In the bustling metropolis of Mumbai, where over 70,000 people are crammed into each square kilometer, life can feel like it’s bursting at the seams. Sampurna Chattarji’s poem “Boxes” offers a poignant glimpse into this reality, exploring the physical and emotional constraints of urban living through the lens of a woman confined to a tiny, one-room apartment.
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In this post, we’ll uncover how Sampurna Chattarji uses vivid imagery, clever wordplay, and a unique structure to paint a picture of life compressed into the smallest of spaces.
The Spatial Squeeze
From the very first stanza, Chattarji immerses us in the claustrophobic world of her subject:
Her balcony bears an orchid smuggled in a duffle bag from Singapore. It’s roots cling to air. For two hours every morning the harsh October sun turns tender at its leaves. Nine steps from door to balcony and already she is a giant insect fretting in a jar.
Sampurna Chattarji’s attention to spatial details is striking. We learn that it takes just nine steps to cross the entire living space, from door to balcony. This microscopic world is further emphasized by the image of the woman as a “giant insect fretting in a jar,” a metaphor that brilliantly captures the suffocating nature of her living situation.
The orchid, struggling to survive in its confined space, serves as a poignant symbol for the woman herself. Both are trying to put down roots in an environment that barely allows them to breathe, let alone thrive. The fact that the plant was “smuggled” in suggests a desperate attempt to bring a touch of nature and beauty into an otherwise stark and utilitarian space.
A Symphony of Sensory Overload
Chattarji doesn’t just show us this cramped world; she makes us feel it, hear it, and even smell it. The poem is a dense tapestry of sensory images that recreate the overwhelming experience of living in such close quarters:
On one side of her one-room home, a stove, where she cooks dal in an iron pan. The smell of food is good. Through the window bars the sing-song of voices high then low in steady arcs. With his back to the wall, a husband, and a giant stack of quilts, threatening to fall.
The sizzle of dal in an iron pan, the wafting aroma of food, the cacophony of voices filtering through barred windows – all these elements combine to create a sensory overload that mirrors the physical overcrowding of the space. Even the husband is reduced to just another object taking up precious room, “With his back to the wall,” alongside a precarious stack of quilts.
The City vs. Nature
Throughout the poem, Sampurna Chattarji sets up a stark contrast between the natural world and the encroaching urban landscape. The orchid on the balcony serves as a small rebellion against the concrete jungle, a reminder of a world beyond the confines of the box-like apartment. However, even this small victory is tenuous, with the plant’s roots “clinging to air,” much like the woman herself clings to whatever semblance of a life she can create in her limited space.
The final stanza drives home this conflict between nature and urban sprawl:
Every day the city grows taller, trampling underfoot students wives lovers babies. The boxes grow smaller. The sea becomes a distant memory of lashing wave and neon, siren to seven islands, once. The sky strides inland on giant stilts, unstoppable, shutting out the light.
Here, Chattarji paints a grim picture of a city that grows ever upward and outward, squeezing its inhabitants into increasingly smaller spaces. The reference to “seven islands” alludes to Mumbai’s history, reminding us that this metropolis was built by joining seven separate islands – a feat of engineering that came at the cost of natural landscapes and ecosystems.
Poetic Structure as Confinement
Chattarji’s mastery extends beyond her choice of words to the very structure of the poem. The four stanzas, each of five lines, visually resemble the boxed-in nature of the subject’s life. The lines themselves are tightly packed, with enjambment used to create a sense of overflow, as if there’s simply too much to fit into the allotted space.
The poet’s use of sound is equally clever. Alliteration, assonance, and internal rhyme create a sonic density that echoes the physical crowding described in the poem. For instance, in the line “Sleeping room only, a note on the door should have read,” the repetition of the ‘o’ sound mimics the circularity and confinement of the space.
Conclusion: A Universal Experience
While “Boxes” is firmly rooted in the specific context of Mumbai, its themes resonate far beyond the city’s borders. As urbanization continues to reshape cityscapes worldwide, the struggle to maintain individuality and dignity in increasingly confined spaces becomes a universal experience.
Chattarji’s poem serves as both a critique of unchecked urban development and a poignant reminder of the resilience of the human spirit. Despite the suffocating confines of her “box,” the woman in the poem still finds ways to assert her humanity – through the smuggled orchid, the cooking of dal, the small rituals that make a space a home.
“Boxes” challenges us to reconsider our relationship with urban spaces and to question the human cost of our ever-growing, ever-densifying cities. It’s a powerful call to create urban environments that don’t just house people, but allow them to truly live and thrive.
As we close the lid on Chattarji’s “Boxes,” we’re left with a newfound appreciation for the space we inhabit and a heightened awareness of those for whom every square inch is precious. In a world where cities continue to grow taller and boxes grow smaller, poems like this serve as crucial reminders of the humanity packed into every crowded corner.
