An Introduction by
Kamla Das :-
She was born 31 March 1934 and died 31 may 2009 Pune. Kamla surayya popularly known by her one time pen name Madhavikutty and married name Kamla Das was an Indian poet in English as well as an author in Malayalam from Kerala India. She wrote an Introduction in 1965 she famous poem .
About poem :-
In ‘An Introduction,’ Das explores her complex emotions regarding the system controlling her life and the lives of countless suffering women. She also has the experience to back up her assertions about freedom and oppression as she played a critical role in the establishment of the Indian feminist movement.
This particular piece is one of her most well-known. It was published in her first collection, Summary in Calcutta in 1965. The collection focuses on love and the pain that follows betrayal.
Summary :-
👉An Introduction’ begins with the speaker, Das, stating that she knows all the male leaders of India. Their names are a part of her, a tribute to their overwhelming power. This contrasts significantly with the lack of power she felt growing up and getting married at sixteen. She struggles with her identity and is finally able to step away from the traditional role of wife.
Das describes the way that men are able to move through the world with a solid identity. They are allowed their choices and emotions. In the last lines, she pushes back against this way of life by stating that she feels things that do not belong to the man she loves. She too can be “I.”
I don't know politics but I know the names
Of those in power and can repeat theme like
Days of week or names of months beginning with Nehru .
I am Indian very brown born in Malabar
I speak three language write in
Two dream in one.
Don't write in English they said
👉 In the first section of ‘An Introduction,’ the speaker begins by comparing her knowledge of politicians to the days of the week and months of the year. Although she does not have a firm grasp on politics itself, those in power have remained in her mind. This shows their power to be much greater than their role should allow. The first of these she is able to recall is “Nehru,” who served as India’s first prime minister after the withdrawal of the British.
After these opening lines that set the scene, the speaker moves on to describe her own being. She is “Indian” and she is “very brown.” Lastly, she is from Malabar in southwest India. These are the basics of her life, but of course not everything. She adds that she is able to
