Jiban Mukhopadhyay’s anthology ‘Shed Tears, My Soul, Shed Tears’ as a
monumental document of miseries and hope during pandemic
Madhavi Nikam & Pandurang Barkale
Abstract: Poet Jiban Mukhopadhyay’s anthology titled ‘Shed Tears, My Soul, Shed Tears’ is
a collection of twelve poems, written on themes related to the tragic global pandemic and
subsequent lockdown that caused deep global recession and massive human miseries and
death. Title poem of the anthology, ‘Shed Tears, My Soul, Shed Tears’, takes on the issues
such as the pandemic, subsequent lockdown, migration worries, poor people’s woes and the
agony of the losing endearing souls. The poem 'Life on the Run' is revolves around the
central idea of migration during corona pandemic of the laborers and small wage – earners
during corona pandemic. The poem ‘Farewell’ is dedicated to the poet’s sister, Bratati
Mukherjee, who succumbed to a terminal disease adenocarcinoma of gall bladder. Poet aptly
cites the need to look within ourselves and introspection in the poem titled ‘Introspection’.
The poem ‘Resilience’ voices the spirit of resilience that all humans inherently have to duck
out of the adverse situations. The poem, ‘Management’ throws light on how we as a nation,
as a society, as a system have attempted to tackle it with all hands on board. The poem ‘Great
Global Recession’ and ‘Indian Economy’ portrays the Economic crisis that has ensued with
this global calamity. The second last poem titled “That was the year that was” discusses the
beginning of our planet’s existence since times immemorial. The concluding poem of the
collection, ‘Hope 2021’ leaves us with a strong optimism, hope and courage.
Keywords: Pandemic, migration, recession, poverty, resilience, introspection, lockdown,
miseries, hope, management.
Professor Jiban Mukhopadhyay’s anthology titled ‘Shed Tears, My Soul, Shed Tears: Poems
on the Tragic Global Pandemic Bringing the Great Lockdown Leading to Deep Recession
Causing Massive Human Miseries and on Hope and Resilience’ published on 25th March ,
2021, is a unique collection of twelve poems, written on themes related to the tragic global
pandemic and subsequent lockdown that caused deep global recession and massive human
miseries and death. This collection takes us through human life in distress, the suffering of
millions, the caringly motivated health workers and government, the declining economy, and
so on. Readers can relate to their fatigued experiences of surviving inside closed rooms for
long months and contemplate seriously as they go through the collection. This anthology is a
collection of twelve poems, written on themes related to the tragic global pandemic-driven
great lockdown, which, in turn, caused deep global recession and massive human miseries
and death. The poet recounts us the harrowing tale of human life in distress, the suffering
millions, and the lovingly motivated health workers alongside the government, the declining
economy, and so on. Professor Mukhopadhyay’s writing of poetry ranges from his dealing
with the victimization of the people in India’s partition till the second ‘exodus’ caused by the
Covid-19 pandemic and the prolonged state of ‘lockdown’ caused by it.
Title poem of the anthology, ‘‘Shed Tears, My Soul, Shed Tears’ is paradigmatic of what the
poet has to convey regarding his take on the issues such as the pandemic, subsequent
lockdown, migration worries, poor people’s woes and the agony of the losing endearing
souls. The poet expresses his bewilderment about the city being conspicuously and unusually
empty with various images. He is deeply shaken to witness the dystopian and apocalyptic
scenario around. He also appreciates the adaptive and resilient stance assumed by the people
who preferred “just survive, somehow”. Changed gender roles during lockdown and the new
norm of ‘work from home’ are also commented upon. Politicians are stated to be at loss due
to lockdown while the worries of migrants have been poignantly commented upon. Poverty,
starvation of the menial workers and labours (daily wage earners, small shop assistants,
plumbers, electricians, mechanics, maids and helpers) is deeply unsettling. A few people like
Cops ,Doctors, nurses, ward boys, techies, sweepers are called good Samaritan for their
service unto humanity while the suppliers of life-essential staff like Milkmen, egg- and pauwallas, chemists, grocers, vegetables and fruit vendors are also lauded. The inability of the
patients’ relatives to see them in person on account of Covid 19 being highly contagious
disease is described about. The poet states in heart wrenching manner how the people who
lost their lives due to pandemic are bereft of the ‘dignified funeral’. Poet is deeply saddened
with the most disquieting, stressful and catastrophic situation around and wishes that his soul
should shed tears till his eyes burn.
