I.
Question 1.
What are the things the wind does in the first stanza?
Answer:
In the first stanza, the wind breaks the shutters of the windows, scatters the papers and throws down the books off the shelf.

Question 2.
Have you seen anybody winnow grain at home or in a paddy field? What is the word in your language for winnowing? What do people use for winnowing? (Give the words in your language, if you know them.)
Answer:
Winnowing grain used to be one of the common scenes in villages where women used to assemble and separate chaff from grain. They used to sing and enjoy the activity. It has now been replaced by machines and the scene is now rare. I have seen the farmers winnowing grain in the paddy field. ‘Pachchorana’ is the word in my language used for winnowing. People use chhaaj for winnowing, i.e. separating chaff from grain with the help of the wind.

Question 3.
What does the poet say the wind god winnows?
Answer:
The wind god winnows crumbling houses, crumbling doors, rafters, wood, weak bodies and crumbling hearts.

Question 4.
What should we do to make friends with the wind?
Answer:
The wind makes fun of the weak. It teases them only. If we want to make friends with the wind, we should make ourselves physically and mentally strong. We should make our houses stronger. Then the wind will become our friend.

Question 5.
What do the last four lines of the poem mean to you?
Answer:
In the last four lines, the poet inspires us to face the wind, which symbolises the hardships of our lives, courageously. He tells us that the wind can only extinguish the weak fires; it intensifies the stronger ones. Similarly, adversities deter the weak-hearted but make stronger those who have unfaltering will. In such a case, befriending the wind or the hardships of life makes it easier for us to face them.

Question 6.
How does the poet speak to the wind — in anger or with humour? You must also have seen or heard of the wind “crumbling lives”. What is your response to this? Is it like the poet’s?
Answer:
The poet speaks to the wind in anger. He highlights the destructive nature of the wind. He is angry when he finds the wind crumbling lives. He is unhappy when he notices that the wind is friendly with the strong ones and teases the weaklings. Yes, I have seen the wind crumbling lives. When it turns into a storm, it can blow big trees, houses and everything else. My response is similar to that of the poet.

II.

Question 1.
The poem you have just read is originally in the Tamil. Do you know any such poems in your language?
Answer:
Yes, I have read another poem on wind. It is titled ‘Toofan’ and was originally written in Hindi by Naresh Aggarwal.