Soft
Storm 
Abhi Subedi (1945)
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About the author
· A prolific poet, playwright, and critic, Subedi has remained one of the eminent personalities in the field of literature in Nepal.
· Born in Sabla village of Terhathum district, Subedi has written several plays including Dreams of Peach Blossoms (2001) and Fire in the Monastery (2003).
· Subedi, who taught at the at the Central Department of English, Tribhuvan University, for 40 years, has poetry collections like Manas (1974) and Chasing Dreams: Kathmandu Odyssey (1996) and Shabdara Chot (1997) to his credit.
About the poem
In the present poem entitled “Soft Storm”, Subedi, with a touch of compassion, contemplates over the absurdities of tumultuous times. He portrays dreadful picture of Kathmandu city coloured by violence and social disorders.
Summary of the poem
The poem entitled ‘Soft storm’ written by a prolific poet, playwright and critic Abhi Subedi portrays dreadful picture of Kathmandu city coloured by violence and human misery. He contemplates over absurdities of tumultuous times. It reveals the terrible effect of human senselessness on the life of common people with special characteristics and also on the ecosystem.
The poet deliberately uses word ‘soft’ with the words like ‘storm’ and ‘gale’ seemingly unmatched, but it makes sense when the readers come to know his real motive. He reveals prevalent violence and disorders in the city. To his surprise, no authorities pay attention to the ongoing violence. Some people are being beaten mercilessly with no reason, homeless children and orphans are wailing for finding their relatives or for some sort of support or comfort. But their voices remain unheard of. The poet also draws references to discuss natural imbalance caused by human selfishness.
The poet calls the present time as ‘mad time’ and ‘hard times’ to refer to the time when helpless and innocent are suffered much. The poet shows his deep sympathy to the victim of violence and feels angry but can do nothing except writing this poem. Therefore, the poet prefers creative aspect of the absurdity of the situation. He wants to melt like a rainbow in the hard times meaning preserving social orders through creative deeds. Becoming soft storm indicates finding logical conclusion of the ongoing disorders. This poem itself is a collection of his experiences concerning dehumanization taking place in Kathmandu city including his motive to resolve the situation with creativity and logic.
Understanding the text
Answer the following questions
a. When does the speaker grow soft? Enlist the occasions when he grows soft.
The speaker grows soft in the following occasions:
· after he hears tumult and crashes on the eerie stillness
· as the softness rises like a gale
· when homeless children in Thamel cries with hunger under the bat-bearing trees
· when he returns from the melee
· when he sees a forlorn child wailing to find his mother
· when sees a man beaten mercilessly
· when he sees a blood-stained shirt speaking in the earth ears with bruised human lips
· when the moon sings of lampposts and gutters
· when the sky grows like crocuses
· when moon skids down the walls
· when voice of needy ones is unheard of
b. What do you understand by ‘this seamless city’?
‘This seamless city’ refers to Kathmandu city where the concerned authorities are indifferent to prevailing disorders and social evils. There is no interruption for ongoing violence, vandalism and illegal deeds. This is the city of suffocation and human misery.
c. Describe the poor children portrayed in the poem.
The poet sees a forlorn child carrying transistor radio around his neck. He is running around wailing to find his mother in the corridors of violent history. This may be an abandoned child or an orphan. Similarly, the poet also talks about homeless children in Thamel crying with hunger under the bat-bearing tress of Kesharmahal. To conclude, the poem portrays miserable condition of the children.
d. What do you understand by the ‘the unwedded gardens of history’?
‘The unwedded gardens of history’ indicates inhabitants’ carelessness and ignorance of the beauty of Kathmandu valley. Kathmandu is as beautiful as gardens by its history but the city dwellers can’t decorate it with civilization and social order. It is a garden in the sense that various ethnic groups are flourishing like the flowers of various kinds.
e. Why was the forlorn child wailing?
The forlorn child was wailing because he was missed, abandoned or made orphan. He was running around to find his mother. He was carrying transistor radio around his neck.
f. What do you understand by ‘soft storm’?
