This piece is not an expression of helplessness or patriotism. It is sheer artistic license and a byproduct of imagination.
The essence of the poetry is a dream, a dream where in the protagonist finds himself in a land where he , the ruler advocates tyranny and oppression. People were engulfed by ignorance, for there was no opportunity for them to educate and learn. People sought no answers and the land personified hell. He lived his ways and carved his rules.
He wakes up to reality , only to find himself to be the ignorant subject. His freedom suppressed and ignorance exposed, he is a victim of disorder and disharmony. He is the victim in his own land!!!!
He was the leader and the led, with his ignorance, the devil was fed!!!
I was wicked, I was mean,
I was charming , I was lean.
I walked beyond cynicism,
I tarnished all Skepticism.
A Shadow of Sorrow loomed around,
Subjects were treated like hungry hounds.
I justified, nothing I did,
I created hell, on the land I lived.
My alter ego took over my soul,
Bribery, disorder, poverty I behold.
They were ignorant, they were not read,
There in was my fortune, more than my daily bread.
I woke up to this horrendous dream,
Similar did reality seem.
I was the subject, beyond my dream,
My land , my land ,
Oh!! victim I scream.
Arun Ramu
Education for all!!