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    Amma

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    ABP SMART CLASSES
    The poem "Amma" is a tribute by the poet to his grandmother. It describes his memories of summer afternoons spent in her old, deteriorating home listening to the echo of her slow footsteps through the empty rooms. The grandmother would examine the damage to the home and curtains that needed mending, contemplating how long the present situation and her life would last. Though she could no longer see her grandchildren clearly, the poet feels her lingering presence in the home even after her passing.

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    Amma

    Uploaded by

    ABP SMART CLASSES
    349 views3 pages
    The poem "Amma" is a tribute by the poet to his grandmother. It describes his memories of summer afternoons spent in her old, deteriorating home listening to the echo of her slow footsteps through the empty rooms. The grandmother would examine the damage to the home and curtains that needed mending, contemplating how long the present situation and her life would last. Though she could no longer see her grandchildren clearly, the poet feels her lingering presence in the home even after her passing.

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    CLASS 7

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    The poem "Amma" is a tribute by the poet to his grandmother. It describes his memories of summer afternoons spent in her old, deteriorating home listening to the echo of her slow footsteps through the empty rooms. The grandmother would examine the damage to the home and curtains that needed mending, contemplating how long the present situation and her life would last. Though she could no longer see her grandchildren clearly, the poet feels her lingering presence in the home even after her passing.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    349 views3 pages

    Amma

    Uploaded by

    ABP SMART CLASSES
    The poem "Amma" is a tribute by the poet to his grandmother. It describes his memories of summer afternoons spent in her old, deteriorating home listening to the echo of her slow footsteps through the empty rooms. The grandmother would examine the damage to the home and curtains that needed mending, contemplating how long the present situation and her life would last. Though she could no longer see her grandchildren clearly, the poet feels her lingering presence in the home even after her passing.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    AMMA

    Down the stairs of this house where plaster flakes and falls,
    Through the intimate emptiness of its rooms and hall,
    I hear your slow footsteps, grandmother, echo or pause

    As they used to through long summer afternoons spent within


    The watered-down four walls of khus and fragile drinks
    Of ice, mango or lemon, the circle of water -melon crescents.

    Slowly you shuffle examining each new tear in the curtains


    Which will have to be mended when the first monsoon rain
    Provides a respite from sun, curtails the need for shade.

    Slowly on arthritic joints you move from room to room


    Marking the damage of the years, evaluating how soon
    The past will collapse or how long the present last.

    You never need glasses to mark the contours of your house


    Though you can’t see grandsons at a distance, once wore a blouse
    Inside out. Nothing has changed, grandmother, no, not yet;

    Though your collected steps never turn the corner in to you


    In a starched and white sari, the fragrance of soap around you.
    And all the curtains have long been taken down.
    Amma is a beautiful poem written by Tabish Khair published in his collection ‘Where
    parallel lines Meet’. The poem appears to be a tribute to his grandmother. Here are given
    the word-meanings and solution to the poem and book exercises.

    Born and educated in the town of Gaya, in Bihar, India, TABISH KHAIR is the author of
    various books, including the poetry collections, Where Parallel Lines Meet (Penguin,
    2000) and Man of Glass (HarperCollins, 2010),

    Word-Meanings: Poem Amma


    flake – a bit or piece or layer; intimate – close, personal and private
    relationship; fragile – easily broken or damaged; shuffle – walk by dragging one’s feet,
    move from place to place; mended – repaired; respite – relief; marking – noticing,
    observing, and giving attention to; contours – an outline representing the shape and
    form of something; fragrance – pleasant smell; curtail – reduce;
    Book Exercises: Poem Amma
    Answers
    1. a. The house belongs to the speaker’s grandmother.
    b. The house is very old.
    c. He remembers his grandmother’s echoing footsteps.
    2. a. The grandmother.
    b. Perhaps no. In the past the house though old used to have children coming
    during the summer. In the present the grandmother wonders how long will she
    and the house last.
    c. When the children stop coming or the house falls apart.
    3. a. Though her walking with effort will never make her visible physically, the poet
    can still feel her presence.
    b. The grandmother was very well liked by the poet and her presence can be felt
    in the house long after she is no more.
    c. She is no longer alive.

    1. The echo is mentioned here because the house is empty. But, the grandmother
    (Amma) is not alive and therefore it is in the poet’s memory that the echo occurs.
    2. It is so because during summer the curtains provide respite from the sun but this
    shade from the sun would not be required much during monsoon season.
    3. The coolness of the wet khus and the various ice drinks are mentioned here in in the
    grandmother’s house.
    4. Here, it is the diminishing eyesight of the grandmother that has changed though the
    things are the same way.
    5. It means, there is no one living in that house and no need of any curtains.
    6. Children were fond of their grandmother and liked to be with her. She, very well, knew
    the house. The house has her presence even years later as the poet feels the echo of her
    foot steps in the house.
    7. It refers to the fact that the poet missed his grandmother and he knew very well the
    reason of emptiness in the house i.e. she is not alive.
    8. Amma was fond of her grandchildren and arranged for their coolness during summer.
    She took care that children enjoyed their favourite ice drinks. Children also loved her as
    they enjoyed their stay with Amma. She was meticulous about the time and its impact as
    she was anxious as how long she or her old house would remain alive.

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