Father
Returning Home by Dilip Chitre
📖 About the Poet: Dilip Chitre (1938–2009)
- A bilingual poet, translator, and filmmaker
from Maharashtra.
- Wrote in Marathi and English.
- Known for exploring urban alienation, loss of
identity, and human isolation.
- His poetry often reflects the clash between modernity
and tradition in post-colonial India.
- “Father Returning Home” is taken from his collection Travelling
in a Cage (1980).
🌇 Summary of the Poem
“Father Returning Home”
describes the lonely and monotonous life of an aging father who travels
home daily on a late train. The poem portrays his physical exhaustion
and emotional alienation.
In the first stanza, the
father is depicted traveling among silent commuters, weary and unnoticed, with
his clothes wet and muddy, symbolizing his dull and worn-out existence.
In the second stanza, after
reaching home, he eats stale food, reads a book, and reflects on human alienation.
His children ignore him, deepening his loneliness. He finally goes to sleep,
dreaming of his roots — his ancestors — and future generations, linking past
and present, tradition and change.
Text of the Poem:
My father travels on the late
evening train
Standing among silent commuters in the yellow light.
Suburbs slide past his unseeing eyes.
His shirt and pants are soggy and his black raincoat
Stained with mud and his bag stuffed with books
Is falling apart. His eyes dimmed by age
Fade homeward through the humid monsoon night.
Now I can see him getting off the train
Like a word dropped from a long sentence.
He hurries across the length of the
grey platform,
Crosses the railway line, enters the lane,
His chappals are sticky with mud, but he hurries onward.
Home again, I see him drinking weak tea,
Eating a stale chapati, reading a book.
He goes into the toilet to contemplate
Man’s estrangement from a man-made world.
Coming out, he trembles at the sink,
The cold water running over his brown hands,
A few droplets cling to the greying hair on his wrists.
His sullen children have often refused to share
Jokes and secrets with him. He will now go to sleep
Listening to the static on the radio, dreaming
Of his ancestors and grandchildren, thinking
Of nomads entering a subcontinent through a narrow pass.
🪞
Paraphrase (Line-by-Line Explanation)
Stanza 1:
- The father travels daily by train in the evening,
surrounded by other silent passengers.
- The passing suburbs mean nothing to him; he is lost in
thought.
- His clothes are muddy and wet from the rain, and his
bag is old and torn — symbols of his tired life.
- His dim eyes suggest aging and weariness as he heads
home through the humid night.
- He gets off the train “like a word dropped from a long
sentence” — an image of insignificance and disconnection.
Stanza 2:
- He walks across the platform and lane, his slippers
sticky with mud, hurrying home.
- Once there, he drinks weak tea, eats leftover chapati,
and reads a book in silence.
- In the bathroom, he contemplates how humans have become
estranged from the modern, artificial world.
- His trembling hands and grey hair show old age and
fragility.
- His children ignore him; he finds no emotional
connection at home.
- He goes to bed listening to static on the radio — a
symbol of emptiness and loneliness — and dreams of his ancestors
and descendants, perhaps seeking belonging and continuity.
🎠Themes
- Isolation and Alienation:
The father is emotionally disconnected from family and society. - Modern Urban Life:
Depicts the dull, mechanical routine of city living. - Aging and Decay:
The poem explores physical decline and emotional emptiness. - Family Disconnection:
The father’s relationship with his children lacks warmth. - Search for Identity and Belonging:
His dreams of ancestors and grandchildren show a longing for connection across time. - Estrangement from Nature:
The “man-made world” isolates man from natural harmony.
💬 Poetic Devices
|
Device |
Example |
Explanation |
|
Imagery |
“soggy shirt and pants”, “grey
platform”, “brown hands” |
Vivid description creates realism. |
|
Simile |
“Like a word dropped from a long
sentence” |
Shows his insignificance and
detachment. |
|
Alliteration |
“Suburbs slide”, “brown hands” |
Adds rhythm and sound effect. |
|
Symbolism |
Train – routine life; Static –
loneliness; Mud – hardship |
Deepens meaning. |
|
Enjambment |
Continuous flow of thoughts
without punctuation |
Reflects the monotony of his life. |
|
Contrast |
Past (ancestors) vs Present
(alienation) |
Highlights disconnection and
continuity. |
|
Tone |
Somber, reflective, melancholic |
Evokes empathy for the father. |
ðŸ§
Critical Appreciation / Analysis
- The poem is a moving portrayal of the loneliness of
an ordinary man lost in the mechanical world of urban life.
