Where is the Light?

 (e-content developed by Dr N A Jarandikar)

“Light, oh, where is the light?” is a poem written by Rabindranath Tagore. Rabindranath Tagore is a well-known Indian poet, dramatist, and novelist. He wrote in Bengali and English. “Gitanjali” is his famous poetry collection, for which Rabindranath Tagore was honored with the Nobel Prize.

The poem “Light, oh, where is the Light?” is taken from “Gitanjali.” It deals with the poet’s feelings of doubt and faith towards God.

The speaker in the poem says that there is no light. The lamp is there, but without a flame. The speaker goes on explaining the darkness in his life, mentioning that the sky is full of clouds. Rain is pouring continuously, and the clouds thunder and the wind howls. Time is passing, but the deep night does not pass. Like the dense night, the speaker’s life is filled with darkness. The speaker argues that “Death would be preferable.” For a moment, the speaker observes lightning in the sky, but that light, the speaker says, “makes the darkness thicker.”

Here, the speaker is using “light” as a metaphor. The speaker is not talking about common light but is referring to divine light, essentially talking about God.

As God is absent in life, the speaker says there is darkness. The absence of God is due to doubt. However, in the poem, Pain’s envoy assures the speaker, “God stays awake for you.” In other words, as there is sorrow in life, God must be there. God is there to test your patience. The speaker experiences God through lightning. Just like lightning, God shows His existence for an instant. So, the speaker realizes that one must have faith in His existence. He convinces his mind that the lamp needs to be ignited with “The fire of longing.” Here, the word ‘longing’ is associated with passion, love, and faith. In short, if you love your own life, God is visible to you.

When My Play was with Thee

(e-content developed by Dr N A Jarandikar)

 

“When my play was with Thee” is a poem written by Rabindranath Tagore, a well-known poet, novelist, and dramatist. “Geetanjali” is his famous poetry collection that earned him the Nobel Prize.

The poem “When my play was with thee” is taken from “Geetanjali.” In the poem, the speaker talks about his childhood experiences, recalling that his childhood life was “riotous.” The reason for his happiness was a strange person, whom the speaker did not know at that time. The speaker affectionately calls this companion “My playmate.”

The speaker admits that, while playing with the playmate, “he had no fear, no shame.” Many times, the playmate would sing for him. The speaker could not understand the meaning of these songs, but he would be happy because the songs were meant for him only. Thus, the speaker’s childhood life was full of joy due to the playmate.

Now, the speaker is grown up, and his childhood games are over. He understands the true nature of his playmate. However, he realizes that it’s difficult to meet the playmate again. He finds that not only he but also the sky, the moon, the sun, and the whole world are waiting for the playmate. At this point, it becomes clear that the playmate is none other than the real God! God plays with a child and becomes his playmate because a child is innocent. As a child grows up, innocence is lost, leading to the loss of companionship with God.

In this way, at one level, the poem celebrates childhood, and at another level, it talks about the journey to explore God.

Waris Shah

          (e-content  created by Dr N A Jarandikar)

 “I Say unto Waris Shah” is a poem written by Amrita Pritam, a well-known Punjabi writer honored with the Sahitya Akademi Award, Padma Shri, Padma Vibhushan, and the Bharatiya Dnyanpeeth. In the poem, she appeals to Waris Shah to wake up from his grave and turn over a page of the Book of Love. According to the poet, when one daughter of the fabled Punjab wept, Waris Shah gave voice to her silent grief. Today, a million daughters of Punjab are weeping, but there is no one to speak about their condition.

The poet then describes the miserable state of the daughters and paints a somber picture of Punjab. The pastures are full of corpses, the river Chenab has turned crimson, and someone has poured poison into the five rivers of Punjab, making the once fertile land toxic. Not only the water and land but also the wind in Punjab has become poisonous, causing the people to behave madly. As a result, the songs of Punjab have vanished, the spinning wheel is stopped, the swing along the branch of a tree is snapped, the flute is lost in bewilderment, and blood is raining on the earth. The princesses of the valley weep in the graveyards.

In this sad and pathetic condition of Punjab, there is no one to give voice to the sorrows of these daughters. Therefore, the poet once again appeals to Waris Shah to wake up from the grave and turn over a page of the Book of Love.

