Subramanya Bharathi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chinnaswami Subramania Bharati |
 |
| Born |
Sundara Murthy
December 11, 1882
Ettayapuram, Madras Presidency, India |
| Died |
September 11, 1921 (aged 38)
Madras, India |
| Residence |
Triplicane |
| Nationality |
Indian, |
| Other names |
Bharathiyar, Subbaiya, Sakthi Dasan,[1] Mahakavi, Mundaasu Kavignar |
| Occupation |
journalist |
| Known for |
Indian independence activism, poetry, social reform |
| Notable work(s) |
Panjali Sapatham, Pappa Pattu, Kannan Pattu, Kuyil Pattu, etc. |
| Influenced |
Bharathidasan |
| Political movement |
Indian independence movement |
| Religion |
Hinduism |
| Spouse(s) |
Chellamal |
| Children |
Thangammal Bharati (b. 1904), Shakuntala Bharati (b. 1908) |
| Parents |
Chinnasami Subramanya Iyer and Elakkumi (Lakshmi) Ammaal |
Chinnaswami Subramania Bharati (
Tamil:
சின்னசுவாமி சுப்பிரமணிய பாரதி) (December 11, 1882 – September 11, 1921) was an Indian writer, poet, journalist,
Indian independence activist and social reformer from
Tamil Nadu, India. Popularly known as
Mahakavi Bharathiyar (
Tamil:
மகாகவி பாரதியார்), he is a pioneer of modern Tamil poetry.
[2]
Born in
Ettayapuram in 1882, Subramania Bharati studied in
Tirunelveli and worked as a journalist with many newspapers, notable among them being the
Swadesamitran and
India. Bharathi was also an active member of the
Indian National Congress. In 1908, an arrest warrant was issued against Bharathi by the government of
British India for his revolutionary activities forcing him to flee to
Pondicherry where he lived until 1918.
Bharathi is considered to be one of the greatest Tamil poets of the
modern era. Most of his works were on religious, political and social
themes. Songs penned by Bharathi have been widely used in Tamil films
and Carnatic Music concert platforms.
Bharthi's Own Handwriting.
Early life
Mahakavi Subramania Bharatiyar was born to Chinnasami Subramanya Iyer and Lakhsmiammaal as "Subbayya" on December 11, 1882 in the village of
Ettayapuram. He was educated at a local high school called "The M.D.T. Hindu College" in
Tirunelveli.
From a very young age he learnt music and at 11th, he learnt songs. It
was here that he was conferred the title of "Bharati" (one blessed by
Saraswati, the goddess of learning).
Bharati lost his mother at the age of 5 and his father at the age of
16. He was brought up by his disciplinarian father who wanted him to
learn English, excel in arithmetic, become an engineer and lead a
comfortable life. However, Bharati was given to day dreaming and could
not concentrate on his studies. In 1897, perhaps to instill a sense of
responsibility in him, his father had the 14 year old Bharati, married
to his cousin younger to him by seven years, Chellamal.
Middle Life and glory
During his stay in Benares (also known as Kashi and Varanasi), Bharati was exposed to
Hindu spirituality
and nationalism. This broadened his outlook and he learned Sanskrit,
Hindi and English. In addition, he changed his outward appearance. He
also grew a beard and wore a turban.
Soon, Bharati saw beyond the social taboos and superstitions of
orthodox South Indian society. In December 1905, he attended the All
India Congress session held in Benaras. On his journey back home, he met
Sister Nivedita, Swami
Vivekananda’s
spiritual daughter. From her arose another of Bharathi’s iconoclasm,
his stand to recognise the privileges of women. The emancipation of
women exercised Bharathi’s mind greatly. He visualised the 'new woman'
as an emanation of Shakti, a willing helpmate of man to build a new
earth through co-operative endeavour.
During this period, Bharati understood the need to be well-informed
of the world outside and took interest in the world of journalism and
the print media of the West. Bharathi joined as Assistant Editor of the
Swadeshamitran, a Tamil daily in 1904. By April 1907, he started editing the Tamil weekly
India and the English newspaper
Bala Bharatham with
M.P.T. Acharya.
These newspapers were also a means of expressing Bharati's creativity,
which began to peak during this period. Bharathi started to publish his
poems regularly in these editions. From hymns to nationalistic writings,
from contemplations on the relationship between God and Man to songs on
the
Russian and
French revolutions, Bharathi's subjects were diverse.
He was simultaneously up against society for its mistreatment of the downtrodden people and the British for occupying India.
Bharati participated in the historic Surat Congress in 1907, which deepened the divisions within the
Indian National Congress between the militant wing led by
Tilak and
Aurobindo and the moderate wing. Bharati supported Tilak and Aurobindo together with
V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and
Kanchi Varathaachariyar. Tilak openly supported armed resistance against the British.
