✍ K. PONRAMAN
Tamil is the oldest surviving classical language. That has a greatest history that begins before thousands of years. It has produced great poets like Tholkappiyar, Kambar, Elangovadigal, Thiruvalluvar and so on. Among all those great poets Subramanya Bharati, who is adored as ‘Mahakavi’ by all tamil people has played many vital roles as a poet, a freedom fighter, a journalist, a nationalist, a reformer and the like. He loved his country very much and wrote many poems in praise of it. He wrote poems to inspire his country men to be free and happy always. His poems worked their magic in young men and women and induced them to dive into the fire of freedom struggle.
Mahakavi Subramanya Bharati was born on December 11, 1882 at Ettayapuram in Tamilnadu. At the tender age of 11, he earned the coveted title as ‘Bharati’, conferred upon him by the learned courtiers of Ettayapuram for his poetic flaire. He was married to Chellammal, a 9 year old girl, when he was 15. The next year his father died a pauper as his textile mill folded. Bharati was forced to live in Benaras (Varanasi) with his aunt. While in Benaras, he learnt Sanskrit, Hindi, and English.
In 1901, Bharati returned to his native place Ettayapuram and became the court poet of the king of Ettayapuram. Since that was not the metal he was made for, he left the job and became a school teacher in a secondary school in Madurai and served there only for few months. Then he got a job in ‘Swadesa Mithran’ a leading newspaper in Tamil which supported the nationalists in the freedom struggle. Then he became the editor of another newspaper named ‘India’. His revolutionary and inflammatory comments on the national issues against the British government was irresistible by the government and so the publishers of ‘India’ was arrested and Bharati fled to Pondicherry, a French territory.
At Pondicherry, he got the friendship of Sri Aurobindo, VVS Iyer, and Subramanya Siva. He was very much acquainted with them and they gave him the much needed comradeship. It was during this ten year exile (1908 – 1918) in Pondicherry he completed his celebrated trilogy – Panchali sabatham ( The vow of Panchali), Kannan paatu (The songs to Lord Sri Krishna ), Kuyil paatu ( The songs of nightingale). The communion among all creatures is a recurring motive in all his poems.
The crows and sparrows are our clan
The seas and hills are our kin
In the Bharatiyan utopia he envisaged that all women should be liberated and casteism eliminated. He insisted that ‘All citizens without any exception are the kings of Bharat’.
Tired of his exile, Bharati left Pondicherry in1918 and was arrested near Cuddalore. He spent several weeks behind the bars. Since he was not found guilty of any offence he was released and soon he rejoined ‘Swadesa mithran’ as an assistant editor. After that Bharati wrote many poems, editorials, essays etc., before he was brutally struck by the temple elephant at Sri Parthasarathi temple at Triplicane in Chennai. The great soul and the Mahakavi had left for his eternal journey to reach the lotus feet of the Lord on September 12, 1921.
Mahakavi Subramanya Bharati is regarded as one of the greatest renowned Tamil poets of all the time. His poetry was infused with themes of nationalism, patriotism and a deep love for his motherland. His verses stirred a sense of unity and pride among his fellowmen during the freedom struggle. Bharati was a visionary and a social reformer beyond his literary contributions. He advocated for women rights, gender equality and education for all. His inspiring poetry mobilized the masses to work in the struggle for freedom of our country.
Even decades after his passing, Bharatiyar’s literary works continue to be celebrated and revered. His poems, often set to music and sung as songs, remain popular in Tamilnadu. They have transcended linguistic barriers, inspiring people across Bharat. The poet and politician Smt. Sarojini Naidu adores Bharati like this:
“Poets like Bharati cannot be counted as the treasure of any province. He is entitled by his genius and his work to rank among those who have transcended all limitations of race, language and continent and have become the universal possession of mankind.”
(Author is Vidwat Parishad Incharge of Vidya Bharati Uttar Tamil Nadu.)
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