Indian poet and activist (1882?1921)
C. Subramania Bharati
|
---|
Subramania Bharati
|
Born
| (
1882-12-11
)
11 December 1882
|
---|
Died
| 11 September 1921
(1921-09-11)
(aged 38)
Madras
, Madras Presidency, British India
(present-day Tamil Nadu, India)
|
---|
Other names
| Bharatiyar, Subbaiah, Sakthi Dasan, Mahakavi, Mundasu Kavignar, Veera Kavi
|
---|
Citizenship
| Indian
|
---|
Occupations
| - Journalist
- Poet
- Writer
- Teacher
- Independence activist
|
---|
Movement
| Indian independence movement
|
---|
Spouse
| Chellamma (m. 1896?1921)
|
---|
Children
| 2
|
---|
Family
| Rajkumar Bharathi
(great-grandson)
|
---|
|
|
C. Subramania Bharati
[a]
(IPA:
; born
C. Subramaniyan
11 December 1882 ? 11 September 1921) was a Tamil writer, poet, journalist,
Indian independence activist
, social reformer and
polyglot
. He was bestowed the title
Bharati
for his poetry and was a pioneer of modern
Tamil
poetry. He is popularly known by his title
Bharati
or
Bharathiyaar
and also by the other title "Mahakavi Bharati" ("the great poet Bharati"). His works included patriotic songs composed during the
Indian Independence movement
. He fought for the
emancipation of women
, against
child marriage
, vehemently opposed the
caste system
, and stood for reforming society and religion.
Born in
Ettayapuram
of
Tirunelveli district
(present-day
Thoothukudi
) in 1882, Bharati had his early education in
Tirunelveli
. He later lived in
Varanasi
for sometime when he was exposed to Hindu theology and new languages. He worked as a journalist with many newspapers, including
Swadesamitran
,
The Hindu
,
Bala Bharata
,
Vijaya
,
Chakravarthini
and
India
. He considered
Sister Nivedita
, a disciple of
Swami Vivekananda
, as his guru.
In 1908, the
British Government
issued an arrest warrant for Bharathi which pushed him to live in exile in the
French
-controlled
Pondicherry
for about ten years until 1918. He was attacked by an
Indian elephant
at
Thiruvallikeni Parthasarathy Temple
whom he fed daily and died a few months later on 11 September 1921.
Bharthi was well-versed in several languages and had a passion for Tamil. His works covered political, social and spiritual themes. Songs and poems composed by Bharthi are used in Tamil literature, music and daily life. His works include
Panjali Sabatham
,
Kannan Paatu
,
Kuyil Paatu
,
Paapa Paatu
,
Chinnanchriu Kiliye
,
Vinayagar Nanmanimalai
and
Tamil
translations of
Patanjali
's
Yoga Sutra
and
Bhagavat Gita
. Bharathi was the first poet whose literature was nationalized in 1949.
Early life
[
edit
]
Subramaniyan was born in a
Brahmin
family on 11 December 1882 in the village of
Ettayapuram
in
Tirunelveli district
,
Madras Presidency
(present day
Thoothukudi district
,
Tamil Nadu
).
[1]
His parents were Chinnaswami Iyer and Lakshmi Ammal.
[2]
His mother died when he was of five in 1897. After that, he was brought up by his father and his grandmother.
[3]
His father wanted him to learn
English
and
Maths
and become an
engineer
.
[4]
From a very young age, Subramaniyan was musically and poetically inclined. At around the young age of 11, Subramanian was conferred the title of "Bharathi", meaning blessed by the goddess of learning
Saraswati
for his excellence in poetry.
[3]
In 1897, at the age of 15, he was married to Chellamma, who was seven years old. He lost his father at the age of sixteen.
[3]
After the death of his father, he wrote a letter to the Raja of Ettayapuram, requesting for financial assistance. Bharti worked in the court of Ettayapuram for a while before he left the job and went to
Varanasi
. During his stay in Varanasi, Bharathi was exposed to
Hindu spirituality
and nationalism. This broadened his outlook and he learned
Sanskrit
,
Hindi
and English. He changed his outward appearance, growing a beard and wore a turban.
[2]
Literary life and independence activism
[
edit
]
Bharathi returned to Ettayapuram during 1901 and served as the court poet of the Raja of Ettayapuram. He served as a Tamil teacher from August to November 1904 in Sethupathy High School in
Madurai
.
