Chinnaswami Subramania Bharati (Tamil:சின்னசுவாமி சுப்பிரமணிய பாரதி) (December 11, 1882 – September 11, 1921) was an Indian writer, poet, journalist, Indian independence activist and social reformer from Tamil Nadu, India. Popularly known asMahakavi Bharathiyar (Tamil: மகாகவி பாரதியார்), he is a pioneer of modern Tamil poetry.[2]
Born in Ettayapuram in 1882, Subramania Bharati studied in Tirunelveli and worked as a journalist with many newspapers, notable among them being the Swadesamitran andIndia. Bharathi was also an active member of the Indian National Congress. In 1908, an arrest warrant was issued against Bharathi by the government of British Indiafor his revolutionary activities forcing him to flee to Pondicherry where he lived until 1918.
Bharathi is considered to be one of the greatest Tamil poets of the modern era. Most of his works were on religious, political and social themes. Songs penned by Bharathi have been widely used in Tamil films and Carnatic Music concert platforms.
Family complaint about denial of immortality to Bharathi’s wife Chellammal:
ReplyDeleteCharge against maternal uncle Appadurai Aiyer.
According to both the daughters of Bharatiyar- Thangamma and Sakuntala- the “Kannamma’ in Bharathi’s songs was none other than “Chellamma”, their beloved mother.
In fact, both of them, in separately recorded in writings (more than once) , have clearly stated that their maternal uncle (Chellammal’s brother) Appadurai Aiyer has made the change (from Chellamma to Kannamma) for reasons best known to him!
The assumption by Bharati’s daughter Sakuntala is that Appadurai did’nt want his sister’s name (in love songs) go public. According to Thangamma, the elder daughter, Appadurai did’nt find the name Chellamma, “sophisticated enough” and so he opted for Kannamma.
This Appadurai Aiyer is the one who ditched his own sister and ran with the books of Account of ‘Bharati Ashram’ (Publication effort initiated by Chellamma to get Bharati’s works published after his death.) This fact is also recorded by Sakuntala Bharathi, in writing. This traitor-like action, by Appadurai Aiyer landed Chellamma in great financial troubles/issues that ultimately led to the closure of Bharati Ashram (Publications). Therefore, it could be presumed further that Appadurai Aiyer has been nursing plans to eliminate his sister from gaining lime light and also copyright of Bharati’s works.
It should also be fairly mentioned that this Appadurai Aiyer has been previously helping Chellamma of and on to get out her out of domestic financial difficulties. At the same time, he was also the one who blocked the efforts of Kanadukathan Chettiyar to buy all of Bharati’s works from Chellamma for a fat sum with an an assurance of support for her family throughout.
But for, Appadurai Aiyer’s manipulations in the said negotiations Chellamma and her daughters would have lived in some comfort after the demise of Bharatiyar. The lament of Bharathi’s daughters- about denial of immortality to their mother Chellamma, in Bharati’s poetry- would not happened!
(Note: I recluctantly use ‘Aiyer’ here only because both Thangammal and Sakuntala have always mentioned his name with the caste title.)
- Raja Mutthirulandi
Also see: https://rtirajamuthu.blogspot.com/2021/12/1919-26.html