The Kuttippuram Bridge (Kuttippuram Paalam) by

Edasseri Govindan Nair: Paragraph Questions

Kannur University

Common Course
Readings on Kerala (1A02ENG)

1. How does the narrator contrast the river and the newly constructed bridge?
The narrator contrasts the river and the newly constructed bridge by feeling proud of
standing on the bridge and elating at the height of the material development of
modernization. The poet experiences elation or joy at being so high while standing on
the bridge. The kingfisher and sparrows the poet observed while dipping in the river
as a child only achieved this height. The narrator is in awe of the ability of the human
being to construct such a powerful symbol of victory over nature. However, this
proud feeling is short-lived.

2. Explain the usage "doing a tame Naatta".

Edasseri Govindan Nair in his poem "The Kuttippuram Bridge" presents a narrator
who is proud of being on a bridge that shows the supremacy of human engineering
skill. In his joy at being able to reach the heights only touched by the sparrows and
birds of his childhood days, the narrator sees the river as a tamed beast of wilderness.
"Naatta" is an expression that means crawling on all fours between the legs of the
victor as a penalty upon losing a game. In this context, by using such an expression,
the poet shows that between the powerful legs of the bridge, the river crawls like a
defeated person. The river, according to the narrator, is capable of obliterating its
shores with its feral powers. However, with the strength of the bridge, modern
humans can connect the two sides of the powerful river across which no birds flew or
boats crossed while it would be swollen and wild with water.

3. The poem oscillated between 'pride' and 'pain'. Explain.

According to the narrator, the Kuttippuram Bridge is built with an expense of twenty-
three lakh rupees. The bridge is tall and strong that stands proud above the river Perar.
During the season of floods, no boat would go across the river and no kite would dare
to fly above the river. The bridge, however, stands tall and the narrator laughs with
pride at the thought the bridge defeating the river's strength. However, this feeling is
short-lived. The narrator's gaze now falls upon the countryside, the "Gramalakshmi",
which is receding into oblivion. The village of the narrator is slowly engulfed by
roads, vehicles, and concrete buildings, which represent modern urbanization. The
narrator is saddened by the thought of flowers, trees, and traditional 'kavus' going
extinct. He wonders if the river would one day turn into a reeking drain. His village
used to be a quiet place, full of beauty. Now, it has become noisy with all the vehicles
and less attractive with its paddy fields and meadows going extinct. The gradual loss
of the village to the usurping modernization pains the narrator. The poem oscillates
between 'pride' and 'pain'. On the one hand, the achievements of the industrial
revolution make the narrator proud and on the other, he feels pain at seeing his
environment degenerate into a foul thing.

4. How does the narrator describe the beauty of the village?

The narrator describes the beauty of the village by addressing the village as
"Gramalakshmi". He states that the village is his playmate from childhood.
Acknowledging the quickly receding features of the village and its nearing collapse,
the poet goes on invoking the beauty of the rural countryside. The wide expanse of the
paddy fields helps green and yellow of nature mix with each other in a playful manner.
Groves and houses with their fruit-bearing trees stand witness to the slops blanketed
with flowers of many colours. Elegant lamps light the premises of kavus, where
people gather around the peepal tree with a stone-circled base, signifying socialization
and intermingling. The night of this village is fearsome with its silence and the
daytime is filled with the melodies of the farmers ploughing their fields. The narrator
contrasts these elegant features with the stark reality of modern urbanization. To
achieve this effect the poet paints a village where soot, cement, and steel overwhelm
the flowery innocence of the village. The night is robbed of its silence and the day is
usurped by the fast-moving life of urban individuals. By forming this hopeless picture
of mindless urbanization, the poet enhances the beautiful image of the village that he
had shared earlier.

5. How does the narrator describe the onset of urbanization?

The narrator describes the onset of urbanization in his prophetic portrayal of the
village of his childhood as a foul thing overwhelmed by soot, cement, and steel.
Buildings of concrete and steel replace flowering meadows. There is a shortage of
space as walls are erected everywhere. Days and nights are noisy with vehicles and
people fighting with each other. Strangers have started residing in the neighbourhoods.
Conflicts between strangers are on the rise. Neighbours are no longer familiar with
each other. They have become total strangers to each other. The narrator shares his
concerns regarding the river Perar. The fathomless depths such as Malloorkkayam
shall no longer be fathomless. The deity of Malloor may soon be a wayside deity. The
grandeur of Anthimahakalan Kunnu shall also be lost as an aftermath of the mindless
urbanization. The poet invokes the image of a child robot while describing the bleak
future of Anthimahakalan Kunnu. He says that the hill may seem like a spinning top
hurled by a quick-tempered child robot. The poet suggests a post-humanist scenario of
a culture where human beings are turning into machines and their sensibilities are lost.
He wonders if Perar, the mother-like figure, would turn into sad and foul-smelling
drainage.

6. What are the similes, metaphors, and images used by the narrator to represent
mechanised development?
A simile is a figure of speech that is used to compare one thing with another. In "The
Kuttippuram Bridge" the poet uses several samples of similes. For example, his use of
a spinning top to explain the state of the hill named Anthimahakalan Kunnu in the
aftermath of modernization is a simile. Metaphor is a figure of speech, which is
applied to a word or action to which it is not related out of the poetic context. For
example, the poet addresses the village as his playmate. Images such as soot, cement,
and steel reigning over flowers, and the river Perar turning into a reeking drain are
used to convey the destruction and damage caused by the mechanised development.

