Indian reader to laugh at himself. The poem misuses the present continuous tense and uses turns of phrases and syntax found in the Indian language, like when Ezekiel writes, “Whatever I or anybody is asking/ She is always saying yes.” The poem also hints at dramatic irony if the reader infers that the speaker’s audience at the farewell party doesn’t know that his English is grammatically incorrect.

About the Author

Nissim Ezekiel (24 December 1924 – 9 January 2004) was an Indian Jewish actor, playwright, editor and art-critic. He was a foundational figure in postcolonial India's literary history, specifically for Indian writing in English.

He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1983 for his Poetry collection, "Latter-Day Psalms", by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters. Ezekiel is universally recognized and appreciated as being one of the most notable and accomplished Indian English language poets of the 20th century, applauded for his subtle, restrained and well crafted diction, dealing with common and mundane themes in a manner that manifests both cognitive profundity, as well as an unsentimental, realistic sensibility, that has been influential on the course of succeeding Indian English poetry. Ezekiel enriched and established Indian English language poetry through his modernist innovations and techniques, which enlarged Indian English literature, moving it beyond purely spiritual and orientalist themes, to include a wider range of concerns and interests, including mundane familial events, individual angst and skeptical societal introspection.

Transacting the text

Language appreciation

Babu English

Ezekiel wrote many of his works, including "Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T.S.,” in the dialect of urban Indians, particularly those in Bombay, according to Dominic. This dialect is called “Babu English.” Originally, the colonial British used the word “babu” as a derogatory term when referring to subordinate Indians who spoke English as a second language, according to The Hindu website. A “Babu” was a person who tried to impress a British master using stylish ornamentation, as the way that he expressed a message was more important than information relayed.

Vocabulary

Bon voyage : Used to express farewell and good wishes to a departing traveller

External : Relating to, existing on, or connected with the outside or an outer part

Internal : Of, relating to, or located within the limits or surface

Figures of speech

A figure of speech is the use of a word or words diverging from its usual meaning. It can also be a special repetition, arrangement or omission of words with literal meaning, or a phrase with a specialized meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words in it, as in idiom, metaphor, simile, hyperbole, or personification. Figures of speech often provide emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity. However, clarity may also suffer from their use, as any figure of speech introduces an ambiguity between literal and figurative interpretation. A figure of speech is sometimes called a rhetorical figure or a locution. To know more click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure_of_speech

The ones which have been used in this poem are:

Additional resources

A unique creation of the poem into a song, click here

Assessment

Ask the learners to write a short paragraph using the hints given below.

Hints:

• What is the poem about?
• Which is the most striking image and why.?