A Different History by Sujata Batt:

Poem: "A Different History" by Sujata Bhatt

Great Pan is not dead;
he simply emigrated
to India.

Here, the gods roam freely,
disguised as snakes or monkeys.

Every tree is sacred
and it is a sin to be rude to a book.

It is a sin to shove a book aside
with your foot,
a sin to slam books down
hard on a table, a sin to toss one
carelessly across a room.

You must learn how to turn the pages gently
without disturbing its sleep.

Then there is the god of small things
the god of many things.

Here the gods are natural.

Indians everywhere
who roam the world
who flee the insufferable burden of poverty
chose to go away, and even now, are often
rejected by strange cultures.

The unborn grandchildren
grow to love that strange language.

Imagine how it is
when they grow up speaking a strange tongue.

Imagine having to choose the odd word in a foreign tongue —
and English

language of the conqueror and the oppressor.

Yet how to feel split, torn

how to feel that it is home —

when the tongue that you use
may not be your own?

How to belong
to two countries,
how to belong
to none?

Poem overview

• Opening setting: Introduces Indian spirituality and respect for nature/books.

• Colonial shift: Transitions into a reflection on migration and the dominance of the English language.

• Emotional conflict: Focuses on inner tension experienced by those who feel culturally displaced.

• Conclusion: Ends with rhetorical questions that convey unresolved identity and duality.

Key quotes

• “Great Pan is not dead; he simply emigrated to India.”

• “language of the conqueror and the oppressor.”

• “How to belong to two countries, how to belong to none?”

Underlying meanings and themes

• Postcolonial identity: The lingering effects of colonisation on language and belonging.

• Cultural dislocation: Immigrants and their descendants feeling torn between cultures.

• Language as power: English as both a means of survival and a symbol of oppression.

• Spiritual reverence: Indian traditions are portrayed as deeply respectful and sacred.

• Generational disconnect: Children and grandchildren grow up distanced from their heritage.

Key quotes

• “The unborn grandchildren grow to love that strange language.”

• “when the tongue that you use may not be your own?”

Poetic techniques

• Free verse: Reflects the poem’s themes of fluid, unsettled identity.

• Enjambment: Mimics natural thought and emotional flow, especially during questions.

• Rhetorical questions: Used to provoke reflection on identity, culture, and belonging.

• Juxtaposition: Sacred Indian values vs. English colonial language.

• Tone shift: Moves from reverence to personal conflict and questioning.

Key quotes

• “You must learn how to turn the pages gently without disturbing its sleep.”

• “Imagine having to choose the odd word in a foreign tongue.”

Literary devices

• Allusion: Reference to Pan (Greek god) and British colonial history.

• Symbolism: Books represent knowledge, culture, and spiritual value.

• Repetition: Phrases like “how to belong” reinforce emotional confusion and conflict.

• Contrast: Indian spiritual respect for books vs. the foreign dominance of English.

• Irony: English is used to question the legacy of English colonialism.

Key quotes

• “language of the conqueror and the oppressor.”

• “Here the gods are natural.”

Structure

• Form: Written in free verse — reflects the theme of dislocation and fluid identity.

• Visual layout: White space and uneven line lengths add a sense of fragmentation.

• Shift in focus: Moves from cultural pride (early stanzas) to emotional tension (later stanzas).

• Ending: Concludes with unresolved rhetorical questions — no answers, just reflection.

• Pacing: Short, clipped final lines emphasize the speaker’s inner fragmentation.