Beautiful Planet by Indrajeet Dasgupta relay the story of the Tramp and his everyday life. One of the poems from the author’s book entitled Borderless which is described as“a collection of microfictions and philosophies in prose and poetry.”
To understand the poem Beautiful Planet, you have to keep in mind what his book is all about. Borderless by Indrajeet Dasgupta is described by Google as a collection of prose and poetry where the “world is defined by identities, hierarchies, borders, languages, ideologies” But Borderless aims to have none.
“Each character could be from anywhere on the planet, sans timelines and are strung together by one thread: humanity. It merely tries to record the current human conditions of joy, ecstasy, pain, ambition, hope, grief, and such. It invites you to look closer and understand the profundity of life as we know it.”
In the poem Beautiful Planet, there is this person who lives as a Tramp. I have this feeling that he chose to live this life. But despite being one, he has a schedule to keep and live the same exact way every day. He is invisible to society and his presence is tolerated on. But for someone who still has a sense of embarrassment with his partial disability, shouldn’t he be embarrassed with his tramp living? He considered his putting on ‘his aluminum bowl and steel container’ as 4 'office hours'.
In this world, the tramp is not alone. Many present a ‘helpless’ facade. Hey look at me, help me! It may be cynical of me but I think being a Tramp is a life you choose. The lines, ‘His black shades – if you look closely at the tinted glass, you would see the first lights of dawn upon a beautiful planet’ bespoke that despite everything, he still sees the world as beautiful. I shouldn’t be judgmental because everyone has a story and we have no idea why he chooses to live that way. We should be understanding of human nature. Each of us has something we are meant for. Each has weaknesses and potentials but then we all live differently in this world.
