Members of various organisations and students paid homage to poet Subramania Bharathi on his 135th birth anniversary at Setupathi Higher Secondary School, where he once served as a teacher, here on Sunday.
Students dressed as Bharathi, accompanied by members of Amudhasurabhi Kalaimandram, took a pledge to follow the writings of the poet and help promote Tamil language. The members of the organisation made a demand for Bharathi to be conferred the title of ‘National Poet.’ They also demanded that a full-size statue of Bharathi must be installed in Madurai city. The participating students were presented with books of Bharathi.
Tamil Nadu Janata Dal (S) party members, led by its State general secretary K. John Moses, also garlanded the bust and paid their respects.
Senior staff members of the school, however, said that that they refrained from any celebrations since the State was still in mourning for late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and just provided access to the venue to public. “Usually, we conduct competitions for students and distribute prizes. This time we did not carry out any such activities,” a senior staff member said.
He added that since the school was the only place in the city where a statue of Bharathi had been installed, they did not want to restrict access to the public on his birth anniversary.
A garlanded portrait of Jayalalithaa was kept at the venue, in front of which the staff members paid homage by observing a minute silence.