‘’Soft storm’ means hidden anger or an attempt to control oneself for the sake of the peace or to avoid further violence. The poet becomes soft storm when he sees a man being beaten mercilessly in front of his family members for no reason. This means that scene makes him furious but he doesn’t reveal it.
g. Why does the speaker call our time ‘mad time’?
The speaker calls our time ‘mad time’ meaning the age of stormy history. In our time, humans are at their worst. They are selfish, greedy, corrupt and senseless. To our surprise, rhododendron blooms in winter. This means the pollution and exploitation of resources has bad effect in nature. To conclude, humans of our time, are uncivilized and unaware of potential danger.
h. What does the speaker want to do in “hard times”?
He wants to melt like a rainbow in hard times meaning he intends to reform the tumultuous societies. He wants to embellish the mad time with wisdom, creativity and humanity. A rainbow is a unison of seven colours. It indicates the society without tension among people. Thus, a rainbow symbolizes unity of people living in peace and harmony.
References to the context
a. The poet uses the word ‘soft’ with the words like ‘storm’ and ‘gale’, which generally refer to disorder and violence. What effect does the poet achieve through the use of such anomalous expressions?
The poet uses the word ‘soft’ with the words like ‘storm’ and ‘gale’ which generally refer to disorder and violence. The poet achieves a terrible effect through the use of such anomalous expressions. He sees human sufferings in Kathmandu city and the concerned authorities’ indifference towards the human misery, so the poet uses the word ‘soft’ with the words like ‘storm’ and ‘gale’ to refer to his angry expression dissatisfaction to it.
He observes inhuman activities in Kathmandu city. He becomes restless and feels angry with such social disorder and prevailing violence, but he can do nothing. Therefore, he uses the word ‘soft’ with the words like ‘storm’ and ‘gale’ to refer to his rebellious feeling towards the social evils prevalent in the city. He calls the city as ‘this seamless city’ to indicate restlessness, irregularities and disorder in Kathmandu. He seems terribly irritated with the situation in the city.
b. What is the speaker’s attitude towards the time he describes in the poem?
The speaker’s attitude towards the time he describes in the poem is negative. He calls it ‘mad time’ and ‘hard times meaning the time when people are facing various problems. The time described in the poem indicates age of inconsistency and human misery. There is no interruption for wrong doers. People are being beaten with no reasons, homeless children and orphan are neglected. They are climbing the corridors of violent history. This is the time when nature also giving warning for humanity by showing unusual responses like rhododendron blooming in the winter.
To conclude, the speaker’s attitude to the time described in the poem is not positive in the sense that the speaker attempts to show the humans at their worst. But the speaker is still hopeful to bring change in the situation since he says he wants to melt like a rainbow.
c. What is the speaker like? Is he a rebel? Why? Why not?
The speaker is like a rebel because he says that he becomes soft while witnessing inhuman activities. This means what he witnesses, makes him aggressive but he hardly controls himself. He doesn’t react by words and actions immediately, but he transforms his disappointment into a creative deed, i.e., the creation of this poem. This poem itself is his angry expression to the mad time. He revolts against the carelessness and indifference of the concerned authorities who are responsible of preserving law and order in the society, especially in Kathmandu city.
d. Explain the stanza below in your own words:
I became soft
when I saw
a blood-stained shirt
speaking in the earth’s ears
with bruised human lips
in the far corner
under the moon
of history and dreams
playing hide and seek
in open museums
of human times.
In this stanza, the speaker describes a scene in which he sees a blood-stained shirt that is speaking to the earth through bruised human lips in a far corner, under the moon. The speaker describes the shirt as speaking to the earth's ears, which could suggest that it is telling a terrible story of dehumanization. The speaker also mentions that the moon is "of history and dreams," implying that the scene is somehow connected to the past and to the speaker's imagination or aspirations.
The stanza ends with the mention of "open museums of human times," which could suggest that the scene is a manifestation of the collective experiences and history of humanity. Overall, the stanza seems to be describing a powerful and emotionally charged moment in which the speaker is moved by the sight of human misery and urgency of actions for positive change.
