If I was a Tree is a poem written by Kannada poet, Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy. The poem was originally published in February 2012. The poem explore the themes of nature and a wish to be free.
If I was a Tree By Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy Summary
Summary of If I was a Tree By Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy
The poem “If I was a Tree” is based on Hinduism thinking and their culture. Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy”s “If I was a Tree” poem tells us about the caste discrimination structure in India. In India, people still judge one other person based on their caste, color and religion.
Therefore, poet wants to be a tree to live a life with no discrimination and judgement. The poet believes it’s better to live a life of tree than in a society where people still believe in caste and religion.
The story of poem begins with poet who say if I were a tree then birds and insects wouldn’t ask me which caste or religion I belong to before building their home and nest. The nature never discriminate, everybody in nature’s eye are equal whether you are rich, poor or belongs to upper or lower caste.
When sun rises, its sunlight falls on everyone equally it doesn’t discriminate among anyone whether you are rich or poor or from lower or upper caste.
On the other side what happens in India is that when one person talks to other person, he will definitely try to know his full name just to know about his caste. Whenever people in India talk to new person, they tries to know other person full name to learn about his caste and religion. The sole purpose of asking full name is to learn about the caste of other person.
If I became a tree and when sunlight falls on me, my shadow would not feel defiled. The poet says I’m human being from lower caste, no one is ready to hug me just because I’m from lower caste and it makes me feel defiled. Their discrimination makes me feel defiled.
The writer says If I were a tree, my friendship with the cool breeze and the leaves would be sweet. Here poet mean to say, as he is from lower caste, no one is ready to be friend with him. So he desire to be a tree rather than human.
Raindrops wouldn’t turn back taking me for a dog-eater. When raindrops comes, they wouldn’t hesitate to fall on me. When I branch out further from my roots mother earth wouldn’t flee shouting for a bath. Here poet trying to say, he is from lower caste and whenever he try to be friend with someone, they flee away after knowing his caste.
It is believed in Hinduism that cows are sacred and three hundred thousand gods shelters inside their body. Here poet mean to say, I was from lower caste so I was not allowed to enter in any Hindu temples.
But If I become a tree so when cows would rub their body with me, then I would be able to touch all the gods and goddesses that are inside of cow. The best thing about being a tree is that I don’t need to go temples as gods would come themselves to me through cows.
In the last stanza of poem poet talks about his death as tree. If I become a tree, who knows, at the end, my dry woods would be used to burn in the holy fire. Here poet mean to say, as human from lower caste, he was not allowed to go at a home of upper caste people. But If he were a tree, then his dry woods would may get a chance to go upper caste people’s homes.
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