[4]
During this period, Bharathi understood the need to be well-informed of the world outside and took interest in the world of
journalism
and the print media. In the same year, Bharathi joined as an assistant editor at
Swadesamitran
, a Tamil daily.
[2]
In December 1905, he attended a session of
Indian National Congress
in Varanasi. On his journey back home, he met
Sister Nivedita
, who was Swami
Vivekananda
's spiritual heir. She inspired Bharathi to recognize the rights and privilege of women.
[2]
Bharathi considered her as a embodiment of
Hindu
goddess
Shakti
and considered Nivedita as his
Guru
. He later attended the Indian National Congress session in
Calcutta
held under
Dadabhai Naoroji
, which demanded
Swaraj
and boycott of British goods.
[4]
By April 1907, he started editing the Tamil weekly
India
and the English newspaper
Bala Bharatham
along with
M.P.T. Acharya
.
[2]
These newspapers served as a means of expressing Bharathi's creativity and he continued to write poems in these editions. His writings included diverse topics ranging from nationalism to contemplations on the relationship between God and Man. He also wrote on the
Russian
and
French Revolutions
.
[5]
Bharathi participated in the Indian National Congress meeting held in
Surat
in 1907 along with
V.O. Chidambaram Pillai
and Mandayam Srinivachariar.
[2]
The meeting deepened the divisions within the Congress with a section preferring armed resistance. This section was primarily led by
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
, which was supported by Bharathi, Chidambaram Pillai and Varathachariyar.
[4]
In 1908, the British instituted a case against Chidambaram Pillai. In the same year, the proprietor of the journal
India
in which Bharathi was writing, was arrested in
Madras
.
[2]
Faced with the prospect of an imminent arrest, Bharathi escaped to
Pondicherry
, which was under the
French
rule.
[6]
[7]
In Pondicherry, Bharathi edited and published the weekly journal
India
, a Tamil daily
Vijaya
, an English monthly
Bala Bharatham
and a local weekly
Suryodayam
. The British tried to ban Bharathi's publications and the newspapers
India
and
Vijaya
were banned in British India in 1909.
[4]
During his exile, Bharathi had the opportunity to meet other revolutionary leaders of the
Indian Independence movement
like
Aurobindo
,
Lajpat Rai
and
V. V. Subrahmanya Iyer
, who had also sought asylum under the French. Bharathi assisted Aurobindo in publishing the journals
Arya
and
Karma Yogi
.
[5]
He also started learning
Vedic literature
. Three of his greatest works namely,
Kuyil Pattu
,
Panjali Sabatham
and
Kannan Pattu
were composed during 1912. He also translated Vedic hymns,
Patanjali
's
Yoga Sutra
and
Bhagavat Gita
to
Tamil language
.
[4]
When Bharathi entered the British India near
Cuddalore
in November 1918, he was arrested.
[2]
He was imprisoned in the Central prison in Cuddalore for three weeks from 20 November to 14 December. He was released after the intervention of
Annie Besant
and
C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyar
. He was stricken by poverty and ill health during this period. In the following year, Bharathi met
Gandhi
for the first time. He resumed editing
Swadesamitran
in 1920 from
Madras
.
[8]
Death
[
edit
]
Bharathi was badly affected by the imprisonments and struggled from ill health. In 1920, a general amnesty was issued which finally removed restrictions on his movements. He delivered his last speech at Karungalpalayam Library in
Erode
on the topic
Man is Immortal
.
[9]
He was struck by an
Indian elephant
named Lavanya at the
Thiruvallikeni Parthasarathy Temple
whom he used to feed often. When he fed a coconut to the elephant, the elephant attacked him and although he survived the incident, his health deteriorated. A few months later, he died in the early morning on 11 September 1921. Though Bharathi was considered a great poet and nationalist, it was recorded that only 14 people attended his funeral.
[2]
Literary work
[
edit
]
Bharathi was one of the pioneers of modern Tamil literature.
[10]
He is known by the nickname "Mahakavi" ("The Great Poet").
[11]
Bharathi used simple words and rhythms, unlike the previous century works in Tamil, which had complex vocabulary. He also proposed novel ideas and techniques in his poems. He used a
metre
called
Nondi Chindu
in most of his works, which was earlier used by Gopalakrisnha Bharathiar.
