In the poem, ‘Under Another Sky’, R. Parthasarathy expresses his disenchantment with the language and the country of his dreams – English and England. The poem begins with the poets return to Chennai from his self-imposed exile. The poem begins with the poet’s return to Chennai from his self –imposed exile. The sea believe fort st. George and Santhome in Chennai appears old and tired. The mood here is reflective of exhaustion of the poet’s own feeing of exhaustion ofter his journey to England. The sea and the land between fort st. George and Santhome pahaps remind him of the British rule in India. The poet gives a vivid picture of the commercial glory of Chennai in the past. In the distant past, long before the advent of the British. The Harbour at Chennai in the past. In the distant past, long before the advent past, long before the advent of the Bristish, the Harbour at Chennai was busy with many trade activities. A number of ships laden with merchandise from far off countries were anchored at the port and there ships traded in spices and other commodities. Now, it is a tired sea that accosts the visitor. The idea suggested here is that the Indians were in no way interior to the English in Conducting international trade even before their arrival.
Very close to the seashore, in the inland of Chennai, a great cirlization of the Tamils flourished. It is to be remembered that people led a Simple lift of leisure. The alleys, lands and wells are symbolic of this life of simplicity. Even today the last remnants of native inclusive are to be found in the wells and alleys of the interior parts of India and Chennai. “The sun has done its wornst” is a reference to the British rule and the change it with their serey smiles and seductive poses delight the people. Temple - Visiting culture has been replaced by the artificial make – believe cinema – visiting culture.
No doubt one could find great developments on the material plane. During the British rule a number of bridges were constructed. It has a suggestive meaning too. The river stands for the uncontrollable force of national resurgence but it is contained by the “bridges” of British rule. The hourglass was replaced by the “exact chronometer” of Europe. The idea suggested is that the Tamils were using the indigenous system of measuring time through hourglass but that was replaced by the modern clock. The poet rigidly portrays that under the impact of technological civilization mechanisation of life has been the main change in India after the British lionization.
The modern Indian culture is compared to an old dying beast without teeth. It has lost its strength and naturalness and rigor under the impact of the Western Culture. “Francis Day has seen to that” recalls here that in 1639 Francis Day of the East India Company obtained a grant of a East India Company obtained a grant of a strip of land on the coast of coramandel from the Rajah of chandragiri. He built fort St. George in Chennai and it became the white town. The poet’s hope of writing poetry about the greatness of his great culture is shattered. He is unable to see the real Indian culture in Chennai. The poet goes to calcutta in search of the real India and the real Indian Culture. He expresses his sense of futility and despair in the question he poses to himself.
“ .................. what have I come
here far from a thousand miles ?”
As in Chennai, he finds the impact of the Western Culture in Calcutta. The human nature remains the same everywhere. There are a number of clubs, bass and golf-links for the “wogs” to spend their time idly. The great irony is that these “wogs” talk about the “impact of the west on India”. They are in a
way worse than the westerners. In calcutta the dismal scene of porters, rickshaw pullers, barbers, beggars, haurcers, fortune – tellers and loungers makes him sad.
The meaning implied is that the aliens who 25 ruled us had plundered our wealth and made us poor. It may also be indicative of man’s inhumanity to man. In India the rich people exploit the poor. The rich have become richer and the poor have become poorer after the “wogs” took over the rule from the “real” Westerners. The grey sky in calcutta oppresses the eyes of the poet. It is a reference to the industrial pollution. The Howrah Bridge reminds the poet of the British rule. It now looks like a pale diamond in the water. The poet is sad and is not in a mood to write poems.
With weighty unexpressed words he goes to Jadavpur. It is here that the poet finds his beloved. He thinks that she will be a personification of ideal Indian womanhood. But she represents the degenerate Indian culture, which has yielded to cheap materialism. She is not the loy maiden he expected her to be but very business like in her attitude to life and sex. The poet is shocked beyond description. His feelings which arise in “the dark alleys of his mind” cannot even be identified by himself. He is in a confused state of mind. He is acutely of his loneliness. This reinforces his sense of frustration and disappointment. To his dismay he finds that the so called new culture cannot be dispensed with. He tries to console himself saying that “the heart needs all”. He feels that one has to undergo all kinds of experiences and emotional disturbances to understand life.
The poet feels that he has come back to India only to feel that he has gained little wisdom. But he has gained a little of it on the banks of Hooghly in Calcutta, a city designed and built by Job Charnok and it will help the poet to find his moorings. He says he would carry this wisdom to another city in “the bone urn of his mind”. The mind is compared to an urn. Just as an urn carries the ashes of the dead, the mind of the poet would carry the memories of what he has seen and experienced.
The poet points out that he has reached the age of thirty and his life has come full circle. Now he has decided “to give quality the other half” of his life by writing poetry. He has decided to give up all that is puerite and would show wisdom and quality. “He is alone now, loving only words”. Finally he finds
anchor in his loneliness. He finds no one to share his emotions; and words are his only faithful companions. He refers to the process of growing up and this forms the kernel of the poem. The poet feels that he has lost the gift of childhood innocence and the brightness of youth in the process of becoming a man but he has gained knowledge and wisdom. Though stripped of innocence and brightness, his life has come full wide. He is going to use the newfound wisdom to write poetry.