Remembering Mahakavi Subramanya Barathiyar 2019

11^th  Dec  is a day to remember ~ it marks the 137^th birth   anniversary of the greatest poet, a great son of India – Mahakavi Subrahmanya Barathiyar.

வந்தே மாதரம் என்போம்-எங்கள்  மாநிலத் தாயை வணங்குதல் என்போம்.

- என்ற வரிகளை கேட்டு மெய் சிலிர்த்தது உண்டா ?

பாரத சமுதாயம் வாழ்கவே! - வாழ்க வாழ்க!

பாரத சமுதாயம் வாழ்கவே! - ஜய ஜய ஜய

முப்பது கோடி ஜனங்களின் சங்கம் - முழுமைக்கும் பொது உடைமை

ஒப்பிலாத சமுதாயம்  - உலகத்துக்கொரு புதுமை - வாழ்க! (பாரத)

~ என்று நம் தேசத்தை வியந்த எந்தை எங்கள் மஹாகவி ஒப்புயர்வற்ற ஞானி தீர்க்கதரிசி அஞ்சாநெஞ்சன் சுதந்திர போராட்ட மாவீரன் சுப்பிரமணிய பாரதி!

சுப்ரமணிய பாரதியார் ~ ஒரு உன்னத பிறவி.   கவிதைகள் வாயிலாக மக்களின் மனதில் விடுதலை உணர்வை ஊட்டியவர். இவர் ஒரு கவிஞர் மட்டுமல்லாமல் ஒரு எழுத்தாளர், பத்திரிக்கை ஆசிரியர், சமூக சீர்திருத்தவாதி - தன்  காலத்துக்கு  மிகவும் பல்லாண்டுகள்  பிறகு நடக்க வல்லவை பற்றி  கூர் நோக்குடன் சிந்தித்தவர்.  குறைந்த காலமே வாழ்ந்தாலும் சாதனைகள் செய்தவர். இளமையிலேயே கவிபாடும் திறமை பெற்றிருந்த சுப்பிரமணியன், எட்டையபுர சமஸ்தானப் புலவர்கள் அவையில் பாரதி என்ற பட்டம் பெற்றார். அன்று முதல் இவர்“சுப்பிரமணிய பாரதியார்”என அழைக்கப்பெற்றார்.

The man who was to become an iconoclastic freedom fighter was born in a small village called Ettayapuram on Dec 11, 1882. His  parents  Chinnasami Subramanya Iyer and Lakhsmiammaal named him Subbaiah. V At the age of seven, Subbiah started writing poems in Tamil. When he was eleven, he wrote in such a way that even learned men praised him for his great knowledge and skill.  The boy who was till then referred to as “Ettayapuram Subbiah” was proudly referred as “Bharathi” thenceforth  by nationalists and by millions of Tamil lovers all over the globe.

In June 1897, at a very young age of 15 (customary those days) his  marriage took place, and his child-bride was Chellammal.  Bharathi left for Benaras (Kasi). He lived there the next two years with his aunt Kuppammal and her husband Krishna Sivan.  He learnt with flair and became expert in Sanskrit, Hindi and English, passing  with credit the Entrance Examination of the Allahabad University. The Benares  stay brought about a tremendous change in Bharathi’s personality.  His personality and looks too changed – he started sporting a twirled  moustache;  a  turban and acquired a bold swing in his walk.   Interestingly, this is what he claimed himself to be (at a much later stage !)

நமக்குத் தொழில்கவிதை,  நாட்டிற்கு உழைத்தல்*

இமைப் பொழுதுஞ் சோராதிருத்தல்- உமைக்கினிய

மைந்தன் கணநாதன் நங்குடியை வாழ்விப்பான்;

சிந்தையே! இன்மூன்றும் செய்.

He prayed Lord Siva (Umainathan) to bless the community stating that his avocation was ‘writing poetry, working for mother land and persevering without battling eye-lid for the cause’ – appeals blessing for these three !

Bharathi started his own journal India in 1906 and published his fiery patriotic poems and blunt anti-colonial articles. His association with V. O. C. became more intimate, the latter floated his Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company in 1906. Bharathi helped him in getting contributions for shares in the company and donations. The great man hailed as Kappalottiya thamizhan fought  Imperial British traders challenging them at sea.  Irked by this, VOC  was subsequently foisted with  serious charges of sedition and conspiracy, which got him two life terms of rigorous imprisonment whence he was physically assaulted and humiliated.  Barathiyar too underwent harassment and was severely injured in prison, which infact led to his death.