Reference beyond the text
a. Write an essay, highlighting your dissatisfaction towards social, cultural, economic and political issues prevailing in Nepal at present.
Nepal is a small, but beautiful landlocked country located in South Asia, between India and China. Despite being a country with a rich cultural heritage and natural beauty, Nepal is facing a number of social, cultural, economic, and political issues that are causing widespread dissatisfaction among the people.
One of the major social issues in Nepal is the widespread poverty that affects a large percentage of the population. According to the World Bank, almost a third of the population in Nepal lives below the poverty line, with many struggling to afford basic necessities such as food, shelter, and education. This poverty is largely due to the lack of economic opportunities and the lack of access to basic services such as healthcare and education.
Another social issue in Nepal is the discrimination and inequality faced by certain groups of people, particularly women and marginalized communities. Despite laws that prohibit discrimination based on gender, caste, and ethnicity, these practices are still prevalent in Nepal, and women and marginalized communities often face discrimination in education, employment, and other areas of life.
Cultural issues also play a role in the dissatisfaction that many people in Nepal feel. The country has a diverse mix of cultures, with over 100 different ethnic groups and spoken languages. However, certain cultures and traditions are often given preference over others, leading to feelings of marginalization among some groups.
On the economic front, Nepal is facing a number of challenges. The country has a large informal sector, which makes it difficult to collect taxes and generate revenue. As a result, the government has limited resources to invest in infrastructure, education, and other areas that are essential for the development of the country. Additionally, Nepal is heavily reliant on agriculture, which makes the economy vulnerable to fluctuations in weather and commodity prices.
Finally, there are also political issues that are causing widespread dissatisfaction in Nepal. The country has a history of political instability, with frequent changes in government and a lack of effective leadership. This has led to a lack of progress on important issues such as economic development, corruption, and social justice. This also has encouraged vandalism and human trafficking. The state has not achieved much to prevent theft, robbery and other social evils like murder, rape and kidnapping for financial gain.
In conclusion, Nepal is facing a number of social, cultural, economic, and political issues that are causing widespread dissatisfaction among the people. To address these issues, it is important for the government and other stakeholders to work together to create policies and programs that address the root causes of these problems and ensure that all people in Nepal, have the opportunity to live fulfilling and productive lives.
b. Suppose you are a rebel, who wants to change the society by eliminating malpractices and anomalies prevailing in the society. Draft a speech outlining your vision for change.
Dear fellow rebels,
I stand before you today with a vision for change. A change that will sweep away the malpractices and anomalies that have plagued our society for far too long. As rebels, we have a duty to fight for what is right, to stand up against injustice, and to demand a better future for ourselves and for future generations. We cannot sit idly by while the powerful and the corrupt continue to exploit and oppress the weak and the marginalized.
We must be the catalyst for change, the ones who lead the way towards a brighter and more equitable future. And we must do this not just through words, but through actions that show the world that we mean business. So, what is my vision for change? It is a society where every person is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, or social status. It is a society where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential, to live a healthy and fulfilling life, and to pursue their dreams.
To achieve this vision, we must work together to eliminate the systems and structures that keep people trapped in poverty, discrimination, and injustice.
We must demand transparency and accountability from our leaders, and we must hold them accountable when they fail to live up to their promises. We must also work to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy, one that serves the needs of all people and protects the natural environment. This means supporting small businesses, investing in education and training, and creating good jobs that pay fair wages.
We must demand peace and security of all sorts of people in the society. Orphans and homeless should be taken into consideration, and no one should be beaten under any circumstances. We must fight for liberation, equality and freedom. Our society must be led by law and order, guided by reason.
Finally, we must recognize that change does not happen overnight, and that it requires patience, persistence, and perseverance. We must be willing to take risks and make sacrifices, and we must support and encourage one another along the way. So let us stand together, united in our determination to create a better society. Let us be the rebels who bring about the change that we all desire and deserve. Thank you.