[12]
Bharathi's poetry expressed progressive and reformist ideals. His poetry was a forerunner to modern Tamil poetry in different aspects and combined classical and contemporary elements. He penned thousands of verses on diverse topics like Indian Nationalism, love, children, nature, glory of the Tamil language, and odes to prominent freedom fighters. He fought for the
emancipation of women
, against
child marriage
, vehemently opposed the
caste system
, and stood for reforming society and religion.
[13]
[14]
His poems were the first to be nationalized in India in 1949.
[15]
His works include
Panjali Sabatham
,
Kannan Paatu
,
Kuyil Paatu
,
Paapa Paatu
,
Chinnanchriu Kiliye
and
Vinayagar Nanmanimalai
. He also translated
Patanjali
's
Yoga Sutra
and
Bhagavat Gita
to Tamil.
[4]
Apart from this he also wrote various patriotic songs, religious verses, short stories and translations of speeches of reformist leaders.
[8]
Legacy
[
edit
]
The last years of his life were spent in a house in
Thiruvallikeni
in Chennai. The house was bought and renovated by the
Government of Tamil Nadu
in 1993 and named "Bharathi Illam" (Home of Bharathi).
[16]
The house in which he was born in Ettayapuram and the house where he lived in Puducherry are maintained as memorial houses.
[17]
A statue of Bharathi, a memorial complex and a photo exhibition related to his life history are on display at Etayapuram, his birth place.
[18]
In 1987,
Subramanyam Bharti Award
was constituted to award contributions to literature. The award is conferred annually by the
Ministry of Human Resource Development
of
Government of India
.
[19]
In 2021, Government of Tamil Nadu instituted a yearly "Bharati young poet Award".
[20]
Statutes of Bharathi include the
Indian Parliament
and
Marina Beach
facade in Chennai.
[21]
Roads are named after him include Bharathiar road in Coimbatore and Subramaniam Bharti Marg in
New Delhi
.
[22]
[23]
Several educational institutions are named after him including
Bharathiar University
, a
state university
, which was established in 1982 at
Coimbatore
.
[24]
[25]
In popular culture
[
edit
]
A
Tamil film
titled
Bharathi
was made in the year 2000 on the life of the poet by
Gnana Rajasekaran
, which won
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
.
[26]
The movie
Kappalottiya Thamizhan
based on the life of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai also chronicles the life of Bharathi. The
musical duo
Hiphop Tamizha
use a caricature of Bharati as a part of their
logo
.
[27]
[28]
Many of the poems written by Bharati are used in various films in the form of songs.
[29]
Phrases or lines from his poems are also used as film titles.
[30]
[31]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Why we're so turned off by Bharathiyar's saffron turban: Did the orange fall too far from the tree"
.
Edex Live
.
Archived
from the original on 28 December 2023
. Retrieved
2 June
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
Kasi Viswanathan, Muralidharan.
"In Memory of Bharathi"
.
BBC Tamil
(in Tamil).
Archived
from the original on 30 November 2022
. Retrieved
30 November
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Subramanya Bharathi biography"
.
Tamil Virtual University
.
Archived
from the original on 12 October 2022
. Retrieved
30 November
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Bharati, Subramania; Rajagopalan, Usha (2013).
Panchali's Pledge
. Hachette UK. p. 1.
ISBN
978-9-350-09530-0
.
Archived
from the original on 28 December 2023
. Retrieved
8 December
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Indian Literature: An Introduction
. Pearson Education India. 2005. pp. 125?126.
ISBN
9788131705209
.
Archived
from the original on 28 December 2023
. Retrieved
6 October
2016
.
- ^
"On the streets where Bharati walked"
.
The Hindu
.
Archived
from the original on 25 June 2020
. Retrieved
22 June
2020
.
- ^
"Bharati's Tamil daily Vijaya traced in Paris"
.
The Hindu
. 5 December 2004. Archived from
the original
on 21 November 2016.
- ^
a
b
Lal, Mohan (1992).
Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: sasay to zorgot
. Sahitya Akademi. pp. 4191?3.
ISBN
978-8-126-01221-3
.
- ^
"Last speech delivered in Erode"
.
The Hindu
. 15 April 2008. Archived from
the original
on 15 April 2008
. Retrieved
20 December
2013
.