The poem 'Life on the Run' is the second poem of the anthology that comprises 150 lines. It
revolves around the central idea of migration during corona pandemic of the laborers and
small wage – earners during corona pandemic. The first few stanzas of the poem depict the
picture of forced migration due to strict lockdown policies and its overall impact on the lives
of daily wage earners. The poem vocalizes the agony of those who suffered at various places
like trains, buses, tempos, cement mixers, trucks, vegetable-milk vans, other goods carriers,
etc. as they were traveling back to their home. Daily wage earners who somehow made both
ends meet in the city had to move back to their villages fearing starvation. The poem touches
upon the issues of joblessness, penury, starvation, helplessness and a deep agony of
individuals for being unable to support their families. Migrant labours that had come to this
city of dreams with the hope of employment and standard living are forced to leave the city
with their families, baggage and shattered dreams. The poem visualizes the picture of labours
with their children and wives, carrying the load of their baggage tragically moving towards
their villages situated at faraway places. The poem also takes the stock of the casualties
occurred due to depression, exasperation, starvation, excess travelling on foot, frustration
caused by the loss of dignity and overpowering helplessness.
The later part of the poem outlines two examples of this tragic migration. First example is of
Jyoti Kumari who carries her father 1200 kilometers on the pillion of her bicycle – a
phenomenal feat just to be at her 'own home' in the hour of life threatening crisis. The second
example is of Rampukar Pandit who cries inconsolably to see his daughter at his hometown
in Bihar. Later, the poem celebrates the life of a meagre wage -earner with his little dreams
and great happiness with family. On returning to their homes, they are loved and kissed for
being safe and alive but at the same time they are suspected and feared to be the carriers of
deadly coronavirus. As a result, they are considered harmful and are not allowed to mix with
their families and neighbours. They are kept in ‘quarantine’ for certain period at some dingy,
untidy place with no essential amenities to prove that they are not infected with the virus and
are safe to mix with. Looking at this changed paradigms of the family affair due to the
pandemic, poet aptly quotes as - "Home is not home anymore ". People had stopped blindly
trusting anyone. Everyone looks sadistically at the person before them as a carrier of
coronavirus.
The last part of the poem describes the partial relaxation of lockdown. Due to this relaxation
and these workers started returning to the cities again to build a new house this time. This
builds the picture of hope and love for life and faith in their dreams to live a good and
respectable life with their own earnings. The idol of Goddess Durga in a pendal at Kolkata is
now transformed in the motherly figure carrying medical equipments and her four children
expecting a normal life back. It stands out to be a universal mother figure that inspires her
devotees to accept the new normal and be hopeful for better days.
The poem ‘Farewell’ is dedicated to the poet’s sister, Bratati Mukherjee, who succumbed to a
terminal disease adenocarcinoma of gall bladder two years before the poem was published as
a part of his anthology ‘Shed Tears, My Soul, Shed Tears’. This poem dives deep into poets
personal life, departing from the anthology’s theme of socio-economic crisis faced by
mankind in the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic. It is a reflection upon poet’s deep personal
loss and his inability to do anything about itc. The poem is an expression of pathos, sorrow
and of the bereaved soul of the poet, as he witnesses his sister-in-law in a hospital bed
surrounded by machines, needles, saline, and smell of antiseptics in a morbidly freezing ICU.
It is replete with poignant tones and acts as a microcosm of the millions of deaths occurring
in the world due to the pandemic. This poem lies at the cusp of the pot’s personal grief,
transcending into a universal lament of the poetic persona, mourning the plight of humanity.
The poem creates two kinds of spaces: one of life and the other of death. Death imagery
permeates the poem in parts which describes the hospital scenes: doctors, nurses, gadgets,
antiseptics and so on. Poets calls God insensitive and uncaring.
