Chinnaswami Subramania Bharathi (11 December 1882 – 11 September 1921) was an Indian writer, poet, journalist, Indian independence activist and social reformer from Tamil Nadu. Popularly known as “Mahakavi Bharathi”, he is a pioneer of modern Tamil poetry and is considered one among the greatest of Tamil literary figures of all time. His numerous works were fiery songs kindling patriotism and nationalism during Indian Independence movement

Born in Ettayapuram of the then Tirunelveli district (present day Thoothukudi) in 1882, Bharathi had his early education in Tirunelveli and Varanasi and worked as a journalist with many newspapers, notable among them being the Swadesamitran and India. Bharathi was also an active member of the Indian National Congress. In 1908, an arrest warrant was issued against Bharathi by the government of India for his revolutionary activities forcing him to flee to Puducherry where he lived until 1918.

Bharathi’s works were on varied themes covering religious, political and social aspects. Songs penned by Bharathi are widely used in Tamil films and music concerts.

Bharati is considered as one of the pioneers of modern Tamil literature.[8] Bharati used simple words and rhythms, unlike his previous century works in Tamil, which had complex vocabulary. He also employed novel ideas and techniques in his devotional poems. He used a metre called Nondi Chindu in most of his works, which was earlier used by Gopalakrisha Bharathiyar.

Bharati’s poetry expressed a progressive, reformist ideal. His imagery and the vigour of his verse were a forerunner to modern Tamil poetry in different aspects. He was the forerunner of a forceful kind of poetry that combined classical and contemporary elements. He had a prodigious output penning thousands of verses on diverse topics like Indian Nationalism, love songs, children’s songs, songs of nature, glory of the Tamil language, and odes to prominent freedom fighters of India like Tilak, Gandhi and Lajpat Rai. He even penned an ode to New Russia and Belgium. His poetry not only includes works on Hindu deities like Shakti, Kali, Vinayagar, Murugan, Sivan, Kannan(Krishna), but also on other religious gods like Allah and Jesus. His insightful similies have been read by millions of Tamil readers. He was well-versed in various languages and translated speeches of Indian National reform leaders like Aurabindo, Bala Gangadar Tilak and Swami Vivekananda.

He describes the dance of Shakthi in the following lines:

சட்டச் சட சட சடவென்றுடைபடு தாளம் கொட்டி அங்கே
எத்திகினிலும் நின்விழி அனல் போய் எட்டித்
தானே எரியும் கோலம் கண்டே சாகும் காலம்
அன்னை அன்னை
ஆடுங்கூத்தை நாடச் செய்தாய் என்னை

In Bharathiyaar’s Panchali sapatham, he compares Panchaali (Draupadi) with Bharata matha, the Paandavas with the Indians, the Kauravas with the British and the Kurukshetra war of Mahabharat to that of the Indian freedom struggle. He visualised Draupadi to India and Indian women, who were held by slavery and social clutches of the society.

Tamil
பட்டினில் உடையும் பஞ்சினில் ஆடையும்
பண்ணி மலைகளென வீதி குவிப்போம்
கட்டித் திரவியங்கள் கொண்டு வருவார்
காசினி வணிகருக்கு அவை கொடுப்போம்

[English Translation]
We make Dresses from Silk and Cotton
In quantities as large as mountains
They bring lot of wealth
The traders around the world, to whom we give it(dresses)

He is known to have said, “Even if Indians are divided, they are children of one Mother, where is the need for foreigners to interfere?” In the period 1910–1920, he wrote about a new and free India where there are no castes. He talks of building up India’s defense, her ships sailing the high seas, success in manufacturing and universal education. He calls for sharing amongst states with wonderful imagery like the diversion of excess water of the Bengal delta to needy regions and a bridge to Sri Lanka.

Bharati on feminism

Bharati is considered the first to have advocated and campaigned for women’s participation in politics. He advocated greater rights for women and their education. He visualised a modern Indian woman at the vanguard of society. He was of the strong opinion that the world will prosper in knowledge and intellect if both men and women are deemed equal. He condemned the Shashtras, the procedures formulated by some orthodox Hindus and weren’t held as holy by most Hindus, that suppressed women’s rights. Most of his views are considered contemporary even in modern times.

Bharati on caste system

Bharati also fought against the caste system in Hindu society. Although born into an orthodox Brahmin family, he gave up his own caste identity. He considered all living beings as equal and to illustrate this he performed the upanayanam for a young Dalit man and made him a Brahmin. He also scorned the divisive tendencies being imparted into the younger generations by their elderly tutors during his time. He openly criticised the preachers for mixing their individual thoughts while teaching the Vedas and the Gita. He strongly advocated bringing the Dalits to the Hindu mainstream.

Tamil
சாதிகள் இல்லையடி பாப்பா!-குலத்
தாழ்ச்சி உயர்ச்சி சொல்லல் பாவம்;
நீதி உயர்ந்த மதி,கல்வி-அன்பு
நிறை உடையவர்கள் மேலோர்.”

[English Translation]
There is no caste system.
It is a sin to divide people on caste basis.
The ones who are really of a superior class are the ones
excelling in being just, wise, educated and loving.

Subramania Bharati entered the national scene as an inspirational poet on patriotism. With a simple and yet fabulous technique of combining the rhythm of spoken language in a ceaseless flow of prose and poetry, Bharati captured the imagination of the Tamil people. .. For the first time Bharati introduced a spiritual dimension to the freedom movement and deliberated on three aspects in a marvelous literary combination of prose-poetry.

First, his compositions reveled on the physical and spiritual greatness of India. Although Bharati was deeply religious and an ardent devote of Shakti – the primordial power than makes and unmakes the whole universe, his poetry sang the glory of the universal nature of the Supreme Being and repeatedly shunned the mindless religious rituals and unrealistic traditional practices of the Hindu Society.

Second, Bharati’s compositions uniquely emphasized the fundamental quality of freedom of an individual and nation, and the need to banish fear as the path to attain it. Bharati was inspired by Shelley’s poetry on individual liberty, which served as a model for his patriotic poetry with a unique emphasis on the need for individual freedom. Bharati also was greatly influenced by Vande Mataram, a powerful poetry composed by Bankim Chandra and the Kali worship he witnessed at Banaras and his meeting Sister Nivedita, during a visit to Bengal. Perhaps these early experience enabled Bharati to inculcate fearlessness as a repeat them in his powerful poetry deriving its inspiration from what he considered as a spiritual source. He effectively unleashed this force in his revolutionary compositions on freedom and national unity.

Third, Bharati highlighted the lives of great persons as living examples for emulation. For example, Sister Nivedita was an influential figure in the life of Bharati who blessed him to participate in the freedom movement and his literary work calling for the emancipation of women. Bharati dedicated Swadesha Geetangal and Janma Bhoomi to Sister Nivedita and described her as the living example of service in the cause of suffering and emancipation of women and the downtrodden communities…”

Bharathiyar’s grand son’s grand son(ellup peran-tamil)

“Niranjan bharathi”,came to our college(Sri Krishna Arts and Science College) on 16-12-15(wednesday) on behalf of bharathi vizha and gave a wonderful speech about bharathiyar.

He cleared all the doubts of the students about bharathi. And said some poetry of bharathi and his own poetry also. All of us had a wonderful time with him.