Grandfather – Jayanta Mahapatra

About the Poet:

Mahapatra is an Indian-English poet born, raised and situated
in Orissa. Mahapatra always felt distanced because he
belonged to a Christian family living in a pre-dominantly
Hindu society. The poet's sense of alienation stems from his
grandfather's conversion to Christianity during the famine in
Orissa in 1886.

About the Poem:

The poem talks about the poet's grandfather Chintamani
Mahapatra. He converted to Christianity during the Orissa
famine of 1866. The poet poses rhetorical questions
regarding the conversion. It emphasizes on the moral
dilemma of having to convert for survival but "at what cost?".
Having lived as a Christian in a pre-dominantly Hindu society,
he was detached and was often alienated. The poet faced an
identity crisis because of the mixed cultures and insecure
childhood as he was neither a complete Hindu nor a
Christian. The famine was very severe and a lot suffered as
the relief did not reach on time. It was preceded by a
drought.

Summary:
The pages of the yellow diary express the agony of the
grandfather. The land is struck by famine. It was so severe
that the only things to be seen was the cracked fallow earth,
the dust and the dead trees. People became very weak and
hunger became so severe that became animalistic.
Sometimes even going as far as consuming raw tamarind
leaves. Some were driven to insanity, sometimes breaking to
fits of unnatural laughter. The poet feels that his grandfather
was a coward to run away from hunger. His grandfather
chose to convert to survive. The poet accuses and questions
his grandfather's actions as to why he left the rich culture
and heritage for survival. His heart is heavy with feelings of
alienation as he is neither a complete Hindu nor a Christian.
Religion is an imperishable aspect of life. It gives faith and is
what makes our identity. Having converted, he turned his
back on his own religion, which let to mixed feelings in their
neighbors. Because of this, his heart is heavy with feelings of
alienation as he is neither a complete Hindu nor a Christian.
Both he and his son have forgotten about the famine only
knowing about it from books and historical accounts. The
taunting rain is a reminder of the grim past that paved a path
for the future. He doubts if he would be able to interpret his
grandfather's legacy and if the future would also do so
because of the generation gap. He realizes that his
grandfather was an invisible piece on a board as it was his
actions and decisions that helped his children and their
children live a good life. The poet wishes to get to know more
about his grandfather. Being riddled with questions, he
contemplates whether it was beneficial to have taken the
dangerous choice or if he should have chosen to die with
dignity.
The poem also hints at the question whether religion is more
important than the lives of men. During the famine, the
missionaries assured food and shelter on condition that the
people converted. It depicts the politics of the world which
doesn't care about its people's cries. If the choice was taken,
he would get a chance at a good life but he would be
burdened by it. The other option would be more dignified
but at the cost of one's life. It shows the inhumane nature of
religion as neither the one he adopts nor his own is able to
provide the one thing he needs the most.