FLOODS AND THEIR DEPICTION IN THE POEM A RIVER BY A K RAMANUJAN

A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land which is normally dry. Flooding may occur as an overflow of water from water bodies, such as a river or lake, in which the water overtops or breaks levees, resulting in some of that water escaping its usual boundaries, or it may occur due to an accumulation of rainwater. Floods often cause damage to homes and businesses if they are in the natural flood plains of rivers. The primary effects of flooding include loss of life, damage to buildings and other structures, including bridges, sewerage systems, roadways, and canals. Infrastructure damage also frequently damages power transmission and sometimes power generation. The poem A River by A.K. Ramanujan is a tour de force of impressive potency and insightful philosophy and yet a poem characterised by its graceful lucidity and finely honed criticism. Both the old and new poets are apathetic to human sorrow and suffering. They write about the beauty of the river in full flood completely ignoring the devastation and human tragedy wreaked by this beastly force. Both the old and the new poets have celebrated the beauty of the flooded river but they were not alive to or sympathetic with human suffering caused by the monstrous flood.

Floods in Madurai