Tamil Nadu

Bharathidasan (Tamil: பாரதிதாசன்) (April 29, 1891 - April 1, 1964; also spelt Bharatidasan) was a twentieth century Tamil poet and rationalist whose literary works handled mostly socio-political issues. His writings served as a catalyst for the growth of the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu. In addition to poetry, his views found expression in other forms such as plays, film scripts, short stories and essays. He was mentored by Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathi (after whom he called himself "Bharathidasan"). But Bharathidasan, unlike Bharathi rarely used words derived from Sanskrit in his works; also Bharathidasan's works were more political.

Life

Bharathidasan was born in Pondicherry. His original name was Subburathinam. He underwent formal education in Tamil literature, Tamil grammar and Saiva Sidhantha Vedanta under reputed scholars. He also studied at the Collège Calvé in Pondicherry. In 1909, he was introduced to Subramanya Bharathi, and his interactions with the Mahakavi had a major impact on him. He initially worked as a Tamil teacher in the French territory of Karaikal.

He actively participated in the Indian Independence Movement and through his writings openly opposed the British and the French Government. He was sentenced and imprisoned by the French Government for voicing views against the French Government that was ruling Pondicherry then. He was a strong supporter of Periyar and an important member of the Suya-Mariyadhai (meaning Self-Respect) Dravida Movement (also known as the Anti-Brahmin movement), founded by Periyar. Biggest leader Pavalareru Perunchitthiranaar's Friend.

During the Atheist's conference in Chennai, he signed a document having the words "I am an undying atheist".

Throughout his writing career he was encouraged by political leaders such as Annadurai and M. G. Ramachandran. In 1954 he was elected to the Pondicherry Legislative Assembly. He remained a prolific writer until he died in 1964 in a hospital in Chennai.

Literary Works

Bharathidasan penned his works under different pseudonyms such as Puduvai Kalaimakal, Desopakari, Desabhaktan, Anantapotini, Swadesamitiran, Tamilarasu, Tupleks, Kirukkan, Kindalkaran and the name by which he known today - Bharathidasan. As he was a staunch follower of Anti-Brahmanism, many of his works were anti-Brahmin in nature. Often he talked of "Tamil Race" and "Aryan Race" as polar opposites.

His works include

• Srimayilam Suppiramaniar Thuthiyamuthu
• Sanjivi Parvathin Saaral
• Edhirpaaraadha Mutham
• Kaadhal Ninaivugal
• Nalla Theerppu
• Alagin Sirippu
• Kudumba Vilakku
• Pandiyan Parisu
• Irunda Veedu
• Tamil Illakiyam
• Amaidhi - Oomai
• Saumiyan
• Kavingyar Pesugiraar
• Kadhala Kadamaiya
• Hindi Ethurppu Paadalgal
• Kannagi Puratchik Kaapiyam
• Manimekalai Venpa
• Panmanithiral
• Tenaruvi Isai Paadalgal

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Subramania Bharati (Tamil: சுப்ரமணிய பாரதி) (December 11, 1882 - September 11, 1921) was a Tamil poet from Tamil Nadu, India, independence fighter and reformer. Known as Mahakavi Bharati (the laudatory epithet Maha Kavi meaning Great Poet in Tamil), he is celebrated as one of India's greatest poets. Bharati was prolific and adept in both the prose and poetry forms, and his rousing compositions helped rally the masses to support the Indian independence movement in South India. Bharati lived during an eventful period of Indian history; his contemporaries included other prominent leaders of the Indian independence movement such as Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sri Aurobindo and V.V.S.Aiyar.

Early life

Bharati was born to Chinnasami Subramania Iyer and Lakshmi Ammaal on December 11, 1882 in the Tamil village of Ettayapuram. Bharati was educated at a local high school called "The M.D.T.Hindu College". He learnt music from very young age and at 11 was invited to a conference of Ettayapuram court poets and musicians for composing poems and songs. It was here that he was conferred the title of "Bharathi" (Goddess of learning). Bharati lost his mother at the age of 5 and his father at the age of 16. He married his cousin Chellamal in 1897, at the age of fourteen. After an early marriage, Bharati, curious to see the outside world, left for Benares in 1898. The next four years of his life served as a passage of discovery, when Bharathi discovered a country in tumult outside his small hamlet. Bharati worked as a school teacher in Madurai Sethupathy High School (Now a Higher Secondary School) and as a journal editor at various times in his life.