- The father is everyman—representing countless
elderly people who live unnoticed, unloved, and unappreciated.
- Chitre uses simple language but powerful imagery
to capture the poetic beauty of the mundane.
- The poem contrasts the external physical journey
(train to home) with an internal spiritual journey (search for
meaning).
- The ending links the father’s dream with the cyclical
nature of life, showing that even in alienation, man seeks continuity
and belonging.
🧾
Critics’ Views
- K. N. Daruwalla:
The poem is “a fine example of Chitre’s compassion for the ordinary man
caught in the urban trap.”
- Bruce King:
Notes Chitre’s “ability to fuse personal experience with universal
emotion.”
- Makarand Paranjape:
Observes that the poem “mirrors the alienation of the postcolonial Indian
middle class.”
Questions
🧾
Very Short Answer Type Questions
Q1. Who is the poet of “Father
Returning Home”?
Ans: Dilip Chitre.
Q2. From which collection is this
poem taken?
Ans: Travelling in a Cage (1980).
Q3. What time of the day is
described in the poem?
Ans: Late evening.
Q4. How does the father travel home?
Ans: By a late evening train.
Q5. What is the condition of the
father’s clothes?
Ans: His shirt and pants are soggy, and his black raincoat is stained
with mud.
Q6. What is the condition of his
bag?
Ans: His bag, stuffed with books, is falling apart.
Q7. What do the father’s dim eyes
suggest?
Ans: They symbolize age, weariness, and sadness.
Q8. What does the simile “like a
word dropped from a long sentence” suggest?
Ans: It shows the father’s isolation and insignificance in society.
Q9. What does the father eat and
drink after reaching home?
Ans: He drinks weak tea and eats a stale chapati.
Q10. What does the father do after
eating?
Ans: He reads a book and then goes into the toilet to think about life.
Q11. What is the father
contemplating in the toilet?
Ans: Man’s estrangement from a man-made world.
Q12. How do the children behave
towards their father?
Ans: They are indifferent and refuse to share jokes and secrets with
him.
Q13. What does the father listen to
before sleeping?
Ans: Static on the radio.
Q14. What does he dream about?
Ans: His ancestors and grandchildren, and nomads entering the
subcontinent.
Q15. What does the train symbolize?
Ans: The monotonous routine of urban life.
✍️
Short Answer Type Questions
Q1. Describe the father’s journey
home.
Ans: The father travels by a late evening train among silent commuters.
His clothes are wet and muddy, and his bag is torn. His tired eyes show his age
and disinterest in life. He walks home hurriedly through muddy lanes after
getting off the train.
Q2. What kind of life does the
father lead at home?
Ans: His life is dull, lonely, and monotonous. He drinks weak tea, eats
stale chapati, and reads alone. His children ignore him, showing emotional
alienation.
Q3. What does the poet mean by
“Man’s estrangement from a man-made world”?
Ans: The line refers to how modern people, though living in a world
built by humans, feel lonely and disconnected from each other and from nature.
Q4. How does Dilip Chitre use
imagery to portray the father?
Ans: Through vivid images — “soggy clothes,” “grey platform,” “brown
hands” — the poet paints a realistic picture of the father’s physical and
emotional exhaustion.
Q5. What do the father’s dreams
signify?
Ans: His dreams of ancestors and grandchildren symbolize a longing for
connection, belonging, and continuity of life amidst loneliness.
Q6. Explain the significance of the
title “Father Returning Home.”
Ans: The title reflects both the physical journey of the father
returning home after work and the emotional/spiritual journey of a man seeking
belonging and peace after alienation.
Q7. What do the words “silent
commuters” and “unseeing eyes” suggest?
Ans: They highlight the lack of communication, lifelessness, and
mechanical existence in modern urban life.
Q8. What is the tone of the poem?
Ans: The tone is melancholic, reflective, and compassionate.
Q9. How does the poet highlight the
theme of alienation?
Ans: The father is alienated from the world around him, his family, and
even himself. His routine, ignored presence, and lonely thoughts show the deep
sense of separation he feels.
Q10. Why does the poet compare the
father to “a word dropped from a long sentence”?
Ans: It suggests that he is insignificant, forgotten, and disconnected —
just like a word that loses meaning when isolated from a sentence.
