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.”
