C.

Subr amani y aBhar athiy arwasapoet , freedom f i

ght erandsoci al reformerf rom Tami lNadu.
HewasknownasMahakav iBhar athiyarandt helaudat oryepi thetMahakav imeansagr eatpoet
.
Hei sconsi deredasoneofI ndia’sgr eat estpoet s.Hi ssongsonnat ionali
sm andf reedom of
Indiahel pedt or al lythemassest osuppor ttheIndianI ndependenceMov ementi nTami l
Nadu. Subr amani y aBhar athi yarwasbor non11t hDecember1882, i
nav i
llagecal led
Ettay apur am i nTi r unelveli Distri
cti nTami lNaduandhi schi l
dhoodnamewasSubbi ah.Hi s
fatherwasChi nnaswamyI yerandhi smot herwasLakshmi Ammal .
Att heageofsev en,Subbiah
startedwr iti
ngpoemsi nTami l
.Whenhewasel even, hewr ot ei nsuchawayt hatev enlearned
menpr aisedhi mf orhi sgr eatknowl edgeandski l
l.Int heel ev ent hy ear,Subbi ahf el tthathehad
toest ablishhi scr edent i
al s.Het hr ewachal lenget otheemi nentmeni nt heassembl yof
schol ar st hatt heyshoul dhav eacont estwi thhimi nadebat eonanysubj ectwi thoutany
prev iousnot i
ceorpr epar at i
on.Thecont estwashel dataspeci al sitti
ngoft heEt tay apur am
Dur baratwhi cht heRaj ah( t
her uler)hi msel fwaspr esent .Thesubj ectchosenwas“ Educat i
on”.
Subbi ahef fi
cientlywont hedebat e.Thi swasamemor ablemomenti nSubbi ah’sl ife.Theboy
whowast ill
thenr eferredt oas“ Ettayapur am Subbi ah”camehencef ortht obeknownas
“Bhar at hi”,andl at erhewasr espect fullyr eferr
edt oas“ Bhar at hiar”bynat ional i
st sandby
mi l
lionsofTami l loversal lov erthegl obe. InJune1897, Bhar athi washar dlyfifteenwhenhi s
mar riaget ookpl ace, andhi schild-bridewasChel lammal .Bhar athi leftforBenar aswhi chwas
alsoknownasKashi andVar anasi .Hespentt heret henextt woy ear swi thhi sauntKuppammal
andherhusbandKr i
shnaSi van.Speedi l
ygai ni
ngaf airknowl edgeofSanskr it,Hindi andEngl i
sh,
hedul ypassedwi thcredi tt heEnt r
anceExami nati
onoft heAl lahabadUni v ersit
y .TheBanar as
staybr oughtaboutat remendouschangei nBhar athi’sper sonal i
ty .Out war dly,hespor teda
moust acheandaSi kht urbanandacqui redabol dswi ngi nhi swal k.

Bhar athi
:ApoetandaNat ionalist:Signifi
cantly,anewagei nTami l
lit
eratur
ebeganwi th
Subr amaniyaBharathi.Mostpar tofhi scomposi ti
onsarecl
assi f
iableasshor tly
rical
outpour i
ngsonpat r
iotic,dev ot
ional andmy sti
ct hemes.Bharathiwasessent iall
yal yr
icalpoet.
“KannanPat tu”“
Nilavum Vanmi num Kat rum”“ Panchal
iSabatam”“ Kuyi
lPattu”areexampl esof
Bhar athi
’
sgreatpoet i
cout put .
Bhar athiisconsideredasanat ionalpoetduet ohi snumberof
poemsoft hepatr
ioticf l
avourt hr oughwhi chheexhor t
edthepeopl etojointheindependence
struggleandworkv igor ouslyfort hel iberati
onoft hecountr
y.Insteadofmer elybeingpr oudof
hiscount r
yhealsoout l
inedhi sv isionf oraf r
eeI ndi
a.Hepublishedt hesensat i
onal “
Sudesa
Geet hangal
”in1908.

