Introduction of the Poem:
This is a very short extract from a much longer poem the title of which has been given above. The poet is here writing ironically about the twenty fifth anniversary of the establishment of the republic of India. The country achieved its independence in 1947; but it became a republic (with a President at the top) on the 26th January 1950.
Critical Summary:
We have a satirical passage here before us. The speaker asks if anything is wrong with his country; and he then himself points out the chief features of the Republic of India which was brought into existence twenty - five years earlier than the date of his writing this poem. The jungles of the country have become harmless because the dangerous beasts like wild elephants, tigers, and wolves have been destroyed or greatly reduced in numbers (by a senseless killing of them). The women are no longer satisfied with their servile existence. History seems to be standing still between the breasts of the college girl. (This seems to mean that the college girl has become very independent - minded and regards her breasts as an asset of which she can feel proud and of which she can legitimately make a display, instead of feeling shy about them). Then there are the stories and legends about the exploits of the Indian queens who proved to be great warriors. (The reference here may be to the Rani of Jhansi). Then there is the feeling of importance which people experience on listening to the stories of the love - affairs, mainly adulterous, about some Hindu god . These are all admirable features of this republic; the poet seems to be saying (ironically of course). And the next proof of the progress, which the country has made, is that the speaker's neighbour, a pretty girl by the name of Mina, goes about merrily, as if she were giving a performance on the beautifully decorated stage of a theatre. She hides jungles in her purse in which she also has her divorce papers and Ph.D., that is, her doctorate, as a proof of the academic research which she has done at a university.
What can be wrong with such a country? Nothing, wrong. Actually, of course, the poet is mocking at the developments in this country because nothing solid or substantial has been achieved.
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