He says, “ But does God really care about mundane things
Like the life and death of people
…tell me Lord if you are not mute and dumb”. ((STMSST 52)
Poet’s attitude towards Gods reminisces us of Gloucester’s quotes of William Shakespeare’s
‘King Lear’:
“As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods;
They kill us for their sport”
On the other side lie life, hope and the duty of saving and serving humanity throughout the
poem. A conversational tone has been maintained throughout the poem in order to allow an
ironic interplay of pain and its acceptance. The poem ends as the patient sleeps eternally and
peacefully to leaves this temporal world. Her soul transcends the body and is free from
worldly pain. Though the major corpus of the poem is about the suffering of a patient at her
deathbed and the pain that her family members undergo, the poem doesn't end on a
pessimistic tone. It brings on an optimistic thought of the soul transcending the material
world and being reborn to carry out its duties towards humankind elsewhere, like in
Rabindranath Tagore’s famous song on the theme of death: “Jokhon porbe na mor payer
chinho ei batey…” seemingly contemplated by a person who anticipates death and talks
about the rebirth of a soul with new ties and new duties in the world of Maya. Similarly,
Mukhupadhyay's poem anticipates such a colourful rebirth of the soul of his loved one.
“We search for happiness everywhere, but we are like Tolstoy’s fabled beggar who spent his
life sitting on a pot of gold, under him the whole time. Your treasure – your perfection – is
within you already. But to claim it, you must leave the commotion of the mind and abandon
the desires of the ego and enter into the silence of the heart.” Author, journalist, and worldadventurer, Elizabeth Gilbert, in her memoir, ‘Eat Pray Love’ (2006) speaks so much to our
culture of constantly seeking something outside of us to make us happy. We try so hard, to
find ourselves, heal ourselves, to be seen, to make a difference in the world, make it to some
illusory place of fame. If I get there, maybe then I will be happy. This quote aptly describes
the need for us to look within ourselves and introspect. And that is what the poet Jiban
Mukhopadhyay talks about in the poem titled ‘Introspection’.
The pandemic situation prevailing in the last year or so has made all of us aware of how futile
the material things are – wealth, name, fame, and honour. Yet we spend our entire lives
running after them, caught up in a mindless and meaningless rat-race. The poem presents the
view of a corporate guy – a top boss – forced to spend time indoors, work from home. The
poem unfolds his story of self-discovery – of finding joys in the company of his loved ones at
home – simple joys which he has forgotten in his busy schedule. The poet speaks of how this
persona finds heaven on the earth – finding time to admire the bounties of nature, finding
time to spend with his children – connecting the past and the present and also rekindling his
love for his wife, discovering things about her which he wasn’t aware and sharing his past
with her. This corporate guy is now introspecting, looking at his life with a new vision,
saddened by the fact that he had to leave behind his parents and a major part of his past life in
order to reach the current position. He cries out to his mother and wants to crawl back to her
arms – feeling the pangs of separation. A poet feels life deeply during lockdown which he
could not do for past may dear due to the pressure of his work. His occupation with the work
had made his forget his own self and his family.
He says, “ I forgot I’m human
I had no time for my family” (STMSST 31)
These lines remind us the line “Where is the Life we have lost in living? From T.S.Eliot’s
Choruses from The Rock (1934).
The poem ends on a metaphysical note with the persona contemplating about life and death
and questioning whether death is truly an end or a new beginning. Thus the poet is successful
in giving a voice to the feelings that most of us have had in this year that shook the very
foundation of our beliefs and has made us introspect and be grateful to what we have rather
than being saddened at what we have missed out on. This has been a rather an unusual year
for us, a new experience altogether. While the pandemic has plunged the world into a 'crisis
like no other', here we are, all of us, trying to live, rather, survive in this 'New Normal' with
the sole aim to overcome these times and emerge unscathed. It has been proven time and
again that, it is during times like these, the darkest hours, that art and literature comes into
play and defines who we are as a people. It carries the potential to remind us of what we each
have to offer, the power to help us understand our history and imagine our future. And most
importantly to give us hope in the moments of struggle and to bring us together when nothing
else will. It is this plethora of ideas and thoughts that one is left with on reading this stunning
anthology by Mr. Jiban Mukhopadhyay.