Literary career

Bharati had an exceptional love and devotion towards his mother tongue Tamil language, which he considered as the sweetest of all the languages known to him. He has written in one of his poems, 'Of all the languages I know, I have not heard a sweeter language than Tamil' (யாமறிந்த மொழிகளிலே தமிழ்மொழி போல் இனிதாவது எங்கும் காணோம்). He was fluent in many languages including Bengali, Hindi, Sanskrit, Kutchi, French and English and frequently translated works from other languages into Tamil. He had a voracious appetite for learning ancient and contemporary Tamil literature and derived astonishing insights from the ancient poems. He emphasized that musicians should not sing songs which they don't understand and should learn from Hindustani musicians how to train their voices. He was not a simple propagandist poet, however noble his patriotic and humanist sentiments were. He was also a seeker of beauty and philosophic wisdom. As a national poet, as a poet with a universal vision and as a poet of beauty and truth, he is comparable to some of the great poets of the world. Hence his claim to a lofty place in the great galaxy of world poetry.

A number of his creations are about nature. Both Bharati and Shelley were soaring spirits and loved the sparrow and the skylark respectively as symbols of freedom. But Bharathi is not content with the mindless joy of the sparrow; he wants to fly in the sky like a bird so that he can see the endless hills, springs, rivers and the sea. But the human body does not give him full freedom and he also recognizes that the very growth of human civilization is a hindrance to experiencing the bliss of the bird. But he never wants to surrender his humanity. He is alive to the fact that in the world of the bird, there is no intellectual joy of man. Whereas Shelley is unwilling to return to the earth because of its sadness (our sincerest laughter with some pain is fraught), Bharathi’s sparrow asks man to give up not life but desire. Bharathi’s poetry is not an escape from but into life.

Journalism

As a journalist, Bharati was the first in India to introduce caricatures and political cartoons to his newspapers; they were satirical and angry hand-drawn illustrations of the poet that improvised heavily on the works of his inspiration Thomas Nast. He published and edited various journals such as Swadeshamitran, India, Vijaya, and Bala Bharatham.

Innovation in Tamil poetry

Bharati was a pioneer in introducing a new style of Tamil poetry. Until then the poems had to follow the strict syntactic rules set down by the ancient Tamil grammatical treatise Tolkappiyam. Bharati broke this syntactic bonds and created a prose-poetic style known as the puthukkavithai (modern poems).

Literary output

Bharati's was a prolific writer and in his short life he produced numerous poems short and long, essays, prose-poetry and fiction. He wrote poems in both the conventional as well as his new style of puthukkavithai. His works may be broadly classified into these heading

• Autobiography (சுய சரிதை)
• Patriotic songs (தேசிய கீதங்கள்)
• Philosophical songs (ஞானப்பாடல்கள்)
• Miscellaneous songs (பல்வகைப் பாடல்கள்)
• Devotional songs (தோத்திரப் பாடல்கள்)
• Commentary on Gita (பகவத் கீதை முன்னுரை)
• Kannan song, Kuyil song (கண்ணன் பாட்டு, குயில் பாட்டு)
• Panchali's Vow (பாஞ்சாலி சபதம்)
• Chandrika's story (சந்திரிகையின் கதை) (an unfinished novel)
• Pappa Pattu (பாப்பாப் பாட்டு) (Songs for the Children)
• Leaders

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Tamil Nadu is one of the states of India. It lies on the eastern coast of the southern Indian Peninsula bordered by Puducherry, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It is bound by the Eastern Ghats in the north, the Nilgiri, the Anamalai Hills, and Palakkad on the west, Bay of Bengal in the east, Gulf of Mannar, Palk Strait in the south east and Indian Ocean in the south. It is the eleventh largest state in India by area and the seventh most populous state.

It is the fifth largest contributor to India'sand the most urbanised state in India. The state has the highest number (10.56%) of business enterprises in India,remarkable compared to the population share of about 6%. It is one of the foremost states in the country in terms of overall development. It is home to many natural resources, rare flora and fauna, grand Hindu temples of Dravidian architecture, beach resorts, multi-religious pilgrimage sites and three UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Geography and climate

• Tamil Nadu covers an area of 130,058 square kilometres (50,216 sq mi)
• Tamil Nadu is the eleventh largest state in India.
• Tamil Nadu has 31 districts.
• Tamil nadu Population in 2001 - Total: 62, 405, 679 (Male : 31,400,909) (Female : 31,004,770)

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