"Looking for a Cousin on a Swing" by A.K. Ramanujan

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1. About the Author: A.K. Ramanujan

  • Attipate Krishnaswami Ramanujan (1929–1993) was an Indian poet, scholar, linguist, and translator.

  • He wrote poems mainly in English, Kannada, and Tamil, bridging Indian themes with Western poetic forms.

  • Ramanujan is known for exploring themes of memory, identity, culture, childhood, family life, and innocence vs experience.

  • His style is simple but emotionally deep, often mixing the personal with the universal.

  • Some of his famous works include Relations, Second Sight, and The Striders.

  • He received several honors, including the Padma Shri from the Government of India.

2. Detailed Summary: "Looking for a Cousin on a Swing"

In this poem, A.K. Ramanujan captures a delicate childhood memory that blends innocence and budding awareness.

The speaker (probably a grown woman) recalls when she was about four or five years old. She sat on a village swing, and her cousin, slightly older, sat behind her. With every movement of the swing, she felt a strange sensation, stirring in the "lunging pits" of her emotions — an early, vague sense of physical awareness.

After swinging, they both climbed a tree, which was not very tall, but full of thick leaves, especially like those of a fig tree. At that time, their interaction was completely innocent, not touched by adult understanding or guilt.

Now, the speaker is grown up and living in a city with many suburbs. Yet, she still looks for that innocent feeling, trying to recreate or rediscover the pure joy and thrill she once felt — but she is also aware of the adult complications that now cloud such emotions.

The tree, once a symbol of innocent exploration, now appears heavy and ripe, as if it would burst into a brood of scarlet figs — a clear symbol of sexual awakening and lost innocence. The reference to someone sneezing and the tree bursting suggests how fragile and easily disturbed innocence can be.

Main Themes:

  • Innocence and Awakening: Childhood feelings slowly shifting toward adult consciousness.

  • Memory and Nostalgia: Longing for lost innocence and simpler emotions.

  • Urban Alienation: Contrast between natural, simple village life and complex urban life.

  • Sexual Awareness: Early but confused feelings of physicality and attraction.

Tone and Style:

  • The tone is nostalgic, tender, and slightly melancholic.

  • The language is simple, yet the imagery is rich and symbolic.

3. MCQs with Answers:

1. What activity is mainly described in the childhood memory?
a) Playing with dolls
b) Sitting on a swing
c) Swimming in a river
d) Running through fields
Answer: b) Sitting on a swing

2. How old was the girl in the memory?
a) Three years old
b) Four or five years old
c) Six or seven years old
d) Eight years old
Answer: b) Four or five years old

3. Where does the girl now search for the swing?
a) In the woods
b) In her dreams
c) In cities with fifteen suburbs
d) In a village temple
Answer: c) In cities with fifteen suburbs

4. What kind of tree did they climb?
a) A coconut tree
b) A banyan tree
c) A tree like a fig tree
d) A mango tree
Answer: c) A tree like a fig tree

5. What does the bursting of scarlet figs symbolize?
a) The coming of rain
b) Loss of innocence and sexual awakening
c) Falling leaves in autumn
d) Harvest festival
Answer: b) Loss of innocence and sexual awakening

4. Short Answer Type Questions with Slightly Longer Answers:

Q1. Describe the main childhood memory that the speaker recalls in the poem.

Answer:
The speaker recalls a memory from when she was about four or five years old, sitting on a village swing with her slightly older cousin sitting behind her. Each movement of the swing brought strange, stirring feelings that she could not fully understand at that age. After swinging, they climbed a fig-like tree full of leaves. The experience was innocent at the time, but now, looking back, she realizes it hinted at deeper emotions.

Q2. How does the poet show the contrast between childhood and adulthood in the poem?

Answer:
The poet contrasts the innocence of childhood with the self-consciousness of adulthood by showing how the girl, who once enjoyed pure and playful experiences, now tries to recapture that innocence in the complex environment of a city. The swing and tree once symbolized pure joy, but now they are symbols touched with adult awareness and a sense of lost simplicity.

Q3. What is the symbolic meaning of the tree that could "burst under every leaf into a brood of scarlet figs"?

Answer:
The tree symbolizes the ripening of emotions and the awakening of sexual awareness. In childhood, the tree was simply a playground. In adulthood, it becomes a symbol of passion and sensuality, suggesting that innocence is fragile and easily transformed by the natural process of growing up.

Q4. What does the speaker's search for a swing in cities symbolize?

Answer:
The speaker's search for a swing in the sprawling cities symbolizes her longing for the lost innocence and pure emotions of her childhood. It also reflects her sense of alienation in the modern, complicated urban world, where simple joys are hard to find and recreate.

Q5. How does the tone of nostalgia affect the overall mood of the poem?

Answer:
The nostalgic tone creates a bittersweet mood in the poem. While the speaker fondly remembers her innocent childhood experiences, there is also a sadness in realizing that such pure feelings cannot easily be reclaimed. This blend of tenderness and melancholy deepens the emotional impact of the poem.

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