Critically discuss the poem “The
Harp of India”.
Answer: This is one of the most iconic poems of Derozio. In the first glance it might be just read as any other fourteen line poem, but the inclusion of the words 'Harp' and 'India' stimulate us to delve deeper into the contents of the poem. 'Harp' is a musical instrument mostly endemic to Ireland in the past two or three centuries, so how does it relate with a colonised country (in Derozio's time) like India? Also, the inclusion of the word 'India' as a seemingly separate independent unit in pre-independent era is indicative of much more than what is visible or apparently comprehensible. It also must be taken into account here that Derozio was of Indo-Portuguese origin, and the usage of 'India' in such a prominent manner can only indicate that not only did Derozio take India as his home country but was also concerned about the shackled state of India under the dominion of the British and along with it the hope that the music of India be restored and her dignity and glory be strung again.
In India, the 'Harp' was the first musical instrument played by the Tamil people around 200 BC, as documented by the Sangam Literature. Bearing this strain of thought we might also relate that Derozio has used 'Harp' as a means to portray the rich and varied culture and traditions that India possessed and which were now being supressed by the British raj. The poet seems to echo the reverberations likewise in the 3rd line, "Thy music once was sweet - who hears it now?", implying that the rule of the British was actually a foil to India's own native heritage and the rhythm and music of such a rich tradition has been subdued if not completely erased.
There can be other speculations as to why Derozio has used 'Harp' and not any other instrument in its place. Bengal itself had a very interesting 'harp' culture in its past. There are numerous instances of carved harps in the temple reliefs of Bengal dating back to before A.D. 500, but then the questions as to whether Derozio was privy about this or not. This is left to speculation itself.