In 1908, he gave evidence in the case which had been instituted by
the British against V.O. Chidambaram Pillai. In the same year, the
proprietor of the journal
India was arrested in
Madras. Faced with the prospect of arrest, Bharati escaped to
Pondicherry which was under French rule. From there he edited and published the weekly journal
India,
Vijaya, a Tamil daily,
Bala Bharatha, an English monthly, and
Suryothayam,
a local weekly in Pondicherry. The British tried to suppress Bharathi's
output by stopping remittances and letters to the papers. Both
India and
Vijaya were banned in British India in 1909.
During his exile, Bharati had the opportunity to mix with many other
leaders of the revolutionary wing of the Independence movement such as
Aurobindo,
Lajpat Rai and V.V.S. Aiyar, who had also sought asylum under the French. Bharati assisted Aurobindo in the
Arya journal and later
Karma Yogi in Pondicherry.
Bharati entered British India near
Cuddalore
in November 1918 and was promptly arrested. He was imprisoned in the
Central prison in Cuddalore in custody for three weeks from 20 November
to 14 December. The following year Bharati met with
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
Later years and death
He was badly affected by the imprisonments and by 1920, when a
General Amnesty Order finally removed restrictions on his movements,
Bharati was already struggling. He was struck by an elephant at
Parthasarathy temple,
Triplicane,
Chennai, whom he used to feed regularly.
[3]
Although he survived the incident, a few months later his health
deteriorated and he died on September 11, 1921 early morning around 1
am.
[3]
Though Bharati was considered a people's poet, a great nationalist,
outstanding freedom fighter and social visionary, it was recorded that
there were only 14 people to attend his funeral.
He delivered his last speech at Karungalpalayam Library in Erode, which was about the topic
Man is Immortal.
[4]
Bharati's Poetry
His poetry expressed a progressive, reformist ideal. His imagery and
the vigour of his verse were a forerunner to modern Tamil poetry in many
respects. He was the forerunner of a forceful kind of poetry that
combined classical and contemporary elements. He had a prodigious output
penning thousands of verses on diverse topics like Indian Nationalism,
the National Flag, the
Mahabharat, love songs, children's songs, songs of nature, glory of the
Tamil language, and odes to prominent freedom fighters of India like
Tilak,
Gandhi and
Lajpat Rai. He even penned an ode to New
Russia and
Belgium. His poetry includes works on
Allah and
Jesus. His insightful similies have been read by millions of
Tamil readers.
His poems are brimming with a vigour which is unmatched by his
contemporaries in Tamil Nadu. If it is love that oozes through his
Kannamma songs or valour which breaks through the lines in his patriotic
songs he managed to capture the imagination of generations of
Tamilians. Like a fire that lights up anything which comes in touch with
it, his poems aroused the passions of Tamilians and gave them the
impetus to participate in the national freedom struggle with gusto. His
poems stand out for beauty in both the form and content.
அக்கினிக் குஞ்சொன்று கண்டேன் அதை அங்கொரு காட்டிடை பொந்தினில் வைத்தேன்
வெந்து தணிந்தது காடு தழல் வீரத்தில் குஞ்சென்றும் மூப்பென்றும் உண்டோ
Translation- not exact- I found a tiny little flame and put that in a
hole in a forest. The forest was burnt down. Is there youth or age to
valour?
The economy of words, the tightness of the construction, the
vividness of the imagery and the fierceness that comes through the
meaning.... that is quintessential Bharathi.
Or take the case of the song where he describes the dance of Shakthi in the following lines:
சக்திப் பேய் தான் தலையொடு தலைகள் முட்டிச் சட்டச் சட சட சடவென்றுடைபடு
தாளம் கொட்டி அங்கே எத்திகினிலும் நின்விழி அனல் போய் எட்டித் தானே எரியும்
கோலம் கண்டே சாகும் காலம் அன்னை அன்னை ஆடுங்கூத்தை நாடச் செய்தாய் என்னை
The holocaust of the dance of destruction that happens at the end of
the world, life and everything that human mind knows or can imagine
comes through in the vivid lines.
His poetry stands out for many facets of his love for his motherland.
His love for his motherland knew no bounds. He passionately dreamt of
the day his country would lead the world in culture, trade, literature
and every other aspect of life. And penned those dreams in living words.
Here is a sample:
பட்டினில் உடையும் பஞ்சினில் ஆடையும் பண்ணி மலைகளென வீதி குவிப்போம்
கட்டித் திரவியங்கள் கொண்டு வருவார் காசினி வணிகருக்கு அவை கொடுப்போம்
Here he imagines a scenario where the country has produced the finest
dresses in cotton and silk and selling them to traders who are coming
to India from all over the world .
He berates his countrymen for many social evils. He chastises them
for a fearful and pusillanimous attitude towards the rulers. He sound a
clarion call for national unity, removal of casteism and the removal of
oppression of women. He calls for the British to leave the motherland in
forceful ways at one point saying "Even if Indians are divided, they
are children of One Mother, where is the need for foreigners to
interfere?"
