Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T. S.

by Nissim Ezekiel
Summary

Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T.S.

Introduction
The poem Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa TS written by Nissim Ezekiel is a
satire on the way Indians use the English Language. As English is the
second language, there remains a lot of impact of Hindustani when
individuals try to talk in English and somehow the cultural and traditional
habits are also quite visible in their dialect. Nissim Ezekiel in this poem
narrates an incident when a woman in particular Miss Pushpa is supposed
to leave India and her colleagues have masterminded a “Goodbye Party”
for her. The narrator who is likely a man uses Babu English which is quite
interesting as he uses the Hindustani dialect and manners in it.

Summary of ‘Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T.S.’

The poem "Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T.S.” is a monologue. At the
beginning of the work, the speaker explains that Miss Pushpa is going to a
different country and states that she’s a sweet person. He explains that
the woman comes from a prominent family and gets sidetracked with his
own memories. After digressing, the speaker states the Miss Pushpa is a
popular person who is kind and always willing to help others. At the end of
the poem, the speaker asks the others at the party to give their own
speeches about the party’s honoree.

Summary of Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T.S.

Lines 1-7

Friends,
our dear sister
is departing for foreign
in two three days,
and
we are meeting today
to wish her bon voyage.
The speaker addresses the colleagues and subordinates as friends in a
party to bid goodbye to a subordinate He tells them that their dear sister,
Miss Pushpa is leaving for a foreign country and they all wish her happy
journey.

Lines 8-14

You are all knowing, friends,

What sweetness is in Miss Pushpa.
I don’t mean only external sweetness
but internal sweetness.
Miss Pushpa is smiling and smiling
even for no reason but simply because
she is feeling.

In these lines the speaker reminds the friends of Miss Pushpa’s sweetness
which is both internal and external. He tells of Miss Pushpa’s good and
amicable nature. She always puts on a smiling face. It is obvious that
Nissim Ezekiel is ridiculing the habitual use of the continuous tense even
where it is ungrammatical and inappropriate.

Lines 15-19

Miss Pushpa is coming

from very high family.
Her father was renowned advocate
in Bulsar or Surat,
I am not remembering now which place.

The speaker continues his address at the Goodbye Party and tells the
audience that Miss Pushpa belongs to rich family. Her father was a famous
advocate in Bulsar and Surat but he does not remember the correct place.

Lines 20-25

Surat? Ah, yes,

once only I stayed in Surat
with family members
of my uncle’s very old friend-
his wife was cooking nicely…
that was long time ago.
In these lines the fun is made of the wayward mind of the speaker who
forgets the occasion and starts talking about his days in Surat with the
family of his uncle’s old friend. The speaker is informed by someone in
audience that the place was Surat and he remembers and talks about his
experience in Surat. The speaker’s digression to Miss Pushpa’s father, and
hanging on it, the speaker’s connection to Surat and then to his/her
uncle’s very old friend and his wife there—are typical of the unprepared,
spontaneous speech, characteristic of many Indians who lack propriety in
such grave formal functions.

Lines 26-28

Coming back to Miss Pushpa

she is most popular lady
with men also and ladies also.

After diversion from topic of his speech, the speaker goes back to Miss
Pushpa. He says that she is very popular with both men and women. It is
obvious in the lines that Nissim Ezekiel is ridiculing the amusing,
ungrammatical speech of Indians and their sentimental, exaggerated way
of speaking.

Lines 29-34

Whenever I asked her to do anything,

she was saying, ‘Just now only
I will do it.’ That is showing
good spirit. I am always
appreciating the good spirit.
Pushpa Miss is never saying no.

Praising his subordinate, Miss Pushpa, the speaker goes ahead and praises
her good nature. She would never say no to the work assigned to her. This
shows that she has a good spirit and her readiness to do any work. She is a
willing worker. The unnecessary use of ‘just’ and ‘only’ exhibits the
speaker’s ignorance of the usage of English words, creating laughter and
fun.

Lines 35-42

Whatever I or anybody is asking

she is always saying yes,
and today she is going
to improve her prospect
and we are wishing her bon voyage.
Now I ask other speakers to speak
and afterwards Miss Pushpa
will do summing up.

In the concluding lines, the speaker says that she was always ready to help
whenever asked by him or any other colleague. Today the speaker and the
other colleagues have gatherd to wish her happy journey as she is going
abroad to improve her prospects. After this speech is over, the speaker
asks other speakers to speak and says that Miss Pushpa will sum up, after
the colleagues’ speech.

Miss. Pushpa is portrayed as a satisfying identity. Towards the start of the

poem, the speaker clarifies that Miss Pushpa is heading off to another
nation and states that she is a sweet individual. He clarifies that the lady
originates from a conspicuous family and gets diverted his own particular
recollections.

Amidst the poem the poet discusses Miss Pushpa`s dad and his activity
appears as immaterial and comprises of parcel of redirection from
thoughts. The tone of the poem is hilarious however mocking is destitute.
The speaker calls her as sister and demonstrates that she is in respectable
position in office.

