In News
- Recently, the Vice-President of India paid floral tributes to Mahakavi Subramania Bharati to mark the death centenary of the poet and freedom fighter.
Who was Subramanya Bharati?
- He was an outstanding Indian writer of the nationalist period and is regarded as the father of the modern Tamil style.
- He is also known as ‘Mahakavi Bharathiyar’
- Born in Ettayapuram of erstwhile Madras Presidency on December 11, 1822.
- He died on 11th September 1921.
- In his early life, he worked in various capacities as sub-editor of Swadesamitran, a Tamil daily and Chakravartini, a Tamil monthly.
Image Courtesy: TOI
Contribution to the National Movement:
- He got involved in the extremist wing of the Indian National Congress (INC) party.
- He attended the annual sessions of INC and discussed national issues with extremist leaders like Bipin Chandra Pal, B.G. Tilak and V.V.S. Iyer.
- His vision of nationalism was secular, against casteism and sexism, and pan-Indian.
- He wrote many patriotic poems which received praise for their nationalistic themes.
- In 1908 he was forced to flee to Pondicherry, where he lived until 1918. After his return, he rejoined the Tamil daily Swadesamitran.
- Role as a social reformer:
- He was vocal against the caste system and consistently spoke about women’s issues.
- He was influenced by Sister Nivedita, a disciple of Vivekananda.
- He spoke out against social issues such as child marriage, untouchability through his writings.
- Literary Contributions:
- He was a prolific writer and poet and fluent in Tamil, Hindi, Sanskrit, English and French.
- He brought a renaissance in Tamil literature. Some of his famous works are:
- Panchali sapatham (1912)
- Kuyil p???u (1912)
- Ka??an p???u (1917)
- He wrote poems concerning issues from all around the world.
- His English works were collected in Agni.
- Legacy:
- In 1949, the government of Madras purchased the copyright for his works from them and six years later, the government of Tamil Nadu made it public.
- Till this date, Bharathiyar is a household name in Tamil Nadu but he is little known outside the South.
- His works have been translated into multiple languages, and the government has conferred various honours upon him such as naming streets after his name.
- Bharathi Award:
- It was instituted in 1994 by Vanavil Cultural Centre.
- It is conferred every year to eminent persons who have done laudable service in any field of social relevance.
Source: TH
