Mahakavi (Great Poet) Bharathiar’s 144th Birthday (Dec.11)
The last of the world’s greatest classical poets, Mahakavi Subramania Bharathi’s 144th birthday is being celebrated today by all Tamil speaking people all over the world.
Bharathi in his short life (39 years) single handedly filled the great post classical vacuum in Tamil literature with poems, dramas, essays, stories and translations that were compiled in 16 volumes.
A prolific poet and journalist in the forefront of Tamil Nadu’s anti-British independance/ nationalism movement, the poet who was a child prodigy recognised by the Maharaja of Ettayapuram and employed as a court poet, worked in influential publications like India, Vijaya, Bala Bharatham and Swadesamitran.
A natural linguist, Bharathi knew at least nine Indian languages like Sanskrit, Telugu etc. and three foreign languages: English, French and Arabic. He wrote several stories and poems in English but remained devoted to Tamil.
In an essay in New India opposing the attempt by British colonials to undermine Indian classical literature, Bharathi writes: “The English educated minority in this country can be pardoned for being frightfully ignorant of the higher phases of our national literatures. But they will do well to drop that annoying attitude of patronage and condescension when writing and talking about our languages. The Tamil language, for instance, has a living philosophical and poetical literature that is far grander, to my mind than that of the vernacular of England”.
Bharathi’s countless Hindu devotional poems provides a link to the great medieval bhakti (devotional) poets of South India namely the Nayanmars and Alwars. He also exhibited his special bhakti towards Sri Krishna and Mother Kali through his numerous poems.
BHARATI QUOTE: கவிதை எழுதுபவன் கவியன்று.கவிதையே வாழ்க்கையாக உடையோன்,வாழ்க்கையே கவிதையாகச் செய்தோன்,அவனே கவி!
He who writes poetry is a poet not!He who embraces poetry as life –and who lives his life as if it were poetry,He alone is a poet!
Ends