From this poem, it is clear that she is excellent both internally and
externally in appearance and attitude. There is an absence of clearness in
this poem in view of insignificant points of interest yet the poet talks about
the Indian English with clarity. Subsequent to straying, the speaker
expresses that Miss Pushpa is a well-known individual who is thoughtful
and continually eager to help other people. He then tells that she comes
from a reputed family. Her father is a renowned advocate. The narrator
doesn’t remember the place and guesses that it could be Bulsar or Surat.

He then starts talking about himself. According to him long ago he had
stayed in Surat with his Uncle’s friends’ family. His wife used to cook very
delicious food.

Toward the end of the poem, the speaker asks the others at the gathering
to give their own particular sppeches about the gathering’s honoree. The
poem is considered as mellow assault on Indian English Speakers. The
poem may be straightforward one yet it talks about a genuine subject. The
author uncovers the befuddle between Indian musings and English culture.
The artist utilizes Pidgin or Colloquial English as it satisfies the requirement
for an exceptional dialect in a bilingual circumstance and the artist could
likewise mirror the idiolect highlights of English utilized by the speakers of
various local dialects.

The poem starts with present continuous tense as to the ridiculing of

Indian Speakers, which can be seen throughout the poem. The poem
additionally alludes to sensational incongruity if the peruser deduces that
the speaker’s gathering of people at the goodbye party doesn’t realize that
his English is linguistically wrong.

The artist ridicules the manner by which semi-taught Indians talk or

compose the English dialect. He disparages the blunders in sentence
structure, linguistic structure and expressions which numerous Indians
confer while communicating in English. The poem is very interesting and
the writer impersonates the Indian method for communicating in English
with such a significant number of deficiencies.

Themes
Human Foibles
The principle theme in the “Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T.S.” isn’t the
loss of a companion – it’s human foibles, or character faults. As indicated
by Dominic, this is a prominent theme among Ezekiel’s works. The sonnet
offers a satirical take a gander at how some individuals in India speak
English, a gadget that the poet presumably used to get an Indian peruser
to giggle at himself. The sonnet misuses the present continuous tense and
uses turns of phrases and syntax found in the Indian dialect, similar to
when Ezekiel writes, “Whatever I or anyone is asking/She is always saying
yes.” The lyric also hints at dramatic incongruity if the peruser infers that
the speaker’s crowd at the goodbye party doesn’t realize that his English is
grammatically incorrect.

Satire on Indian English

Ezekiel satirizes the way in which Indians speak in English through this
poem. This is noticeable in the use of present continuous tense where
simple present tense should be the norm. Ezekiel is masterful in observing
these peculiarities of Indian English and transferring them effortlessly into
his poetry. They make his poems humorous and enjoyable to read.

Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T. S. Literary Analysis

•
o Goodbye Party For Miss Pushpa T.S is a satirical poem by
Nissim Ezekiel.
o Nissim Ezekiel satirizes certain Indian customs, traditions and
manners in the poem Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T.S.
o It is in the form of dramatic monologue.
o The poem is in free verse, typical of modern poetry.
o The speaker stands for every speaker in Indian context.
o He uses free and broken language to share the views and
emotions.
o The poet mocks at literal translation. For example “two three
days”, is the literal translation of a vernacular expression.
Another example of literal translation, “with men also and
ladies also”, is an unacceptable collocation used in literal
translation of a vernacular expression.
o Another way of unfolding parody is the way of not using
indefinite articles. For example “very high family”,” renowned
advocate”, there is the absence of the indefinite article “a”.
The phrase should be like “a very high family”, “a renowned
advocate”. Miss Pushpa is laughed at and laughs at all the
people.
o “Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T. S.” is a social satire on
speech which is delivered on an occasion when all praise the
good natured, helpful and sacrificial attitude, and leadership
qualities etc. of the person.
o He describes the internal as well as the external beauty of
Miss Pushpa in “Babu Angrezi”.
o Nissim Ezekiel has not given a definite identity of the speaker.
We do not know whether it is male of female speaker.
o Nissim Ezekiel by hiding the identity of the speaker renders
the mistakes to every Indian in general.
To conclude the poem is a parody of an Indian speech. It is a
satirical of the manners of Indian educated people. The whole
poem is comic in nature. The speaker’s words make us laugh.
 The parody includes irony, vague speech, and literal
translation, the use of present progressive tense and Babu
English in the poem.

The Use of Language in the Poem:

The poem right from its first stanza makes fun at the way we speak
English. In the first stanza the speaker says that Miss Pushpa will depart in
“two three days” instead of “two or three days.”

Instead of saying that Miss Pushpa is kindhearted and gentle woman the
speaker says that she is sweet both ‘internal’ and ‘external’. In the same
stanza the speaker instead of saying that Miss Pushpa is a pleasant looking
woman he says that she is “smiling and smiling even for no reason.”

