I. Thinking About the PoemQ1: What are the things the wind does in the first stanza?
Ans: The poem starts with the poet describing the violent face of the wind. Wind, with its violent action, especially during a natural calamity, breaks off the shutters of windows and scatters the papers in the room. It also throws down books from the shelf, tears the pages of the books, and brings down showers.
Q2: Have you seen anybody winnow grain at home or in a paddy field? What is the word in your language for winnowing? What do people use for winnowing? (Give the words in your language, if you know them.)
Ans: Yes, I have seen many women winnowing grain in villages. Pachhorana is the word in my language for winnowing. People use chaaj or winnowing fan for winnowing purposes.
Q3: What does the poet say the wind god winnows?
Ans: The poet has compared the traditional farming practices of winnowing with the destruction that the wind creates during a natural calamity. Winnowing is a constructive process and helps us collect grains for survival. On the other hand, the fierce wind, like the process of winnowing uproots all the crumbling homes, wood, bodies, lives, and hearts. It crushes and removes them entirely and only the best survives.
Q4: What should we do to make friends with the wind?
Ans: To make friends with the wind we need to build strong homes with firm doors. We should also make ourselves physically and mentally strong by building strong, firm bodies and having steadfast hearts.
Q5. What do the last four lines of the poem mean to you?
Ans: In the last four lines poem reminds everyone to be strong-willed because it is highly unlikely that a storm will not hit them again. We should be mentally strong to face all the challenges that life throws at us. These challenges do make the weak heart crumble and extinguish like weak fires.
Contrary to its effect on weak people, challenges make the strong people stronger, just like wind makes strong fires roar and flourish. Having a positive attitude towards hardships not only makes them easier to deal with but also teaches a lesson that we carry with us throughout our lives.
Q6: How does the poet speak to the wind — in anger or with humour? You must also have seen or heard of the wind “crumbling lives”. What is your response to this? Is it like the poets?
Ans: There is a tinge of anger in the poet’s tone while speaking to the wind. Strong wind breaks away the fragile items human beings have put together. They cause plenty of damage and destruction to both life and property and human beings are bound to submit to the cruelty of nature. Storms, cyclones, gales, and intense winds cause havoc on the land. They uproot trees, bring down houses, electric posts, and claim an encumber of lives.
Yet, I do not agree with the poet that the wind only ‘crumbles lives.’ The wind is also responsible for bringing rains and contributing to the water cycle. It lowers the temperature of the land and helps as a carrier of pollen grains too. With advancements in technology, the wind is also utilized for the purposes of energy harnessing using wind power plants.
II. The poem you have just read is originally in Tamil. Do you know any such poems in your language?
Ans: Yes, I have read another poem on wind. It is titled ‘Toofan‘ and was originally written in Hindi by Naresh Aggarwal.