Mahakavi Subramanya Barathi lived in Thulasinga Perumal Kovil Street (TP Koil Street) during his last years – he was a tenant in a small portion (single room) in the  house seen here.

By his songs and concerted actions, he reached to the masses making them aware of the need for freedom struggle and could make a great movement in Southern part of the Nation.  He was a fiery leader with progressive leader and great vision, clearly a man who lived much beyond his age and foresaw things clearly.  Bharathi 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, Bharathi 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 of 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.

His poetry stands out for many facets of his love for his motherland. He berates his countrymen for many social evils. He chastises them for a fearful and pusillanimous attitude towards the rulers. He gave 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?".

The land of Pondicherry bears connection to this great revolutionary.  Apart from running journals and magazines from here, he sung about the famous deity of Pondy ~ “Manakula Vinayagar” in his Vinayagar Nanmani Maalai [விநாயகர் நான்மணி மாலை] – by some accounts this was published out of handwritten manuscripts in 1929 posthomously.

Bharati’s knowledge of the happenings around him, and all over the world was accurate and detailed. As a journalist, who had to deal with international matters, he read almost all the English newspapers, especially those published from England. He discussed in his articles many matters relating to the freedom of India, its economic, political, artistic and spiritual growth, in comparison with other nations, who were caught in a similar predicament.

An Organisation ~ “Vaanavil Panpattu Maiyam”  have been celebrating the birth anniversary of Mahakavi every year, by organizing various programmes at Triplicane at the house where Bharatiyar resided.    In the words of Bharathi, those who are truly devoted would not be impatient and would not do things in a hurry for they know how life grows out steadily out of seed; and for those who are given to understanding the divine power is everything ~ also know that all they need to do is to work with esteem rest being taken by Divine shakthi.

பக்தியுடையார் காரியத்திற் பதறார், மிகுந்த பொறுமையுடன்

வித்து முளைக்குந் தன்மைபோல் மெல்லச்செய்து பயனடைவார்,

சக்தி தொழிலே அனைத்துமெனிற் சார்ந்த நமக்குச் சஞ்சலமேன்?

வித்தைக்கிறைவா, கணநாதா, மேன்மைத் தொழிலிற் பணியெனையே.

History written by British has it that the elephant of Sri Parthasarathi temple trampled him to death ~ though an incident of elephant brushing Mahakavi Subramanya Barathiyar did occur somewhere in June, he lived for more than 3 months after that reported incident.  After that reported incident, he continued his activities at Swadesamitran, spoke at public meetings and made some visits too – and most probably died in Sept due  to failing health, derived from the boot blows and harsh treatment meted out in prison by British authorities – which is comfortably hidden in history.     

             

வெள்ளையர் தம் அடக்குமுறை, எப்போதும் ஓட்டம், பசி, பிணி போன்றவற்றால் வாடிய மஹாகவிஞனை - "கோவில் யானை அடித்து கொன்றது" என்ற கட்டுக்கதையை பரப்பியுள்ளனர்.  யானையால் பாரதி தள்ளுண்ட நிகழ்வு ஒரு ஜூன்  மாதத்தில் நிகழ்ந்ததாம்; அப்போது அவரை குவளை கண்ணன் காப்பாற்றியுள்ளார்.   அச் சம்பவத்தின் பின்பு அவர் வழக்கம் போல "சுதேச மித்திரன்" பத்திரிகை அலுவலகம் சென்று தனது வேலைகளைச் செய்து வந்துள்ளார். மேலும் சென்னை நகரக் கடற்கரைப் பொதுக்கூட்டங்களில் தொடர்ந்தும் கலந்து கொண்டு வந்துள்ளார். ஜூலை  31ம் திகதி கருங்கற்பாளைய வாசகசாலையின் 5வது வருடக் கொண்டாட்டக் கூட்டத்தில் பாரதியார் பேசிய உரையின் தலைப்பு "மனிதனுக்கு மரணமில்லை."  - அவர் இறந்ததோ செப்ட் 12 அதிகாலை !!!

With great regards to the poet – S. Sampathkumar.

11^th Dec 2019.