My Mother at Sixty Six: by Kamala Das

My Mother
at Sixty Six
By Kamala Das
Kamala Das (1934 –2009)
• an unorthodox literary figure
who wrote in Malayalam and
English, also known as
Madhavikutty
• was part of a generation of

Indian writers whose work
centered on personal rather than
colonial experiences
• led a rich and colourful life,
characterised by bold and confessional
poetry and prose that spoke of love
and sexual desire.
• acquired cult status in India like

Sylvia Plath in the West.
• embraced Islam a decade before her

death in 2009 and renamed herself
Kamala Surayya.
Recognition
1963: PEN Asian Poetry Prize
1968: Kerala Sahitya Academy Award
1984: Shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature
1985: Kendra Sahitya Academy Award

Theme of the Poem
• The poem explores the fear of losing a parent that
haunts the poet time and again.
• This childhood fear has become a familiar pain and

she tries to distract herself each time she is troubled
by it.
• She is pained by the realisation that her mother had

aged and was inching close to her death.
Paraphrase
Part 1
•The poet was on her way to the
Driving from my parent’s Cochin airport.
home to Cochin last Friday •Her mother sat next to her in the
morning, car.
•She noticed that her mother had

I saw my mother, beside me, fallen asleep.
doze, open mouthed, •Her mouth was open and her face
was pale like a corpse.
her face ashen like that of a
•This made her realise that her
corpse and realised with pain
mother was old and slowly
approaching her death.
that she was as old as she
looked but soon put that •She tried to put that painful
thought away, thought away by looking out of the
car window.
Paraphrase
…and looked out at The poet looks out of the car window and
young trees sprinting, sees young trees that appear to be running
in the opposite direction.
the merry children
spilling out of their She also sees happy children rushing out
homes, of their homes.
The poet notices the contrast between the

scene inside the car and the world outside
The old mother symbolises life which lacks

energy and is slowly coming to an end.
The young trees and children symbolise

youthful vigour and vitality.
Part 2 Paraphrase
…but after the airport’s security After the security check at the
check, airport, the poet turns back to look
standing a few yards at her mother, again.
away,
Her mother looked pale and weak
I looked again at her, like a moon that is losing its
brightness and fading away in the
wan, pale as a late winter’s winter sky.
moon
She was once again reminded of the
childhood fear of losing her mother.
and felt that old familiar ache,
my childhood’s fear, However, she does not share her
fears and pain. She conveys a false
but all I said was, see you soon, sense of assurance by saying that
she will see her mother soon. She
Amma, tries hide her pain by smiling at her.
all I did was smile and smile and
smile......
Summary
Part 1
• The poetess was on her way from her parents’
home to the Cochin airport.
• Her mother was sitting beside her in the car.
• She looked at her mother.
• She found that her mother was dozing with her
open mouth.
• Her face was as pale as that of a corpse.
• The poet painfully realized that her mother is not
going to live long.
• This painful thought haunted her.
• Soon she tried to put that thought away by looking out
of the car window.
• She saw the young trees that appeared to be running
past them.
• She looked at the merry children coming out of their
homes.
• As she saw life and vitality in the outside world, the
painful thought passed away from her mind.
• The view of youth and happiness outside the car is a
contrast to the old mother who is inching close to her
death.
Poetic devices
• Simile : her face ashen like that of a corpse
• Metaphor : merry children spilling out of their homes
• Personification : young trees sprinting
Word meaning
• Ashen : very pale because of illness
Part 2
• After reaching the airport, she went through the

security check.
• Her mother was standing outside, a few yards away.
• After the security check, she looked at her mother
again.
• Her face was pale white like a late winter’s moon.
• She felt the old familiar ache of childhood in her heart -
the fear of separation from her mother.
• But she composed herself and kept on smiling in order
to conceal her emotions.
• All that she said was, “See you soon, Amma” and bade
good bye to her mother with a hope to see her again.
Poetic devices
• Simile : pale as a late winter’s moon
• Repetition : I did was smile and smile and smile……
Word Meaning
• Wan : lacking enthusiasm or energy, pale/dull
Multiple choice questions
1. Where was the poet driving to?

a. home b. airport c. play ground d. garden
2. From where were the children spilling out?

a. home b. school c. neighbourhood d. car
3. What were the parting words of the poet?

a. see you soon b. Meet you soon c. See you later d. Call you soon
4. Where was the mother sitting?

a. in front of the poet b. Beside the poet c. behind the poet d. beside the driver
5. Name the poet of the poem” My Mother at Sixty six”.

a. Stephen Spender b. Kamala Das c. John Keats d. Pablo Neruda
6. Name the literary device used in the line ‘her face ashen like that of a
corpse.
a. metaphor b. simile c. alliteration d. personification
7. What was the poet’s childhood fear?

a. flying in a plane b. inability to join merry children c. separation from her
mother d. driving a car
8. What thought did the poet try to put away?

a. mother would not live long b. mother would continue sleeping
c. mother would live long d. mother would wake up
9. Why does the poet look out of the window?

a. to look at the trees b. to distract herself c. to look at the children d. she
was bored
10. How does the poet distract herself from her unpleasant thoughts?
a. looks out of the window b. looks at her mother’s face c. looks at the
driver’s face d. closes her eyes
11. Why has the mother been compared to a corpse ?
a. she is alert b. she is active c. she is merry d. she is passive
12. What does the image of merry children spilling symbolize?

a. sincerity b. responsibility and duty c. carefree attitude d. passive
acceptance
13. What does the old age symbolize?

a. Approaching death b. carefree life c. Freedom from responsibility
d. Health and happiness
14. Why does the poet smile and smile and smile?
a. to show her happiness b. to hide her relaxed feeling c. to hide
her fear d. to hide her old age
15. What would happen if the poet did not see her mother again?
a. The poet would be hear broken b. The poet would feel relaxed
c. The poet would feel confused d. The poet would be smiling

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My Mother

• was part of a generation of

• acquired cult status in India like

• embraced Islam a decade before her

1968: Kerala Sahitya Academy Award

1984: Shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature

1985: Kendra Sahitya Academy Award

• This childhood fear has become a familiar pain and

• She is pained by the realisation that her mother had

•She noticed that her mother had

The poet notices the contrast between the

The old mother symbolises life which lacks

The young trees and children symbolise

• After reaching the airport, she went through the

1. Where was the poet driving to?

2. From where were the children spilling out?

3. What were the parting words of the poet?

4. Where was the mother sitting?

5. Name the poet of the poem” My Mother at Sixty six”.

7. What was the poet’s childhood fear?

8. What thought did the poet try to put away?

9. Why does the poet look out of the window?

12. What does the image of merry children spilling symbolize?

13. What does the old age symbolize?

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