Subramania Bharathi

by Prema Nandakumar, V.M. Samabasivan (Translator)

Mahakavi Subramania Bharathi dreamt of a new India and his poems inspired a sense of national pride and patriotism among people. He was also a good journalist and one of the foremost Tamil writers of his times. He was strongly opposed to the superstitions and other evils of society in his time, such as caste discrimination. He strongly voiced his opinion about the need for women empowerment in the society. He had a special love for children and his poems span from serious topics to poems for children. This book is an introduction to Bharathi's life and his works.

142 pages

Reviews

[Karthik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book about the life of Subramania Bharathi both inspired and saddened me at the same time. Inspired by the courage, patriotism, love for Tamil, revolutionary ideas and zest for life that stands out in his poems despite the hardships he faced in life. Saddened by the poverty and hardships that life handed to him. His contributions to Tamil are comparable to Rabindranath Tagore's contribution to Bengali, inspiring patriotism and courage among the common man and speaking for women empowerment and an equal society. Yet he received the recognition and respect he deserves, only long after his living days.

One of the poems that stood out to me was a poem about Tamil, where he writes that speaking of past glories does not revive a language. We need to encourage new literature, translate popular works from other languages and translate good Tamil literature into global languages. I thought that this brings out a practical side of a visionary, who comes across as an idealist. Another example that stands out is his comparison of the suppression of women in society to poking out one of your two eyes.

For those who prefer movies, the movie 'Bharathi' does a good job covering most aspects of his life that I read in this book.