To India: My Native Land by Derozio — a Patriotic Poem

Derozio is considered the first poet of Modern India to express his fiercely intense patriotism in poetry. The poem “To India, My Native Land” depicts his pure patriotism.  The poem has been identified by historians as containing some of the first written examples of Indian nationalism, with the poem extolling “patriotism and a love of freedom”.

The theme of the poem is primarily concerned with nationalism and patriotism. Derozio writes of the “past glory” of India and how the country that was once “worshipped as a deity” has been chained down to the lowest depths.

“Thy eagle pinion is chained down at last”

Derozio writes about some of the heritage of the distant past and in return hopes for a “kind wish” from the country and its people.

“My fallen country! One kind wish for thee!”

The poet, with a heart brimming with sorrow, grieves over the lamentable and nightmare scenario of present India. In the past, India had a rich cultural, spiritual and literary attribute: she was full of glory and was admired and revered all over the world. India was regarded highly by all. But now, because of her subjugation to the British imperial intentions, she has lost all her glory and grandeur. The poet then exclaims rhetorically where the glory and reverence that India enjoyed in the past have vanished.

“Where is that glory, where that reverence now?”

Derozio voices his resolution to save the country from all kinds of deprivation and deterioration. Derozio expresses his aim to spread historical consciousness among Indians. He resorts to his motherland to wish him luck. If he succeeds, he wants nothing in return from his country.  

The poem uses the image of a golden bird, thus hinting at the past glory of India as imagined by Derozio. Words such as “halo”, “deity”, “worship” elevate the nation to the imagined height and then words such as “chained”, “grovelling”, and “lowly dust” sharply contrast the current state of the country. The misery and lament of the poet invites the reader to join in his sorrow. Historians have written that Derozio was influenced by the Romantic-era poetry of Byron and Southey.

The poet is successful in his approach to create patriotic feelings. It compels to contemplate about the glorious past of the mother land, and it awakens the energy among the youth about to do something for the nation. Youth of the country must understand the imperatives of the contemporary time and should work for the large section of the society. It gives energy to understand the reality of the society. The poet says that many people became martyrs and their martyrdom should not go waste, therefore, to cherish this valuable freedom, people should follow their fundamental duties sincerely.

Thus, we find that the poem, albeit, short in length just like the life of the poet is full of significances which still hold good in our contemporary world where India is still pinioned if not by foreign forces but with our internal squabbles of petty politics, religion, casteism and poverty. (506)