Strong winds cause a lot of destruction and damage but its energy can be of great use once we make friends with it. This we can do by taking proper precautions and measures. For instance, we can build stronger homes, keeping in mind the fatalities of the wind. We can also build windmills to harness its energy that can be used to generate electricity.
The wind breaks the shutters of the windows; scatters the papers; throws down the books from the shelf; tears the pages of the books; and brings showers of rain.
Yes, I have seen women winnowing grain at home in the villages.
Winnowing is generally known as phatkna, pichorna or anaj parchana in Hindi.
The village people use the winnowing fork and more commonly, the winnowing fan, known as chhaaj in Hindi, for winnowing.
The poet says that the wind god winnows the weak crumbling houses, doors, rafters, wood, bodies, lives and hearts, and then crushes them all.
To make friends with the wind, the poet asks us to build strong homes, join the doors firmly and practice to make our bodies and hearts stronger.
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.
The poet speaks to the wind in anger.
Yes, I have witnessed stormy weather and I have seen the wind uprooting trees. I have watched on the television many instances where wind has caused destruction, crushing houses with people stuck inside.
No, my response would not be similar to the poet. Violent wind causes destruction but its energy, if harnessed, can be utilised in generating electricity and for other productive purposes.
Yes, I have read another poem on wind. It is titled ‘Toofan’ and was originally written in Hindi by Naresh Aggarwal.