While giving her family background the speaker says that she come from a
‘high family’ for saying ‘rich family’. The speaker’s deviation while talking
about Surat shows the Indianism. He remembers his past, when he went
to Surat to stay with one of his uncle’s friend.

“Just now only I will do”, is again a mistake committed by the speaker,
when he attempts to say that Miss Pushpa would do things within
minutes.

Babu English
Ezekiel wrote many of his works, including "Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa
T.S.,” in the dialect of urban Indians, particularly those in Bombay, according to
Dominic. This dialect is called “Babu English.” Originally, the colonial British
used the word “babu” as a derogatory term when referring to subordinate
Indians who spoke English as a second language, according to The Hindu
website. A “Babu” was a person who tried to impress a British master using
stylish ornamentation, as the way that he expressed a message was more
important than information relayed.

Human Foibles
The main theme in the "Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T.S.” isn’t the loss of a
friend -- it’s human foibles, or character faults. According to Dominic, this is a
popular theme among Ezekiel’s works. The poem offers a satirical look at how
some people in India speak English, a device that the poet presumably used to
get an Indian reader to laugh at himself. The poem misuses the present
continuous tense and uses turns of phrases and syntax found in the Indian
language, like when Ezekiel writes, “Whatever I or anybody is asking/ She is
always saying yes.” The poem also hints at dramatic irony if the reader infers
that the speaker’s audience at the farewell party doesn’t know that his English
is grammatically incorrect.

Analysis
This is one of Ezekiel's most famous poems, both because of its subject matter
and the way in which it was written. There are two abundant sources of humor
in this poem: Ezekiel's use of Indian English and the character of the speaker,
who seems to be lacking certain public speaking skills. Ezekiel uses a type of
register and style of speaking that many people in India use when speaking
English, particularly when English is their second language. This type of English
deviates from standard English, but it is spoken by a large number of Indians,
the number of which is still on the rise. Ezekiel's use of this English
demonstrates his commitment to the everyday as a poet—he relays a
relatively ordinary bit of speech, exactly as he imagines it would sound.
Additionally, this realism adds a bit of humor to the overall message of the
poem, since the ability to speak English is a huge marker of status in India and
the characters in this poem struggle with the language without even seeming
to notice. For those with a keen eye, the ability to speak English indicates social
status faster than many other markers, such as material wealth, titles, or
names. The speaker makes several mistakes that are humorous for a speaker
more familiar with standard English (for example, a person from the United
States or Britain), including calling Miss Puspa "sweet" on the inside and
outside, and saying that she is popular among the men and the women.

The character of the speaker himself also strives for humor. From these short
few stanzas alone, it is evident that he is a jovial character who uplifts the
poem into something positive and humorous. Additionally, his apparent lack of
public speaking skills—his tangent about Surat in which he gets too involved in
himself and his note at the end of the speech of who will talk next—allow for
humor as the reader imagines what it would be like to be in attendance. The
speaker's narrative style is also representative of the everyday—he is not given
a lofty or magical ability to speak and instead speaks like someone the reader
might have heard in person. Furthermore, English does communicate a certain
social superiority which the narrator is attempting to flaunt through his usage
of "bon voyage," his tangent about his travels, and his mention of Miss
Pushpa's social class. Thus, readers come to realize that the speaker is
flaunting a certain social superiority during his speech, which is discordant with
the way he speaks.

Ezekiel uses both of these elements—the use of Indian English and the
speaker—to wryly comment on postcolonial India's fascination with going
abroad. Irshad Gulam Ahmed expands on this idea in "Nissim Ezekiel's Critical
Nationalism and the Question of Indian English": "This is the yet-to-be
decolonized Indian psyche that the poet seeks to foreground. Thus Ezekiel's
critical nationalism manifests itself in the expression of a new kind of outlook
on the very notion of colonialism which consists not so much in the use of the
English language in its unaltered or undistorted form but in the perpetuation of
a colonized psyche, a colonial mindset still persisting in the colonial era." In
other words, Ezekiel uses this poem to parody the Indian fixation on going
abroad in the hopes that it will "improve [their] prospect" (38).

Ezekiel's commitment to the everyday and the ordinary is, ironically, a bit risky
in the poetic sense. For example, the speaker's tangent about Surat runs the
risk of being boring or off-putting for the reader. However, Ezekiel's careful
modulation of the speaker's voice prevents it from becoming either truly
boring or overly parodic, masterfully conveying a complex and ultimately
sympathetic portrait of the speaker's character.

Formally, "Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T.S." is in line with a lot of Ezekiel's
later work. It is in free verse, which means that it does not have a specific
rhyme scheme or meter. However, Ezekiel does endow the poem with
musicality through line breaks and punctuation. Ezekiel also is unafraid of
colloquial language in this poem, as is the case for many of his poems in which
he satirizes Indian culture. Colloquial language allows for humor in a way that
stuffy or obviously written language would struggle. Finally, there is a lack of
capitals at the beginning of every line, which shows a conscious decision on
Ezekiel's part to keep this poem colloquial and easy to read.