BharathiasaJournalist
:ManyyearsofBhar at
hi’sli
fewer espentinthef i
eldofjournali
sm,
Bharathi
,asay oungmanbeganhi scareerasaj ournal
istandasasub- edit
orin
“Swadesami t
ran”inNov ember1904.“
India”sawt heli
ghtoft hedayinMay ,1906.Itdeclaredas
i
tsmot tothethreeslogansoftheFrenchRev oluti
on,Libert
y,Equali
tyandFr ater
nity.I
tblazeda
newt r
ailinTamilJournali
sm.Inordertoproclaimitsrevolut
ionar
yar dour,Bharathihadt he
weekl ypr intedi nr edpaper .“India”wast hef ir
stpaperi nTami lNadut opubl ishpol it
ical
cartoons.Heal sopubl i
shedandedi tedaf ewot herj our nalsl i
ke“ Vijaya” .Itisnotsur prising
therefor et hatsoonawar rantwaswai ti
ngatt hedooroft he“ India”of ficef ort hear r
estoft he
edit
oroft hemagazi ne.I twasbecauseoft hiswor seni ngsi tuationi n1908t hatBhar athi deci ded
togoawayt oPondi cher ry ,aFr encht er ritoryatt hatt ime, andcont i
nuet opubl i
sht he“Indi a”
magazi ne.Bhar athir esidedi nPondi cher ryforsomet imet oescapet hewr at hoft heBr i
tish
i
mper iali
st s.Dur inghi sexi le, Bhar athi hadt heoppor tunit ytomi nglewi thmanyl eader soft he
mili
tantwi ngoft hei ndependencemov ementsuchasAur obi ndo, LajpatRai andV. V.S.Ai yar,
whohadal sosoughtasy lum i nt heFr ench, Pondi cher ry.Themostpr of itabley earsofBhar athi’s
l
ifewer et het eny ear shespenti nPondi cher ry.
Fr om Pondi cher ry,hegui dedt heTami l yout hof
Madr ast ot readi nthepat hofnat ional ism.Thi si ncreasedt heangeroft heBr iti
sht owar ds
Bhar athi’
swr i
tingsast heyf eltthati twashi swr i
tingst hati nduceandi nfluencet hepat riot ic
spir
itoft heTami lyout h.Bhar athi metMahat maGandhi i
n1919i nRaj aji’
shomeatMadr as.
Bhar athi ent eredBr i
t i
shI ndi anearCuddal orei nNov ember1918andwaspr ompt lyarrest ed.
Eveni npr i
son, hespenthi st imei nwr itingpoemsonf reedom, national ism andcount r
y ’
s
welfar e.I
nhi sear l
yday sofy outhhehadgoodr elationswi thNat ional i
stTami lLeader slike
V.O.Chi dambar am, Subr amany aSi va, Manday am Thi rumal achar iarandSr iniv asachar i
.Al ong
witht hesel eader sheusedt odi scusst hepr oblemsf acingt hecount ryduet oBr iti
shr ule.
Bhar athi usedt oat t
endt heAnnual sessi onsofI ndianNat i
onal Congr essanddi scussnat ional
i
ssueswi thext remi stI ndianNat i
onal Leader slikeBi pinChandr aPal ,B.G.Ti lakandV. V.S.I yer.
Hispar t
icipat i
onandact ivi
tiesi nBenar asSessi on( 1905)andSur atSessi on( 1907)oft heI ndian
National Congr essi mpr essedmanynat ional l
eader sabouthi spat r
ioticf er vour .Bhar athi had
maint ainedgoodr elationswi t
hsomeoft henat ional leader sandshar edhi st hought sandv iews
onthenat ionandof feredhi ssuggest ionst ostrengt hent henat ional i
stmov ement .Undoubt edly,
hiswi sesuggest ionsandst eadf astsuppor ttothecauseofnat ionalism r ejuv enat edmany
nati
onal leader s.ThusBhar at hiplayedapi votal roleint hef reedom ofI ndi a.

Bhar thiasasoci alreformer :Bharathi

wasal soagai nstcast esy stem.Hedecl aredthatther e
wer eonl yt wocast es-menandwomenandnot hingmor et hant hat .Abov eall,hehimselfhad
remov edhi ssacr edthread.Hehadal soador nedmanyDal itswi thsacr edt hread.Heusedt o
taket easol dinshopsr unbyMusl ims.Heal ongwi thhi sfami lymember sat tendedchurchonal l
festivaloccasi ons.Headv ocatedtempl eent r
yofDal i
ts.Foral lhisr eforms, hehadt oface
opposi tionf r
om hi sneighbour s.ButBhar athiwasv erycleart hatunl essI ndiansuni t
eas
childrenofMot herIndia,theycoul dnotachi evefreedom.Hebel ievedi nwomen’ sright
s, gender
equal it
yandwomenemanci pat i
on.Heopposedchi ldmar riage, dowr yandsuppor t
edwidow
remar riage.Bhar athidiedon11t hSeptember1921.Bhar athiasapoet ,j
our nali
st,fr
eedom
fi
ght erandsoci al r
eformerhadmadeagr eati mpactnotonl yont heTami lsocietybutalsoon
theent i
rehumansoci ety.Hef oll
owedwhatal lhepr eachedandi tisher ethathi sgreat
nessi s
mani fest ed.Hispr ophecydur i
ngt hecolonialperiodaboutt hei ndependenceofI ndiacamet rue
aftert woandhal fdecadesaf t
erhisdemi se.Hi svisionaboutagl or i
ousI ndiahasbeent aki nga
shapeinthepost
-I
ndependenceera.Bharat
hidi
dnotli
vef
orhi
msel
fbutf
ort
hepeopl
eand
nati
on.Thati
swhyhei srespect
ful
lycal
ledasBhar
athi
yar
.