The poem ‘Resilience’ begins with an extremely crucial truth of all existence with the quote
"Nature celebrates both creation and destruction. This is a balancing act." How true! And
who knows this better than all of us who are still riding the second after-wave of this global
pandemic. The poem so poignantly brings to fore the entire kaleidoscope of all the acute
adversities and sufferings that civilisations have faced in the past one year. And yet, when
you are just about to feel all depressed and give up hope, it pulls out of this dark, dark pit by
depicting the strong resilience of the human race. As Mr. Mukhopadhyay writes, "The
resilience of the people continues. It shines like the sun looking through the clouded sky to
live a life, fighting the tight grip of death." In conclusion the poem projects the idea that Life
doesn't get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.” The poem
‘Lockdown’, as the title suggests defines our new normal and how drastically it has affected
the way we and our forefathers have led their lives. To quote , "Wearing a mask, gloves and
if you can afford, a face shield." And a couple of lines later, "No talking, no handshake,
certainly no hugging. That's how we began to live, nay, survive under lockdown". Each and
every one of us can resonate with this. Colloquialism is found well in this poem . It’s almost
like a conversation we’ve all have had with our friends, colleagues, family members about
how life has changed in this lockdown.
Moving on, we believe that dreams are the true life force that gives us the strength to keep
trudging on even in the worst of the times and the darkest of the hours. But what happens
when these dreams turn into nightmares? Utter dejection and absolute hopelessness, right?
The next poem in the anthology, “Dreams turned Nightmares” depicts exactly this. Through
examples of various people's lives from different strata of the society during the pandemic, it
explores how almost everyone’s dreams have shattered into a million pieces and have
become agonizingly painful nightmares. Yet ends with the magnificent image of the mythical
phoenix and leaves the reader with a hope that, and "Sure they will all rise from the ashes, to
live a new life. Like a phoenix".
The next poem, ‘Management’ takes this harrowing situation further and throws light on how
we as a nation, as a society, as a system have attempted to tackle it with all hands on board.
The poem voices the concern that the country has learnt the greatest ever lesson of disaster
management, especially the management of health disaster, during the pandemic. Next to
health disaster, economic disaster also loomed large, casting its ominous shadows almost on
every sphere of life. The poems ‘Great Global Recession’ and ‘Indian Economy2020’ are
supremely heart wrenching, gut racking and an excruciatingly, frustratingly a detailed portrait
of the Economic crisis that has ensued with this global calamity. Being an economist himself,
Prof. Mukhopadhyay discusses the issues of recession and Indian economy during lockdown
with authority. The second last poem titled “That Was the Year that was” is remarkable in its
content as well as its structure. It begins with discussing the beginning of our planets
existence since times immemorial. Earth has been revolving around the sun year after year
after year bringing on things completely at random- the good times and bad times. Taking
into consideration the entire history of human civilisation which is quite violent and bloody,
Mr. Mukhopadhyay writes "the year 2020 has been our annus horribilis"(STMSST 80) -A
year of disaster and misfortune, because, for better or worse, it literally changed the way
humanity has functioned and lived for the past numerous generations. The poem then centres
on the most apocalyptic year of 2020. Everyone of us who has survived this past year shall
resonate and completely relate to every word of this verse. And yet, there's hope... There's
always hope for a better, brighter, and a healthier tomorrow.
The last poem of the collection, ‘Hope 2021’ leaves us with a strong optimism, hope and
courage. This beautiful, strong and quite a lyrical poem assists in sketching a brilliant picture
of life, as:
"Life moves on because of Natures law.
War, pandemic, lockdown, or recession,
loss of income, poverty, hunger...
They do come and go.
Yet people get up and brush off the dust
amidst sufferings, miseries, and despair.
Get the wounded healed and move on,
With hopes, aspirations and dreams
For living a new life in the new year and beyond,
for touching the rainbow on the horizon,
keeping your conviction that
even if you fall on your face,
you're still moving forward" (STMSST 87-88 )
Conclusion:
This anthology entitled ‘Shed Tears, My Soul, Shed Tears: Poems on the Tragic Global
Pandemic Bringing the Great Lockdown Leading to Deep Recession Causing Massive
Human Miseries and on Hope and Resilience’ would be a monumental document for the
posterities when they would look back on corona pandemic of 2020, to salute to its mighty
survivors. Lighting the lamp of hope for better tomorrow amidst the worst testing times
during and post-covid, the anthology renders the true service to the mankind. It also
appreciates the efforts of that angelic human being who stood for the cause of humanity and
rendered their services jeopardizing their own and their family’s safety. It has touched upon
various aspects such as socio-cultural, economic and political of human life that were taken
by storm during the pandemic. Human efforts to grapple with the pandemic and lockdown
have also been neatly mapped during the collection of poems.