Edasseri's poem "The Kuttippuram Bridge" is translated from Malayalam by A J

Thomas. It is a critique of mindless urbanisation. This poem conveys its message
through a series of strategically placed images and symbols. Edasseri's poetry is
inspired by his childhood experiences. His mother and elder sister inculcated in his a
taste for poetry. His poetry and plays are characterised by their portrayal of the nature
and culture of Kerala, its environment, vegetation, rituals, and festivals. His poems
reflect the problems of farmers, the nationalist struggle, and the agonies of working-
class people.
"The Kuttippuram Bridge" offers a glimpse into the mind of the narrator giving
a prophetic picture of urbanization, when he speaks highly about the bridge he was
standing upon. Perar is flowing underneath the bridge like a defeated person. The
river, according to the narrator, is capable of obliterating its shores with its feral
powers. However, with the strength of the bridge, modern humans were able to
connect the two sides of the powerful river across which no birds flew or boats
crossed while it was swollen and wild with water. Consumed by a proud feeling, the
narrator explains the cause of his joy. The poet experiences elation or joy at being so
high while standing on the bridge. The kingfisher and sparrows the poet had seen
during his childhood only attained this height. The narrator is in awe of the ability of
the human being to construct such a powerful symbol of victory over nature. However,
this proud feeling is short-lived. Soon the narrator's gaze falls upon the countryside,
the "Gramalakshmi", which is receding into oblivion.
He states that the village is his playmate from childhood. Acknowledging the
quickly receding features of the village and its nearing collapse, the poet goes on
invoking the lost beauty of the rural countryside. The narrator contrasts these elegant
features with the stark reality of modern urbanization. To achieve this effect the poet
paints a village where soot, cement, and steel overwhelm the flowery innocence of the
village. The night is robbed of its silence and the day is usurped by the fast-moving
life of urban individuals.
 The narrator is saddened by the thought of flowers, trees, and traditional 'kavus'
going extinct. He wonders if the river would one day turn into a reeking drain. His
village used to be a quiet place, full of beauty. Now, it has become noisy with all the
vehicles and became less attractive with its paddy fields and flowering meadows
going extinct. The gradual loss of the village to the usurping modernization pains the
narrator.
There is a shortage of space as walls are erected everywhere. Days and nights
are noisy with vehicles and people fighting with each other. Strangers have started
residing in the neighbourhoods. Conflicts between strangers are on the rise.
Neighbours are no longer familiar with each other. They have become total strangers
to each other.
The narrator also shares his concerns regarding the river Perar. The fathomless
depths such as Malloorkkayam shall no longer be fathomless. The deity of Malloor
may soon be a wayside deity. The grandeur of Anthimahakalan Kunnu shall also be
lost as an aftermath of the mindless urbanization. The poet invokes the image of a
child robot while describing the bleak future of Anthimahakalan Kunnu. He says that
the hill may seem like a spinning top hurled by a quick-tempered child robot. The
poet suggests a post-humanist scenario of a culture where human beings are turning
into machines and their sensibilities are lost.
Major collections of poetry written by Edasseri are Alakaavali (1940),
Puthankalavum Arivaalum (1951), Karutha Chettichikal (1955), etc. "The
Kuttippuram Bridge" is taken from Karutha Chettichikal (1955). This poem was first
published in Mathrubhumi Weekly in 1954. His major plays are Koottukrishi (1950),
Ennichutta Appam (1957) etc. Edasseri's poem "The Kuttippuram Bridge" offers an
unsettling view into the changes brought by urbanization.

Appreaciation

The Kuttippuram Bridge” is a poem written by the eminent Malayalam poet

and playwright Edasseri Govindan Nair, and translated to English by A J
Thomas. Popularly known as Edasseri, he was concerned with the agrarian
crisis and the problems faced by the common man.

One of the most anthologised of his poems, “The Kuttippuram Bridge”

(“Kuttippuram Paalam”) was originally published in the Mathrubhumi weekly in
1954, and was later included in his collection of poems Karutha Chettichikal
(1955).

The poem, which was written in the wake of the construction of a bridge
across the River Nila, is an expression of the poet’s anxiety and uncertainty
about the process of modernisation that is slowly invading the rural world
around the poet. The bridge here symbolizes modernity.
The poet is nostalgic about a pre-industrialized agrarian past when everyone
was living in tune with the nature, around the banks of Nila/Perar. However,
as urbanization encroached upon the villages, people are alienated from
nature. This idea can be seen in the lines describing the past in which the
poet used to play poothankol whereas at present the poet stands still with his
eyes fixed on the river below.

In the first few stanzas of the poem, the poet tells us the construction of the
bridge, and the proud feeling he has upon the human achievement. In the
fourth stanza, he expresses the fear he has about the riverbank that it maybe
washed away. In the subsequent stanzas, he reminiscences his childhood, of
growing up in the riverbank, the playmate, i.e. the river. He worries that all that
constituted the village life, the river, the kavu, the pipal tree, songs of the
ploughman, everything will be destroyed by the advances of urbanization. In
the last few stanzas of the poem, the poet warns the results of urbanization
and how it is going to affect the life of the people.

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In the final stanza of the poem, the visionary poet laments the state of human
beings in the future as,

“Man is full of play, tears, and laughter.

If he turns into a machine,

O Mother Perar, would you also turn
Into a grieving, reeking drain?”