Full Title: Ode On The Lungi

Original Title: Ode On The Lungi

Author: Kaiser Haq (1950–Present)

Written Date: Around the early 2000s (exact date not officially stated)

Published: 2007. Published in the Streets of Dhaka: Collected Poems 1966–2006 ✪✪✪

Publisher: University Press Limited (UPL)

Genre: Satirical, Political, Cultural Lyric Poem ✪✪✪

Form: Free verse; long conversational monologue addressed partly to Walt Whitman

Rhyme Scheme: No fixed rhyme scheme; written in free verse with natural speech rhythm

Total Stanzas: Written as a continuous, sectioned monologue, not divided into traditional stanzas

Meter: Free, flexible, speech-like; uses irony, repetition, and playful rhythm

Tone: Humorous, Ironic, Critical, Celebratory, Political

Point of View: First-person speaker addressing “Grandpa Walt” (Walt Whitman)

Climax: The declaration: “I AM A LUNGI ACTIVIST!”, a turning point where satire becomes open cultural resistance

Summary in Short: The poem celebrates the lungi as a symbol of equality, identity, and everyday dignity. It criticizes cultural hypocrisy and Western bias that accept kilts but not lungis. It transforms the lungi into a symbol of pride, survival, love, politics, and humor.

Famous Lines:

“I AM A LUNGI ACTIVIST!” ✪✪✪

“The lungi is a complete wardrobe.”

“It’s the subaltern speaking.”

Setting:

Time Setting: Modern Bangladesh, globalized world, postcolonial era

Place Setting: Dhaka, Bangladesh; global spaces like the White House, Cox’s Bazar, and metaphorical cultural spaces.

Key Notes – English

Original Title – Ode On The Lungi: The title of this poem centers entirely on one of Bangladesh’s simplest yet most powerful garments, the lungi. The word “Ode” refers to a lyrical poem written in praise, admiration, or deep affection for a particular subject. Kaiser Haq does not treat the lungi as just a piece of clothing; he presents it as a symbol of equality, freedom, culture, and resistance. The title blends satire, humor, and pride. Here, the lungi becomes a symbol of ethnic identity, class inequality, protest against colonial mentality, and the everyday life of ordinary people. The title “Ode On The Lungi” shows that the poet discovers extraordinary value in something ordinary and brings it onto the world stage.

Free Verse: “Ode On The Lungi” is entirely written in Free Verse. The poem does not follow any fixed meter, rhythm, or rhyme scheme, yet it flows naturally with a conversational tone. Features:

• No fixed rhyme scheme.
• No obligation to maintain the meter.
• Natural and conversational rhythm.
• Direct expression of satire, humor, questions, and personal experience.
• Discussion of world politics, culture, identity, and class differences.