The Lotus : Toru Dutt

Toru Dutt was an Indian poet who wrote in English and French. She was born to father Govin Chunder Dutt and mother Kshetramoni of the Rambagan Dutt family.

1. THE LOTUS by Toru Dutt

2. About the author One of the famous Indo-Anglican poets. Most of the poems have an Indian theme and an Indian background. Natural linguist. Two main novels- The young Spanish Maiden (unfinished) and Le Journal de Mademoiselle (published Posthumously). She died at a tender age of 21. After T oru’s death her father discovered some ancient Ballads written by herself.

3. THE LOTUS Dutt presents the idea that the Indian lotus is the most beautiful of all the flowers. For a long time Lily and Rose had been fighting for the title Queen of Flowers. Each flowers with its own support from poets claimed for the title. God of Love came to Goddess Flora asking for a flower which would be the unchallenged queen of flowers .

4. Some flowers told Rose was better than Lily. Others said that Lily is more beautiful than Rose and compared it to beautiful Goddess Juno’s face. ‘Love ‘ wanted a flower which has a sweet smell like that of a Rose and which is very grant looking like that of a Lily. And he wanted a flower which has the colour of both Lily and Rose i.e. Lily-white and the Rose-red.

5. So Flora created a new flower called Lotus which have the colour of rose red from morn to noon and which had a lily white from afternoon till dusk. Rose stands for Passion, because of its colour Lily stands for Purity innocence and simplicity.

6. It is a sonnet in the perarchan type. Divided into two- Octave and Sestet. Octave consists of eight lines outlines a problem or expresses a desire. Sestet comments on the problem or suggests a solution. Poem bears the features of the debate poem. Each flower has a better claim over the other.

7. Lotus is seen as the most suitable candidate for the position. Although the poem is titled The Lotus the flower is mentioned only towards the end of the poem.

8. Comments Lotus is a flower of significant both to Indian and the Hindu Religion. Dutt wanted to establish the superiority of Hindu religion over the other religion in the world. She turned to Classical Mythology to establish her stand. Dutt wanted to acknowledge her Indian background for others to understand her love for India.

9. Indian Tradition explains the Lotus Flower springs not from the earth but from the surface of the water and will remain pure and unblemished not matter the impurity of the water. The purity of the lotus expresses the idea of supernatural birth and the appearance of the first created Entity from the ancient water of Chaos, thus the Lotus is observed as the medium of Hindu Creator Narayana and His Second Being God Brahma.

10. The colour of the flowers calls to mind the privileged position Europeans gave to people based on skin colour. The word ‘power’ adds a sense of the dominant position of the English assume in the world over all things- poetry, beauty, people and land etc. Dutt unsettles and displaces that control.

11. Lotus is a symbol of Hindu faith, Indian culture, and Hindu Religion. It also symbolizes our Nation India. Toru uses the idea of Greek and Roman Goddess(Goddess of Flora, Roman Goddess of Flower or Spring and God of Love Cupid, Roman God of Love.) to create a western understanding of Hinduism.

12. The Lotus also indicates a fusion between the East and the West. Rose stands for Eastern race , the Native India because of its reddish skin. Lily indicates Western race because of its white colour. The title ‘Bards’ harkens back to 12 th century Britain as the name given to poets.

13. It was still used during Toru’s time as a title of respect to great poets. Shakespeare and Milton were both referred to as ‘Bards’. Here Dutt calls attention to the ‘Traditional’ English Poets who neglect to remember that there are other Flowers or Beauties in the world.

14. As in the Petrarchan sonnet which have a turn in the logic of the subject at the line 9 (referred to as Volta) this poem also presents a paradoxical twist- a resolution . This twist comes when we are introduced into a new flower called Lotus. Toru’s nature love is depicted in the this poem.

15. There will be no end in the dispute between the Lily and Rose unless a new flower came into existence, because both the flowers have some positive qualities of their own. If the Rose is romantic and delicious the Lily is very regal and stately in stature. Toru Dutt beautifully uses the so called conflict between those two flowers to comment upon the excellence of the Lotus.

16. So we can conclude that Toru’s love for Indian Flower and Hindu Mythology is clearly visible in this simple poem of 14 lines.

17. By Suryamol K.R St. Mary's College Mararcaud.

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