IN THE ZOO

                                                      

            -A.K. Ramanujan

 AK. Ramanujan is the first contemporary Indian English poet to have achieved a remarkable break through in cross-fertilising English with native literary traditions. In the Zoo (a tour with comments) is a satirical poem with a humorous tinge.

 Ironically, the poem, In the Zoo, speaks only of storks. The storks are described as scavenger birds. They are fit symbols for Calcutta or Madras, which are filled with filth. The storks, according to Ramanujam, stand erect on their long legs and look dignified. They look slightly vulgar. They come in three shades: i) faded black like the Madras lawyers; ii) grey and iii) dirty white like grandmother's curd.

The storks are noisy and heavy when they take off. It reminds the poet of his father. The noise that comes from the flapping of wings is compared to the sound that comes from the father's broken umbrella. Three ribs of the umbrella were broken by his sons on a fencing match and three other ribs were broken by the previous year wind.

The storks circle quietly in the sky with motionless wings. It fills the trans- parent sky with its slow, sleepy movements. It reminds the poet of the father's magic carpet story told on a rainy day. That was a rainy day. Water leaked through the roof into the kitchen. The mother was ill and children walked round the kitchen noisily with pattering feet. As they could not sleep the father told the magic carpet story.

 The poem satirizes the filth of Calcutta and Madras. It makes fun of Madras lawyers. It also highlights the poverty and poor health of the family, may be the poet considers his family, a zoo.

The poem abounds with effective Indian words, phrases and comparison. He is truly an Indian poet who represents Indian culture and tradition.