Summary of My Mother at Sixty-Six
Kamala Das’s poem My Mother at Sixty-Six is a poignant portrayal of the poet’s deep love for her mother and her fear of separation due to old age and mortality. Written in a single sentence with flowing imagery, the poem captures a moment of introspection during a car journey, transforming it into a universal meditation on ageing and familial bonds.
The poem begins with the poet driving from her parents’ home to Cochin airport on a Friday morning. She notices her mother dozing beside her, with her mouth open, her face pale and ashen like that of a corpse. This image shocks the poet, making her painfully aware of her mother’s age and mortality. For a moment, the realisation grips her with anguish — her mother is as old as she looks, fragile and close to death.
To distract herself from the disturbing thought, the poet looks out of the car window. She sees young trees sprinting past and children spilling out of their homes in merry play. These images of youth, movement, and vitality are contrasted sharply with the stillness and lifelessness of her ageing mother. The juxtaposition highlights the cycle of life: while youth is energetic and full of promise, old age is passive and marked by decline.
At the airport, after the security check, the poet looks at her mother again. She sees her wan, pale, and dull, resembling a late winter’s moon — dim and waning. This metaphor underscores both the beauty and fragility of old age, as well as the inevitability of decline.
At this moment, the poet is overwhelmed by an old familiar ache — the fear she had since childhood of losing her mother. This fear of separation, now magnified by the visible signs of ageing, becomes the central emotional experience of the poem.
Despite this inner turmoil, the poet does not express her grief directly. Instead, she puts on a brave face. At the time of parting, she simply says, “See you soon, Amma,” and smiles repeatedly. The smile is significant: it masks her anxiety, offers reassurance to her mother, and symbolises her effort to remain positive in the face of inevitable mortality.
The poem’s structure — a single flowing sentence with commas — mirrors the continuous flow of thought in the poet’s mind, oscillating between painful realisations and comforting distractions.
Thematically, the poem explores universal concerns: the inevitability of ageing, the bond between parent and child, the cycle of life and death, and the human tendency to deny or postpone thoughts of mortality. Through simple images — the mother’s ashen face, the sprinting trees, the merry children, and the late winter’s moon — Kamala Das conveys profound emotions with brevity and intensity.
In conclusion, My Mother at Sixty-Six is not merely about the poet’s mother but about the universal experience of seeing loved ones grow old and confronting the reality of death. It captures the tension between inner grief and outward composure, making it a deeply moving and relatable poem.
Word Count: ~503
Biography of Kamala Das (Madhavikutty)
Kamala Das (1934–2009), also known by her pen name Madhavikutty, was one of India’s most prominent poets and writers of the 20th century. She is celebrated for her bold, confessional style and her ability to express emotions of love, loss, identity, and womanhood with rare honesty.
Kamala Das was born on 31 March 1934 in Punnayurkulam, Kerala, into a literary family. Her mother, Balamani Amma, was a renowned poet in Malayalam, and her father, V.M. Nair, worked in the automobile industry and later managed the popular journal Mathrubhumi. Growing up in such an environment, Kamala Das developed an early interest in literature.
She received her early education in Calcutta and later in Kerala. At the age of fifteen, she was married to K. Madhav Das, a banker much older than her. Although her marriage provided stability, Kamala often felt emotionally unfulfilled, and she used writing as an outlet to express her inner struggles, desires, and search for identity.
Her first collection of poetry, “Summer in Calcutta” (1965), brought her instant recognition. It marked a bold departure from conventional Indian poetry by openly exploring female sexuality, love, and loneliness. This was followed by “The Descendants” (1967) and “The Old Playhouse and Other Poems” (1973), which further established her as a leading Indian English poet.
Kamala Das wrote not only in English but also in Malayalam under the name Madhavikutty. Her Malayalam short stories and novels often dealt with themes of women’s struggles within patriarchal society. Her autobiography, “My Story” (1976), shocked many readers with its frank portrayal of her personal life, including her marriage and relationships. Though controversial, it also earned her admiration for her courage and honesty.
Her poetry is intensely personal yet universal. In works like My Mother at Sixty-Six, she conveys deep emotional truths in simple, lyrical language. She often used autobiographical elements to highlight the complexities of being a woman, a mother, a lover, and an individual seeking freedom.
Over her career, Kamala Das received many honours, including the Asian Poetry Prize, Sahitya Akademi Award, and recognition in international literary circles. In her later life, she converted to Islam and took the name Kamala Surayya.
Kamala Das passed away on 31 May 2009 in Pune, leaving behind a rich legacy of poetry and prose. She is remembered as a fearless voice in Indian literature, a pioneer of confessional poetry, and a writer who gave expression to the innermost emotions of women with honesty and power.