'Ramdas' and 'Citizen's Defeat': Two representative poems of the civic crisis

By Ravi Ranjan 

The relationship between literature and society is not merely one of reflection and reality. Literature brings to light social processes, internal contradictions, and human experiences that often remain invisible in ordinary life. Modern criticism reads literary works within their social, historical, and ideological contexts, recognising that a poem’s significance lies not only in its artistry but in the fundamental questions it raises about humanity and society. Lucien Goldmann argued that important literature expresses the world vision of a broader social group, not merely an individual’s consciousness. Similarly, Zygmunt Bauman described modern ‘liquid modernity’ as marked by eroding social relations, growing individualism, and moral indifference, where citizens withdraw from public life and collective resistance weakens.

Raghuvir Sahay’s ‘Ramdas’ and Kumar Ambuj’s ‘Citizen’s Defeat’ are two representative poems of this civic crisis. Neither centres on an extraordinary hero; both reveal contemporary society’s moral failure through ordinary citizens. ‘Ramdas’ depicts a public murder and society’s complicit silence, while ‘Citizen’s Defeat’ traces the inner process by which a citizen gradually loses sensitivity, courage, and responsibility. The first shows the silence; the second shows how that silence is constructed. Together, they form a comprehensive narrative of civic erosion.

‘Ramdas’ presents a terrifying condition in which an individual’s murder becomes proof of an entire society’s moral failure. The poem contains no dramatic dialogue or sentimental excess; its very ordinariness unsettles the reader. The murder is announced at the start, and the poem moves toward an inevitable conclusion that everyone knows but no one prevents. The opening lines establish the atmosphere: a narrow lane, a wide road, dark clouds, and Ramdas’s despondency. Nature itself seems to witness the tragedy. Ramdas walks alone, thinking of taking someone with him but unable to do so. Though the street is crowded, no one is truly with him. This loneliness is social as well as physical—people live alongside one another yet remain disconnected in crisis.

The crowd’s behaviour is etched in few words: "All silent, none with arms in hand." This is not merely about lacking weapons but signals an absence of moral courage. Silence becomes consent. Everyone knows a murder is about to happen, yet no one raises a voice. Ramdas stands helplessly, accepting his fate, while the crowd shrinks back and stares as spectators rather than interveners. The murderer emerges from the lane, calls Ramdas’s name, weighs his knife, and strikes—without fear of resistance. He knows the crowd will only watch. The final line—"Hadn't he said Ramdas would be murdered?"—turns the poem into sharp irony. The crime was known in advance and happened exactly as predicted, so the blame extends beyond the murderer to society’s passive complicity.

‘Citizen's Defeat’ places at its centre the gradual moral erosion within civic life. The title signals defeat not in war but in conscience, courage, and responsibility. The poet recognises this defeat within himself, criticising society through self-examination. The poem begins with a startling confession: "I fear the one who is extremely humble... I am very afraid of the excessively religious man." This subverts conventional expectations—humility and religiosity are usually praised, but the poet fears their excessive, performative forms, which can mask violence and power.

The poem then turns to a person "who will be killed in tomorrow's barbarity." The poet wants to love him, but this love remains a helpless wish, deepening the poem’s compassion. Next comes a little girl in class three, innocent of the coming horror. The line "Her earrings have already been pawned in the World Bank" is devastating: earrings symbolise identity and future, and their pawning reveals how global economic systems burden the weakest, including unborn generations. Then a small boy carries tea to offices, watching adults drink "with plain eyes." The poet sees him "as one citizen sees another"—a moment of moral clarity—but then admits, "and slowly I become an orphan," meaning moral loneliness and disconnection from his own values.

The poem’s middle section is a powerful self-acknowledgement. The poet wants to mend every broken piece but always finds an excuse. "My self-interest slowly sucks away my courage"—defeat happens through small compromises, not grand failures. He becomes "a frightened citizen," thinking, "it is not my job to set everything right." With this logic, he severs his connection to injustice and becomes "complicit in every wrong like a silent citizen." The wrongdoer is not only the perpetrator but also the one who remains silent.

