Chicago Zen By A>K>Ramanujan

                               Chicago Zen

                            A.K. Ramanujan

I

Now tidy your house,
dust especially your living room
and do not forget to name
all your children.

II

Watch your step. Sight may strike you
blind in unexpected places.

The traffic light turns orange
on 57th and Dorchester, and you stumble,

you fall into a vision of forest fires,
enter a frothing Himalayan river,

rapid, silent.

On the 14th floor,
Lake Michigan crawls and crawls

in the window. Your thumbnail
cracks a lobster louse on the windowpane

from your daughter's hair
and you drown, eyes open,

towards the Indies, the antipodes.
And you, always so perfectly sane.

III

Now you know what you always knew:
the country cannot be reached

by jet. Nor by boat on jungle river,
hashish behind the Monkey-temple,

nor moonshot to the cratered Sea
of Tranquillity, slim circus girls

on a tightrope between tree and tree
with white parasols, or the one

and only blue guitar.

Nor by any
other means of transport,

migrating with a clean valid passport,
no, not even by transmigrating

without any passport at all,
but only by answering ordinary

black telephones, questions
walls and small children ask,

and answering all calls of nature.

IV

Watch your step, watch it, I say,
especially at the first high
threshold,

and the sudden low
one near the end
of the flight
of stairs,

and watch
for the last
step that's never there.

 Analysis of the poem

A.K.Ramanujan is one of the well known modernist poet. as a modern poet, he often talks about transculuralism. even he talks about hybridity of human beings in his many poem . what is more important about his poems is that they are highly realistic and matter-of-fact.

         The present poem “Chicago Zen” is the best example of hybridity, transculuralism and transnationalism .  in this poem Ramanujan tries to show his feeling and experiences  when he is in abroad or in Chicago USA. the beginning of the poem is as below ;

“ Now tidy your house,

dust especially your living room

and do not forget to name

all your children”

                     The above lines has two different meanings. the first meaning is very simple it is said that it is necessary to keep house clean where we live. it is even more necessary to keep the living room clean, because who so ever will come to home they first sit in living room. this is simple and superficial meaning of the first two lines. while second meaning is philosophical one Ramanujan suggest the reader that living room means ‘MIND’. it is necessary to keep your mind clean. he further says that one should not fill one’s mind with much knowledge and information. he believes that the more we learn , the more we get confused and finally we lost in short he says that one must live with minimum burden of knowledge and information.

             While in second two lines Ramanujan highlights the importance of name and surname when we are in country like USA. it is only because of our name we are able to show our identity as Indian is Chicago, USA. then in second stanza Ramanujan says;

“Watch your step , slight may strike you ;

blind in unexpected places”

             Here, Ramanujan says that when you are in places like Chicago, everything is new for you , not only that but whatever you see, it is unexpected and totally surprise for you. beginning from people, culture , atmosphere, things , food etc…. are new and unexpected for you. moreover , things are unexpected at such a level that for a moment, you will be blind and mad. here, poet confesses the reality as a living in foreign.

           After this, there is sudden change in the poem . he becomes confused and talks about Himalaya river and lake Michigan of USA. he says that in USA traffic lights took orange colored . the whole scene of traffic light looks like wild forest fires. after that he talks about Himalaya river of India and lack Michigan of USA. in short, there is constant change in the thought of poet because confused between  Indian culture and American culture . however, in such  confusing situation Ramanujan finds out way. he decides that whatever he see , he should not surprise just remain indifferent about new place Chicago for this he uses the word “perfectly sane”. he says,

“And you , always so perfectly sane”

               Here, Ramanujan says when you are in foreign country at that time you need to feel that you are sane. sane means you are able to think and you have to accept new world when you are outside your home or country. in short, one should not surprise in foreign world but one should behave normally and simply.

            After that, he talks about one serious problems of those Indian who live in abroad. He says that one can not come Indian whenever one wants. the reason is the foreign countries are very strict about Visa, passport and travelling. everything regulation. Secondly, even it’s fare and tickets are very expensive which Indian can’t  afford so when one miss home, children, wife, village etc…. at that time he feels very bad and crying  like because he can not go to meet them since family is seven-seas away it is not possible to frequently visit home poet hopelessly says;

“……..the country can not be reached by jet.

nor by bout on jungle river”

        In short, when you miss home , neither jet , plane nor bout will help you because due to the rules of passport and visa, you can not travel home for some fixed time.He talk about practical facts and than givesolution which is also practical.

           However, even in such worst condition, poet suggest one way to go to home in India. according to him , it is possible for a person to go to India at home. there is one  source. he says ;

“(one can go home) only by unswereing ordinary

black telephones, questions wall………..

and answering all calls of nature……”

            The poet here says that one cam feel that one is at home by calling at home with family members. he can be at home by talking with his children. he can be at his village by remembering farm, river and other natural surrounding . in short, among all immigrants the remembrance of home, children and natural surrounding would take the person home.

           Toward the conclusion of the poet warns those persons . who is new in Chicago, USA. life in Chicago is very difficult so one must be careful. living in Chicago is like climbing staircase. he says ;

“watch your step…..

and watch for

the last step

that’s never there”

             Here, poet talks about ‘escalator’, in escalator, person has to be careful when he climbs, because it is constantly in motion. moreover, in escalator there is no last step or first step. it is like flowing river. The Poet compares life with escalator and flowing river. according to him in all condition, life goes on and one , life never stops for anyone every moments new and priceless. all these ideas about life is taken from Zen Buddhist philosophy of life. Zen Buddhist believes that;

“life is a continuous process”

            Thus, Ramanujan talks about so many things together in his poem “Chicago Zen”. it is best example of Zen Buddhist philosophy of life.