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A symbol is something real that also stands for a bigger idea . A flag is cloth, but it stands for a country. Below are the symbols used in this poem.
The Lutes
What it really is:
The string instruments that the artisans play in the streets.
What it stands for in the poem:
Art and feelings
. The lute’s music carries varied emotions and dreams.
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Cables and Wires
What it really is:
The tools the electricians work with every day.
What it stands for in the poem:
Unseen service
. Quiet work that lights up other people’s lives.
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The Nets and the Sea
What it really is:
The fishing nets of the boatmen and the sea where they work.
What it stands for in the poem:
A
hard-working life and its stories
. The boatmen return to tell the tales of life at sea.
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The Shoes
What it really is:
The things the shoemakers make and check for quality.
What it stands for in the poem:
Care for others’ journeys
. The shoemaker works for the feet that walk, dance, run, jump and return home.
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The “Voice”
What it really is:
The sounds the workers make — humming, singing, hailing.
What it stands for in the poem:
A worker’s
identity
. The voice of their vocation is the voice of who they are.
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Bharat Celebrating
What it really is:
The nation, full of the sounds of its working people.
What it stands for in the poem:
A
nation united by its workers
. All the work-voices together become one national celebration.