The poet then lists everyday behaviours: looking with contempt at those smaller than himself, standing up for the Deputy Collector, treating his neighbour’s sorrow as merely the neighbour’s, and dismissing his father’s illness as "he has lived his age." These ordinary incidents show that moral decline begins in daily life, not with great crimes. The final section delivers the climax: the poet ends by honouring the very person he feared at the beginning—touching his feet and shouting his praises. Defeat is complete when one not only tolerates injustice but celebrates it. The last lines—looking at the little girl "like a plastic doll" and the boy "like a servant"—show that the ultimate result of moral defeat is ceasing to see others as fully human.

When read together, the two poems complement each other powerfully. Both are rooted in the crisis of civic life. In ‘Ramdas’, a person is murdered in full public view, and society does nothing. In ‘Citizen's Defeat’, the poet admits he has gradually become that silent citizen. Thus, both argue that society’s greatest problem is not violence alone but silence in the face of it.

Structurally, ‘Ramdas’ is built around a single, definite event, moving inexorably toward the murder. ‘Citizen's Defeat’ has no single event; it comprises small experiences—a girl, a boy, a neighbour, a father—and traces an internal process. The first is an external tragedy; the second is an internal moral decline. Fear appears in both but differently. In ‘Ramdas’, fear is direct and visible; in ‘Citizen's Defeat’, fear has become habitual, part of human nature, expressed through excuses and self-interest.

Both poems feature ordinary human beings. Ramdas is not a hero but an everyman; his death represents every insecure citizen. Ambuj’s poem features no heroes—only a schoolgirl, a tea-boy, a neighbour, and the poet himself. Through these ordinary figures, both poems expose society’s deep crisis. Children carry special meaning: in ‘Ramdas’, they are absent, highlighting adult moral failure; in ‘Citizen's Defeat’, the girl and boy symbolise the future and present, showing that the coming society is also unsafe.

The portrayal of society differs. In ‘Ramdas’, the crowd is physically present but inactive. In ‘Citizen's Defeat’, the crowd is invisible but its effect pervades behaviour; the poet himself is part of that society and recognises his own weaknesses. The first shows society from outside; the second understands it from within. Crucially, in ‘Ramdas’ the poet remains separate from the event; in ‘Citizen's Defeat’, the poet writes about himself, admitting his compromises and complicity—giving the poem a distinctive honesty.

Loneliness appears in both: in ‘Ramdas’ as direct isolation despite the crowd; in ‘Citizen's Defeat’ as inner orphanhood, a severance from moral foundations. Irony is also central: in ‘Ramdas’, the murder is predetermined yet unstoppable; in ‘Citizen's Defeat’, the poet knows he is wrong but continues, ending by honouring the very figure he once feared. Both poems use remarkably restrained language—simple, spoken, without emotional excess—which intensifies their impact. Neither offers an ideal solution; instead, they raise questions that compel readers to reflect on their own society and behaviour.

Ultimately, ‘Ramdas’ and ‘Citizen's Defeat’ represent two sides of the same social reality. ‘Ramdas’ shows that when society falls silent, an innocent person is killed. ‘Citizen's Defeat’ shows how society becomes silent—through gradual moral erosion, self-interest, and everyday compromises. The first is a picture of an external event; the second, of internal decline. Together, they portray a society where fear, indifference, self-interest, and insecurity are interconnected.

Both Raghuvir Sahay and Kumar Ambuj place the reader before a difficult truth: the greatest crisis of any society begins when citizens stop speaking against injustice and gradually become defeated within themselves. These poems are not merely of their time but speak to every society where people withdraw from moral responsibility. As such, ‘Ramdas’ and ‘Citizen's Defeat’ remain equally meaningful and thought-provoking today, transcending their era to offer a lasting poetic commentary on the fragility of civic consciousness and the human cost of collective silence.

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Professor and former Head (Retd.), Department of Hindi, University of Hyderabad. This is the abridged version of the author's original paper