- ^
Annamalai, E. (1968). "Changing society and modern Tamil literature".
Tamil Issue
.
4
(3/4): 21?36.
JSTOR
40874190
.
(subscription required)
- ^
"Congress Veteran reenacts Bharathis escape to Pondy"
.
The Times of India
.
Archived
from the original on 2 April 2021
. Retrieved
29 January
2021
.
- ^
George, K.M., ed. (1992).
Modern Indian Literature, an Anthology: Plays and prose
. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 379.
ISBN
978-81-7201-324-0
.
Archived
from the original on 28 December 2023
. Retrieved
20 December
2018
.
- ^
"Knowing Subramania Bharati beyond his turban colour"
.
Telegraph India
.
Archived
from the original on 26 February 2021
. Retrieved
1 June
2020
.
- ^
Raman, Aroon (21 December 2009).
"All too human at the core"
.
The Hindu
.
ISSN
0971-751X
.
Archived
from the original on 10 February 2021
. Retrieved
11 December
2020
.
- ^
"Bharathi, the first poet whose works were nationalised"
.
The Hindu
. 2 August 2015
. Retrieved
23 August
2015
.
- ^
Rangarajan (11 January 2021).
A Madras Mystery
. Notion Press.
ISBN
978-1-637-14757-3
.
Archived
from the original on 3 September 2023
. Retrieved
28 December
2023
.
- ^
"Mahakavi Bharatiyar museum"
. Government of Puducherry
. Retrieved
1 June
2024
.
- ^
"Hon'ble Governor of Tamil Nadu Thiru. R.N.Ravi, visited Mahakavi Subrmania Bharathiyar Memorial and Bharathiyar's house at Ettayapuram today"
(PDF)
(Press release).
Raj Bhavan
. 13 February 2021
. Retrieved
1 June
2024
.
- ^
"Prof. Nand Kishore Acharya Presented Prestigious Literary Award Maharana Kumbha Samman 2012"
.
Indian Institutes of Information Technology
. 1 February 2012
. Retrieved
1 June
2024
.
- ^
"Poet Subramania Bharati's Death Anniversary Declared As "Mahakavi" Day In Tamil Nadu"
.
NDTV
. 11 September 2021
. Retrieved
1 June
2024
.
- ^
"Portraits and statues in Parliament of India"
.
Parliament of India
. Retrieved
1 June
2024
.
- ^
"Free helmet distribution"
.
The Times of India
. 6 October 2015.
Archived
from the original on 10 August 2017
. Retrieved
8 October
2015
.
- ^
"Subramaniam Bharti Marg"
.
The Indian Express
. 3 October 2015.
Archived
from the original on 6 October 2015
. Retrieved
8 October
2015
.
- ^
Gupta, Ameeta; Kumar, Ashish (2006).
Handbook of Universities, Volume 1
. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 14.
ISBN
978-8-126-90607-9
.
- ^
"Activities: School"
. Sevalaya.
Archived
from the original on 5 December 2013
. Retrieved
23 December
2013
.
- ^
"SA women 'swoon' over Sanjay"
.
Sunday Tribune
. South Africa. 30 March 2008. Archived from
the original
on 10 June 2014
. Retrieved
30 November
2013
.
- ^
Akshaya Raju (16 October 2014).
"English Pesnalum Tamizhan Da ? A Hip Hop Tamizha Exclusive"
.
Guindy Times
. Archived from
the original
on 28 November 2014
. Retrieved
28 November
2014
.
- ^
Avinash Gopinath (11 November 2014).
"Kollywood Gets A New Music Director!"
.
Oneindia.in
.
Archived
from the original on 21 November 2014
. Retrieved
23 November
2014
.
- ^
"Filmy Ripples ? Mahakavi Bharathiyar's works in Tamil Film Music"
. 7 August 2017.
Archived
from the original on 23 December 2018
. Retrieved
9 July
2021
.
- ^
"Ner Konda Paarvai : Subramania Bharati's line from a poem becomes the title of Ajith-starrer"
.
International Business Times
. 5 March 2019.
Archived
from the original on 9 July 2021
. Retrieved
9 July
2021
.
- ^
"Bharathi references in Tami cinema"
.
Vikatan
.
Archived
from the original on 15 March 2020
. Retrieved
30 November
2021
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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has original text related to this article:
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