Mahakavi Subramaniya Bharathiyar was one of a kind. He was a great writer who wrote in simple language. This quality of his writings appealed to the masses immensely. His writings were powerful and appealed to everyone – young and old, rich and poor, men and women. They filled the Indian people with energy, enthusiasm, and patriotic fervour. Subramaniya Bharathiyar was a universal poet and writer whose writings are always relevant to all people.
Bharathiyar was born as C Subramaniyan Iyer in Ettayappuram, in the erstwhile Thirunelveli area of the Madras Presidency of Bharat, which was under imperialist British rule. Currently, Ettayappuram is part of the Thoothukudi District of Tamil Nadu, the state of free Bharat.
Subramaniyan wrote his first poem in Tamil at the age of eleven. He worked at Ettayappuram Palace for some time. He travelled to Kashi and lived there for a few years. He learned multiple languages and was a polyglot – he could speak Hindi and Sanskrit too. Subramaniyan was a Brahmin who opposed the practice of untouchability. ‘Bharathi’ was a title he earned for his erudition and debating skills. He was considered a ‘Mahakavi’ or a ‘Great Poet’ like Kalidasa. He was a social reformer as well.
He wrote many patriotic poems, including Vande Mataram’ and ‘Jai Bharat. These poems reflected the greatness of Tamil Nadu and the Tamil language. His Tamil poem, ‘Sentamizhnadu,’ deserves to be the Tamil Anthem instead of the present one – Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu.
Mahakavi Subramaniya Bharathiyar wrote devotional songs. He wrote short stories. He is considered to be the author of the first short story in the Tamil language. He wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. He wrote his autobiography. He was a genius poet-writer.
He also worked as the Assistant Editor of Swadesamitram, a Tamil Daily. He edited the Tamil Weekly India and the English newspaper Bala Bharatam. He worked with Shri Aurobindo on the ‘Arya’ and ‘Karma Yogi’ journals. He was an Indian Independence activist who opposed the oppression of women.
Mahakavi Subramaniya Bharathiyar envisioned a world filled with compassion, kindness, love, patriotism, good conduct, peace, and harmony. His writings have covered the themes mentioned above.
His writings have been inspirational, and many have praised him, including Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi ji. He will remember for aeons to come.
Dr. S. Padmapriya is an author and thinker based out of Chennai.
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