ENCORE
Born poet, sincere patriot
SRIRAM VENKATKRISHNAN
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Nationalist Thus went this paper’s tribute to Subramania Bharati on his demise. And S. Satyamurthi chipped in with his homage to the bard.
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Photos: Archives and S.R. Raghunathan
IMMORTAL:Subramania Bharati with wife Chellamma
Today the songs of Subramania Bharati are an integral part of Carnatic music. There have even been concerts exclusively dedicated to his works.
Bharati himself was passionate about classical music, writing about it and in one memorable tract even chiding musicians for singing without understanding the import of the lyrics.
There is a school of thought that holds the view that Bharati was the first and perhaps best among the long line of Carnatic music critics.
The acknowledgment by the world of his genius however lay in the future. Bharati breathed his last on September 11, 1921, surrounded by his immediate family and a handful of friends, his physical form emaciated with illness and the traumatic incident concerning the elephant in the Sri Parthasarathy Temple, Triplicane..
The Hindu on September 12, 1921, devoted part of its editorial to the passing of Bharati and it is worth quoting in full: “We regret to learn of the death of Vara Kavi Subramaniya Bharati at his residence in Triplicane last night. The deceased (sic) was an ardent nationalist, a great thinker, a stirring speaker and a powerful writer. He is the author of a number of Tamil works including “National songs.”
National songs
His recitation of his national songs infused genuine patriotism in the hearts of his listeners. He, like many other patriots of India, was an exile in Pondicherry for some years, because his patriotic speeches did not please the Gods in power. He has for some time past been ailing and by his premature death the country has lost a born poet and a sincere patriot.”
On September 13, The Hindu carried a report on the meeting of the Amara Kala Vilasini Sabha to condole the death of Bharati. The meeting concluded with the formation of a committee comprising the president V. Somadeva Sarma, S Krishnaswami Aiyer, Kalyanaswami Aiyengar and Narayana Rao to “concert measures to perpetuate his memory by the publication of Mr Bharati’s unpublished manuscripts and take other steps towards the same.” The high idealism of the committee notwithstanding, nothing really came out of this.
On September 14, The Hindu published S Satyamurthi’s tribute. The great orator and nationalist wrote:
“National upheavals are almost always accompanied by the birth of great national poets. Indeed it will be no exaggeration to say that the contribution of the poet to national regeneration is no less than that of the statesman or the soldier…
The bust at his house in Triplicane
Among such national poets, my friend the late Subramanya Bharati has claim to hold a high place. A born poet… he placed his great talents at the disposal of his country from his earliest years.
He has composed several soul-stirring songs in popular tunes in Tamil… wherever they are sung, I have seen the magical effect they produce on those who hear them.
“Had he been born in any free country, he would have risen to such heights of eminence that he would have lived longer and enriched his language and his race more than he was able to do here. Had he been born even in Bengal, he would have been a Rabindra Nath Tagore. But born in India and in Tamil India, Subramanya Bharati had to spend the best part of an all too short a life, an exile from those who were near and dear to him. No wonder that he pined and suffered and has gone to a premature grave. So long, however as the Tamil language lives, and there is a spark of patriotism in Tamil India, Subramanya Bharati’s songs will live…”
Tribute drew attention
Satyamurthi’s tribute drew attention to the penurious situation in which Bharati’s family found itself. He wrote: “It is up to Tamil India to see that they do not suffer in want. His songs deserve to be given the widest publicity. I would suggest that donations be raised to bring out a memorial edition of his songs and that the copyright of the book be presented to his wife and children…”
In an atmosphere that was largely hostile to such patriotic songs, Satyamurthi’s suggestion was to fall on deaf ears. The memorial edition was left to Bharati’s wife who brought it out in 1922. But the going was tough in the years ahead. Indeed, the story of the publication of Bharati’s works would be a good subject of study by itself!
An inside view of ‘Bharatiar Illam,’ which has been declared a memorial.
But the songs of Bharati, as Satyamurthi desired, took hold of public imagination. Carnatic musicians, among others, saw their merit and began singing them. The fast rising generation of Carnatic super stars in the 1930s made many songs their own, leaving an indelible stamp on them. The Tamil Isai movement of the 1940s saw the songs getting their deserved boost and from then on there was no looking back.
(The author can be contacted at srirambts@gmail.com)
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