ðŸ§
Long Answer Type Questions
Q1. Discuss the main theme of
“Father Returning Home.”
Ans:
The central theme of “Father Returning Home” is loneliness, alienation, and
disconnection in modern life. The father represents an ordinary man lost in
the mechanical routine of the city. Despite having a family, he feels emotionally
abandoned. The poem highlights how modernization and urbanization have created
distance among people. It also deals with the aging process and man’s quest for
identity in an indifferent world. Through simple language and vivid imagery,
Dilip Chitre powerfully conveys the emotional emptiness of urban existence.
Q2. Describe how Dilip Chitre
presents the image of the father in the poem.
Ans:
The father is portrayed as a tired, aging man, neglected by both society and
family. His soggy clothes, muddy raincoat, and worn-out bag symbolize struggle
and hardship. His loneliness is deepened by his children’s indifference. He
finds solace only in dreams of his ancestors and grandchildren. The poet uses
this image to represent every old man who silently endures the pain of
alienation in modern times.
Q3. “Father Returning Home is both a
physical and spiritual journey.” Explain.
Ans:
Physically, the father’s journey is from his workplace to home on a train.
Spiritually, it represents his longing to return to a place of peace and
belonging — perhaps his roots, his past, or even death. The daily commute
mirrors the endless cycle of life, while his dreams connect him to both
ancestors and future generations. Thus, his journey reflects the universal
human search for meaning and connection.
Q4. How does the poet contrast the
outer and inner worlds of the father?
Ans:
Externally, the father is part of a crowded, busy, and noisy world — trains,
commuters, city life. Internally, he is isolated and silent. The outer world is
mechanical and indifferent; the inner world is filled with sadness and
reflection. This contrast highlights the loneliness of modern man who lives
among people but feels emotionally alone.
Q5. Evaluate “Father Returning Home”
as a modern Indian poem.
Ans:
The poem is modern in theme, style, and subject. It captures the urban
Indian middle-class experience, portraying an ordinary commuter’s
alienation. The free verse form, realistic imagery, and psychological depth are
hallmarks of modern poetry. It deals with issues like generation gap, identity
crisis, and the emptiness of city life, making it a true reflection of modern
India.
Q6. How does Dilip Chitre use
symbolism in the poem?
Ans:
- Train:
The monotonous journey of life.
- Mud and rain:
Hardships and struggles of existence.
- Bag and books:
Burden of duties and knowledge.
- Static on the radio:
Emptiness and meaninglessness of life.
- Dream of ancestors:
Desire for continuity and belonging.
Through these symbols, Chitre transforms an ordinary scene into a deeply emotional human experience.
Q7. Comment on the role of the
family in the poem.
Ans:
The father’s family represents the emotional neglect of the modern household.
Though he lives with them, they do not share his feelings or experiences. His
children’s indifference intensifies his loneliness. The family, which should
provide warmth and understanding, becomes a symbol of isolation.
Q8. What message does Dilip Chitre
convey through this poem?
Ans:
Chitre’s message is that modern life has become mechanical and loveless,
causing emotional distances between people. He calls for empathy,
understanding, and emotional connection within families and society. The poem
reminds us to value our elders and acknowledge their silent struggles.
💬 Essay Type / Critical Appreciation Questions
Q1. Critically analyze the poem
“Father Returning Home.”
Ans:
“Father Returning Home” is a touching portrayal of an aging man’s alienation in
the modern world. The father symbolizes everyman — unnoticed, weary, and
emotionally detached. The poem’s power lies in its simplicity and imagery: the
soggy clothes, stale chapati, and static radio convey a world drained of
vitality. Chitre captures the loneliness that comes with modernization and the loss
of human warmth. His language is direct, free of ornamentation, yet deeply
emotional. The ending brings a spiritual dimension as the father dreams of
ancestors and grandchildren, bridging time and identity. The poem is modern,
realistic, and deeply humane — a masterpiece of compassion for the unnoticed
individual.
Q2. How does the poem reflect the
theme of alienation in urban life?
Ans:
Urban life in the poem is depicted as impersonal and mechanical. The commuters
are silent; the suburbs pass unnoticed; the father’s home offers no comfort. He
eats, reads, and sleeps alone. The imagery of static on the radio symbolizes
disconnection from both nature and human companionship. Through this, Chitre
exposes the emotional emptiness of city life and the dehumanizing effects of
modern civilization.
