SUBRAMANYA BHARATHIAR - Repeat of my posting in Facebook in 2014.

SUBRAMANYA BHARATHIAR
Repeat of my posting in Facebook in 2014.
Chinnaswami Subramanya Bharathi
(Birth11-12-1882 Death 11-09-1921)
Was born in Ettayapuram to Chinnasami Subramanya Iyer and Lakhsmiammaal as "Subbayya" on December 11, 1882. Bharathi lost his mother at the age of 5 and his father at the age of 16. Bharathi was given to day-dreaming and could not concentrate on his studies. He was educated at a local high school called "The M.D.T. Hindu College" in Tirunelveli. In 1897, perhaps to instill a sense of responsibility in him, his father had the 14 year old Bharathi, married to his seven year younger cousin, Chellamal. Bharathi, due to prevailing family conditions, left for Benares in 1898 to further his interests in a relative’s house. During his stay in Benares, present day Varanasi, Bharathi was exposed to Hindu spirituality and nationalism.He learned Sanskrit, Hindi and English. In addition, he changed his outward appearance. He also grew a Moustache and wore a turban.

The turban became a hall mark of identification of Bharathi in later years.

In December 1905, he attended the All India Congress session held in Benaras. On his journey back home, he met Sister Nivedita, Swami Vivekananda’s spiritual daughter. From her arose another of Bharathi’s iconoclasm, his stand to recognise the privileges of women. He visualised the 'new woman' as an emanation of Shakti, a willing helpmate of man to build a new earth through co-operative endeavour.

During this period, Bharathi understood the need to be well-informed of the world outside and took interest in the world of journalism and the print media of the West. Bharathi joined as Assistant Editor of the Swadeshamitran, a Tamil daily in 1904. By April 1907, he started editing the Tamil weekly India and the English newspaper Bala Bharatham with M.P.T. Acharya. From hymns to nationalistic writings, from contemplations on the relationship between God and Man to songs on the Russian and French revolutions, Bharathi's subjects were diverse.
He was simultaneously up against society for its mistreatment of the downtrodden people and the British for occupying India.

Bharathi participated in the historic Surat Congress in 1907, which deepened the divisions within the Indian National Congress between the militant wing led by Tilak and Aurobindo and the moderate wing. Bharathi supported Tilak and Aurobindo together with V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Kanchi Varathaachariyar. Tilak openly supported armed resistance against the British. In 1908, the proprietor of the journal “India” was arrested in Madras

An arrest warrant was issued against Bharathi by the government of British India for his revolutionary activities forcing him to flee to Pondicherry where he lived until 1918. Bharathi entered British India near Cuddalore in November 1918 and was promptly arrested. He was imprisoned in the Central prison in Cuddalore in custody for three weeks from 20 November to 14 December. The following year Bharathi met M K Gandhi . He was struck by an elephant at Parthasarathy temple, Triplicane, Chennai, whom he used to feed regularly. Although he survived the incident, a few months later his health deteriorated and he died on September 11, 1921
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 Gopalakrishna Bharathiyar.