sameer verma asked 7 years ago
How has Sarojini Naidu described the stages of woman life through her poem The Bangle Sellers? Or, How does the poem Bangle Sellers throw light on Sarojini Naidu’s conception of Indian women? Or, Comment on the changes in the life of a woman vis-à-vis the colour of her bangles. Or, In what way does the poet link the colour and types of bangles with the ages of indian women?
In her poem The Bangle Sellers the poet Sarojini Naidu has expressed her conception of Indian women in a traditional social set up. She has presented three stages of woman life here to show the changes in the life of a woman with regard to the colour of her bangles.
In the second stanza she talks about the maiden, an unmarried girl. A maiden wears silver and blue coloured bangles like ‘mountain mist’, sometimes pink and light red bangles like the ‘flushed buds’ and sometimes her bangles are brightly glowing. She is ‘flushed like the buds that dream’ indicating her chastity and her dreaming about marriage.
The next stanza of the poem is about her transition from a maiden to a wife. It’s her ‘bridal morn’ with ‘bridal laughter and bridal tear’. In this stage, the yellow bangles like ‘fields of sunlit corn’ and red bangles like ‘the flame of her marriage fire’ are most suitable for her. This stage of a woman’s life represent the passion of a newly made relation. ‘Bridal laughter and bridal tear’ expresses all the emotions attached with this transition in a girl’s life.
Finally, it is the middle aged woman ‘who has journeyed through life midway’. She wears bangles that are ‘purple and gold flecked grey’. She has reared her children with love and care. All she is concerned with now is her household, her family. She serves those with pride, ‘worships the gods‘ together with her husband and continues to live a happy life.
Bangle sellers is the poem which symbolises the different stages of a woman. Firstly the poet is talking about the bangle sellers who carry the “load” of the bangle. Here the word load tells us that they are not happy carrying the bangles from one place to another. They carry the bangles to the temples and the fairs to sell them. Rainbow coloured and shining and lustrous bangles are for the happy daughters and wives.
Some of the bangles are meant for the maiden’s wrist, that is some colours like silver and blue are for virgin girls which symbolises the natural connections made between colours of bangles and nature of a girl. Even the pink colour like that of buds suits them. As buds are carefree and dreaming it means that girls are also carefree. They are like the tender leaves which enhances the beauty of nature.
Then it is for the brides who wear red and yellow coloured bangles. Yellow colour symbolises the fields of sunlit corn. The red shows the heart’s desire and the fire. They have a mixed feeling that is they are happy because they are starting a new life and are sad because they are leaving their home.
Next stage is the old age. Where she wears purple and grey coloured bangles. Purple symbolises success whereas grey colour depicts maturity. They are happy because they have completed their job of serving their children and husbands and is proud of her life.