Summary and Analysis of Nissim Ezekiel's "Goodbye Party for Miss. Pushpa T.S"

Goodbye Party for Miss. Pushpa T.S

                                                                                     -Nissim Ezekiel

About the poet:

          Nissim Ezekiel, born on 16^th December, 1924, Bombay, British India.  He dies on 9^th January, 2004 (aged 79), Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.  He is a  poet, playwright, actor, art critic and editor.  He is a father of Indian English Poetry.  His genre is modern Indian English Poetry.  He is inspired by the writings of Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot.  He has implemented new techniques and innovative ideas in his works.  His notable works are Night of the Scorpion, Later Day Psalms.  He has won Sahitya Academy Award for the work Later Day Psalms in 1983.  He has received Padmashri in the year 1988.

About the poem:

This poem by Ezekiel is an attempt to expose the English language efficiency of Indians, it also highlights the postcolonial effects on the life of Indians.  People of Indian society are highly attracted towards the culture and language of Britishers.   While they attempts to speak English they commit mistakes in the form of syntax, grammar, etc., without their knowledge.  Native speakers are feeling high when they speak English and they think that it will gain them social respect.  Yet being a second language errors in English are quiet common. 

This poem also highlights the cultural and social concepts of India.   These aspects are given in a cheerful way.  This is an interesting poem in a humorous English i.e., Babu English of native Indians, who have English as their second language and their English has influence of Hindustani.

Summary and Analysis:

           The poem Goodbye Party of Miss Pushpa T.S., explains Miss. Pushpa’s farewell party in jovial manner.  The poem has seven stanzas, each stanza illustrates the Indian culture.  Every sentence, particularly vile humor.   The poem portrays typical Indian farewell function, where one can watch the unnecessary praising, greetings, pretenders and imposters.  The stanzas have maximum of seven lines and minimum of three lines. 

Nissim Ezekiel writes the poem in Indian English which is known as Babu English.  He leaves mistakes uncorrected on purpose to show the readers the way Indians are speaking.  Though it is a kind of attack on Indian English speakers, the author’s intention is to make the readers to enjoy his work. 

In first stanza, Miss. Pushpa’s friend speaks in farewell meeting.  He is addressing the gathering, calling them friends and sisters.  Miss. Pushpa leaves the country in two or three days.  Her colleagues wishing her bon voyage (happy journey).  Here he addresses the gathering as friends and sisters.  It is the typical Indian way of addressing the gathering.  Treating everyone as friends, especially ladies as sisters.  In the next line, the sentence ‘in two three days,’ has grammatical mistakes to expose Indian English.

In second stanza, the speaker’s speech goes on.   He talks on Miss. Pushpa’s sweetness and her smiling face.  Pushpa’s character is explained by the speaker.  The speaker divides Pushpa’s sweetness into two kinds, internal and external sweetness.  Here the internal sweetness refers her character and the external is her appearance.  In speaker’s view, Pushpa is a sweet package and he also comments that Pushpa smiles for no reasons while meeting people.

            “I don’t mean only external sweetness

              but internal sweetness.”  

In third stanza, he speaks on Miss. Pushpa’s wealthy family, her father’s profession, her place.  This stanza conveys that, Indians are more concerned about the family rather than the person.  They are so keen in knowing the person whether he is wealthy or not.   If the person is wealthier he would be respected and given attention, the poor gets rejected everywhere.   Therefore the wealthier Pushpa gets the farewell party.  The speaker is not sure about what he is going to talk.  It is notable that the speaker is not fully prepared for this meeting.

            “Miss. Pushpa is coming

              from very high family.”

In Fourth stanza, the speaker remembers the place Surat and he also recollects the memories of his own family with whom he has spent his early days in the same place.  He proudly mentions his uncle’s friends cooking, which is no way related to the Miss. Pushpa.   

            “of my uncle’s very old friend-

              his wife was cooking nicely…”

Fifth stanza contains three lines, the speaker remembers Pushpa and refers her as popular lady not only with men but among ladies also.  Here the speaker divides the society into two, men and ladies.  It seems they have societies of their own.  So, being popular in each society is something remarkable.  This stanza shows the gender discrimination in Indian society. 

The sixth stanza explains the obedience of Miss. Pushpa.  She always does the work, assigned to her.  She response her colleagues like ‘Just now only I will do it’.  The speaker calls it good spirit and appreciates it. 

In the final stanza, the speaker says Miss. Pushpa never said no to anyone.  She accepts anything that comes from her fellow mates.  Today, she is going to improve herself, let us wish her happy journey.  At the end, he invites Miss. Pushpa to give a speech.  Miss. Pushlpa is appreciated by everyone in her office.  All of them are wishing her bon voyage.  At last the speaker ends his speech and lets others to speak.  It is obvious that visiting foreign countries is more prestigious and makes the person respectable in Indian society. 

The goodbye party of Miss. Pushpa T.S. describes the farewell party, which is not really organized, speeches that is not prepared, errorful, discussed the irrelevant things in formal proceedings.