The references in this poem are essential to understand who Waris Shah is and the reasons behind the sad condition of Punjab and its daughters. Waris Shah is an 18th-century Sufi poet known for his famous poem “Heer-Ranjha,” a love story that, according to Amrita Pritam, gave voice to the silent grief of Heer. When a million daughters of Punjab weep, it is only natural for Waris Shah to turn a page of the Book of Love, which is an epic poem depicting the love story of Heer-Ranjha.

The poem is set against the backdrop of the partition of India in 1947, leading to the creation of two nations, India and Pakistan. Punjab, one of the main provinces, was divided, causing significant suffering for the Sikh community. The communal violence that ensued highlighted the brutal nature of mankind. Sikh women and children became soft targets. In “I Say unto Waris Shah,” Amrita Pritam vividly captures the heart-rending picture of Punjab through powerful imagery such as crimson Chenab, poisoned five rivers, cursed land, and blood-rained earth. In this way, the poem reflects the poet’s emotions and feelings toward the suffering caused by the partition.

BA I_Sem. II (Syllabus and QP Pattern)

 

B.A. Part I (Discipline Specific Core)

(Paper –II) (Semester – II)

Modern Indian Writing in English Translation

(CBCS along with NEP)

Detailed Syllabus

Poems –

Unit 1.

             Rabindra Nath Tagore:

  i) Light, Oh Where is the Light?

 ii) When My Play Was With Thee

Amrita Pritam:

i) I Say Unto Waris Shah

Unit 2. G. M. Muktibodh:

 i) The Void

ii) So Very Far

Play -

Unit 3.  Satish Alekar– Mahanirvan

Unit 4. Satish Alekar– Mahanirvan 

 

Pattern of Question Paper

Semester II  (Paper –II)                                           Total Marks – 40

            Q. 1. Multiple choice questions with four alternatives.                                              (08)

                        (4 on Poems & 4 on Mahanirvan  to be set)

            Q.2.Answer the following questions in about 250-300 words.                                  (08)

                        ( A or B on Unit 1 & 2)

            Q.3. Answer the following questions in about 250-300 words.                                 (08)

                        (A or B on Mahanirvan)

Q.4. Write short notes in about 100-150 words each. (4 out of 6)                             (16)

            ( 3 on Poems & 3 on Mahanirvan to be set)

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*Note: Semester II: 10 Marks for Internal Evaluation: Unit Test

BA III_Sem. VI Syllabus/QP Pattern

 

B. A. Part III Special English

INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY CRITICISM (CBCS)

Semester VI (Paper XII) (DSE- E136)

Module V:	Romantic Criticism: William Wordsworth’s Theory of Poetic Diction (From William Wordsworth’s Preface to Lyrical Ballads)
Module VI:	Victorian Criticism: Matthew Arnold’s Touchstone Method ( From Matthew Arnold’s The Study of Poetry)
Module VII:	Modern Criticism: T S Eliot’s Tradition and Individual Talent (1919)
Module VIII:	Practical Criticism: Poetry

 

Question Paper Pattern

Total Marks: 40

Q1.	Objective type Question	Marks
	A) Multiple choice questions with four alternatives.	4
	B) Answer the following questions in one word/phrase/sentence each.	4
	(Q1. A and B to be set on topics covering Module V to VII) (At least one item to be set on each Module) .
Q2.	Answer in the questions 250-300 words each.               (A or B to be set on Module V, VI, and VII)	10
Q3.	Answer the questions in about 250-300 words each.     (A or B to be set on Module V, VI, and VII)	10
Q4.	Write critical appreciation of the given poem with the help of points such as title, theme, content, devices, message, style, rhyme-scheme, diction, type of poem, tone, stanza-pattern, metre, etc. (Based on Module VIII)	12

 

Note: Semester VI: 10 Marks for Internal Evaluation: STUDENTS’ GROUP PROJECT

 

ENGLISH POETRY (CBCS)

Semester VI (Paper XIII) (DSE – E137)

Module V:	Topics For Background Readings:
	1. Victorian Poetry
	2. Modern English Poetry
	3. Modern Indian English Poetry
Module VI:	Selections from Victorian Poetry:
	1. The Lady Of Shallot (by Alfred Lord Tennyson)
	2. My Last Duchess (by Robert Browning)
	3. Love Came Down At Christmas (by Christiana Rossetti)
Module VII:	Selections from Modern English Poetry:
	1. No Second Troy (by W. B. Yeats)
	2. The Hollow Men (by T. S. Eliot)
	3. Tonight I Can Write (by Pablo Neruda)
Module VIII:	Selections from Modern Indian English Poetry:
	1. The Professor (by Nissim Ezekiel)
	2. A Hot Noon in Malabar (by Kamala Das)
	3. A River (by A. K. Ramanujan)
	4. A Kind of Happiness (by Jayanta Mahapatra)

