2026

Alienation and Aging in Urban India: A Multi-Dimensional Study of Dilip Chitre’s Father Returning Home

Author(s): Jayantakumar Panda

Abstract

This paper explores Dilip Chitre’s “Father Returning Home” as a modern Indian poetic masterpiece that subtly weaves themes of alienation, aging, and spiritual estrangement within the urban landscape. Through close textual analysis, the study identifies the poem's use of literary devices—such as imagery, metaphor, symbolism, and enjambment—and interprets how these elements contribute to its emotional depth and philosophical undercurrents. The structure and tone of the poem mirror the father’s inner journey, marked by solitude, resignation, and reflection.
Beyond its literary richness, the paper contextualizes the poem within the framework of Upanishadic and Vedantic wisdom, drawing parallels with key ideas from the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Vachanamrut, and Shrimad Bhagavat Mahapuran. The father, as portrayed in the poem, becomes emblematic of the modern-day jiva—caught between mechanical routines and forgotten spiritual longings. His quiet introspection is aligned with atma-vichara (self-inquiry), vairagya (dispassion), and the Upanishadic call to look beyond the ephemeral world.
Through this multidisciplinary approach—combining literary analysis, philosophical interpretation, and cultural contextualization—the paper reveals “Father Returning Home” not just as a social commentary but as a deeply meditative work, echoing timeless Indian spiritual truths in a contemporary idiom.