Even in the period 1910–1920, when freedom was far away and with
Mahatma Gandhi
as just an emerging force, with a tremendous sense of positive
expectation, he talks of a new and free India where there are no castes.
He eloquently imagines all-round social and economic development. He
talks of building up India's defence, her ships sailing the high seas,
success in manufacturing and universal education. He calls for sharing
amongst states with wonderful imagery like the diversion of excess water
of the
Bengal delta to needy regions. He talks of a bridge to
Sri Lanka earlier
Ceylon.
He even desired greater co-operation between India and her neighbours a
vision realised more than 60 years after his death through the
SAARC agreement. Truly a visionary.
Bharati on Feminism
Bharathiyar advocated greater rights for women. His verses called
Prem for women and put a premium on their education. He visualised a
modern Indian woman at the vanguard of society. He was of the strong
opinion that the world will prosper in knowledge and intellect if both
men and women are deemed equal.
Poetic extract - (The new age women will learn many intellectual
texts. They will set the base for many scientific discoveries that
facilitate human life. They will expunge all backward superstitions in
the society. They will, all the same, be devoted to God and present all
achievements of mankind as a tribute to God. They will earn good name
from men.)
Bharati on Caste System
Bharati also fought against the
caste system in Hindu society. Although born into an orthodox
Brahmin family, he gave up his own caste identity. He considered all living beings as equal and to illustrate this he even performed
upanayanam to a young
harijan man and made him a
Brahmin.
He also scorned the divisive tendencies being imparted into the younger
generations by their elderly tutors during his time. He openly
criticised the preachers for mixing their individual thoughts while
teaching the
Vedas and the
Gita.
சாதிகள் இல்லையடி பாப்பா!-குலத் தாழ்ச்சி உயர்ச்சி சொல்லல் பாவம்; நீதி உயர்ந்த மதி,கல்வி-அன்பு நிறை உடையவர்கள் மேலோர்.
(There is no caste system. It is a sin to divide people on caste
basis. The ones who are really of a superior class are the ones
excelling in being just, intelligent, educated and loving.)
About Bharatiar : Pondicherry Museum Notings
Pondicherry
is a city of rich history which hosted many freedom fighters including
Bharathiyar. He moved to Pondicherry in the year 1908 to escape his
arrest. During his stay at Pondicherry he was involved with the
following journals and magazines: India, Vijaya, Chakravarthini etc. The
house he lived in has been turned into a Museum now. It was in this
home that he composed the poem “Crows and Birds are our clan”.
The front cover of the magazine Chakravarthini (the 1906 edition was
displayed) which reads “A Tamil Monthly Devoted mainly to the Elevation
of India Ladies”
The topics for that edition were interesting as well:
- Women in Buddhism
- Figures regarding female education in the Madras Presidency
- Tulsi Rai
- Infant marriage and female education
The museum houses many of his letters -
- He starts off a letter with the words “Om Shakthi“
- He usually signed off the letter saying “May you gain immortality“
There was a postage stamp released on Bharathiar which is framed in
the museum. There are around 20 photographs collected of his family,
friends and relatives. The house address is: No. 20, Easwaran Koil
Street, Pondicherry – 3. The museum has a collection of his letters,
family photographs and lot of books.
Bharatiar was an expert in many languages:
Tamil,
Sanskrit,
English and
French.
He had written a book in English titled "The fox and its golden tail".
There is also a Tamil version of the phrase “Liberty, Equality and
Fraternity” – “Swathanthiram, Sammathuvam, Sahotharathuvam“.
Bharati in Popular culture, events post his death
- A state university named Bharathiar University was established in 1982 at Coimbatore.
- The last years of his life were spent in a house in Triplicane, Chennai.[5]
This house was bought and renovated by the Government of Tamil Nadu in
1993 and named 'Bharathiyar Illam' (Home of Bharathiyar).
- There is a statue of Bharatiar at Chennai beach and also in the Indian Parliament.
- A Tamil Movie titled Bharathi [6]
was made in the year 2000 on the life of the poet which won National
Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil|National Film Award. This
classic film was directed by Gnana Rajasekeran. The main character of
Subramania Bharati is played by a Marathi actor, Sayaji Shinde.
- The movie Kappalottiya Thamizhan (The Tamilian who sailed the
high seas) chronicling the important struggles of V.O.Chidambaranar,
Subramanya Siva and Bharatiar was an impactful movie which brought alive
the patriotic fervour, sacrifices, tribulations and the beauty of
Bharatiar's poetry. The movie starred Sivaji Ganesan as VOC and S.V
Subbiah as Subramania Bharati.
apdineshkumar.blogspot.com/May 17, 2013 – Blog is dedicated with all new Online Tamil Poems for every tamilians, kavithai in tamil, Tamil kadhal kavithaigal, tamil kavithai about friendship.
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