Question Paper Pattern

Q. 1	A) Four multiple choice questions with four alternatives	04
	B) Answer the following questions in one word/ phrase/sentence each.	04
	(Q. 1 A and B to be set on Module VI, VII and VIII)
Q. 2	Answer the following questions in about 250-300 words.  (A or B to be set on Module V)	10
Q. 3	Answer the following questions in about 250-300 words.  (A or B to be set on VI, VII or VIII)	10
Q. 4	Write Short Notes in about 100-150 words each (3out of 4)  (Two be set on Module V and two be on Module VI, VII or VIII)	12

 

*Note: Semester VI: 10 Marks for internal Evaluation: STUDENTS’ GROUP PROJECT

 

English Drama:

Semester VI (Paper XIV) (DSE – E138)

MODULE V	Types of Drama
MODULE VI	Comedy as a Form
MODULE VII	Nagmandala – Girish Karnad
MODULE VIII	Harvest – Manjula Padmanabhan

 

PATTERN OF QUESTION PAPER

Marks: 40

Q1. A) Four multiple choice questions with four alternatives                      (4)

B) Answer the following questions in one word/ phrase/sentence each.    (4)

(Q. 1 A and B to be set on Module VII and VIII)

Q.2. Answer the following questions in about 250-300 words.          (10)

(A or B to be set on Module V and VI)

Q.3. Answer the following questions in about 250-300 words.          (10)

(A or B to be set on VII and VIII)

Q.4. Write Short Notes in about 100-150 words each (3out of 4)      (12)

(Two be set on Module V and VI and two be on Module VII and VIII)

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*Note: Semester VI: 10 Marks for Internal Evaluation: STUDENTS’ GROUP PROJECT

 

 

 

 

 

ENGLISH NOVEL (CBCS) Discipline Specific Elective

SEMESTER VI (Paper XV) (DSE – E139)

MODULE V	Historical and Psychological Novel
MODULE VI	Satirical Novel and Epistolary novel
MODULE VII	Animal Farm: A Fairy Tale - George Orwell
MODULE VIII	The Guide - R. K. Narayan

 

PATTERN OF QUESTION PAPER

Marks: 40

Q1. A) Four multiple choice questions with four alternatives                      (4)

B) Answer the following questions in one word/ phrase/sentence each.    (4)

(Q. 1 A and B to be set on Module VII and VIII)

 Q.2. Answer the following questions in about 250-300 words.                 (10)

(A or B to be set on Module V and VI)

Q.3. Answer the following questions in about 250-300 words.                  (10)

(A or B to be set on VII and VIII)

Q.4. Write Short Notes in about 100-150 words each (3out of 4)              (12)

(Two be set on Module V and VI and two be on Module VII and VIII)

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*Note: Semester VI: 10 Marks for internal Evaluation: STUDENTS’ GROUP PROJECT

 

 

 

 

English Special LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS (CBCS) Discipline Specific Elective

Semester VI – Paper XVI (DSE - E140)

·         MODULE V Phrases

·         MODULE VI Clauses

·         MODULE VII Subordination and Coordination

·         MODULE VIII Basic and Derived Structures

i)             Inversion / Fronting

ii)            Negation

iii)          Interrogation

iv)          Exclamation

v)            Omission of Certain Elements (Relative Pronouns, Comparative Clauses, Tag Questions)

vi)          Passivisation

vii)         Subject Raising

viii)       Style Transformation

 

QUESTION PAPER PATTERN

Q. 1 a) Identify elements of clause (S, P, O, C, A) (4/6)                               (4)

        b) Transformation of sentence (to be set on Module VIII) (4/6)           (4)

Q.2 a) Write short notes. (2 each to be set on Module V & VI) (2/4)         (10)

        b) Give form and function labels to the underlined phrases. (4/6)      (4)

Q.3 a) Write short notes (To be set on Module VII) (2/3)                           (10)

        b) Identify the subordinate clauses and state their form and function. (4/6)                                                                                                                (4)

Q. 4. Do as directed. (to be set on Module VIII) (4/6)                                  (4)

 

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Note: Semester VI: 10 Marks for Internal Evaluation: STUDENTS’ GROUP PROJECT