Oy BhAratiyArE!--A Child's Eye View of the Poet

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Apr 2012, 05:00

We are entering the Time Capsule...
It will be difficult to remember names and the relations. For reference you may draw the Family Tree which we can refer from timeto time. The two Yadugiri names can be confusing. Refer to the little one as Jr. Is Ranganayaki still around?

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 27 Apr 2012, 06:23

Arasi...nice introduction...let me go out on a limb and guess that the yadugiri who wrote about the mahAkavi is the maternal grandmother of the yadugiri you met...only thing that makes sense if Smt. Ranganayaki is her mother-in-law....yadugiri junior would have married her oNNu viTTa mAmA.
By the way, I can make a family tree if you want, and upload it as a document...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 27 Apr 2012, 06:34

Thanks, Ravi, you are kind!
I just came to the computer wondering how I was going to type the family tree out in a proper manner! I will send what Yadugiri Junior

wrote down. You are good at understanding relationships! Yes, Our Yadugiri is periya pATTi and also her periya mAmiyAr!

CML,
No, Ranganayaki is no more.

Now, the translation of one of her little plays (skits), and before that, the intros to her book, published in 1981:
Here is the intro of her father Sri. Sri Acharya (let's call the periyavar from ManDyam by that one name to avoid confusion!)

When we lived our lives in the proximity of BhArathi in PuduchEri, we used to say: just as in a play where the curtain rises and a new dramatic scene appears--when the screen of darkness went down and the Sun came upon the horizon, every day to us was as if a drama unfolded in front of us.
My daughter Ranganayaki has written about what transpired in those days at home. Though the settings in these scenes are left to the imagination of the readers, the men and women (and children?) who appear here are all real individuals. The words were what came out of their mouths. But for a few instances where the placement of what was said might not be exact, all that you read about here were uttered by those who appear in the book. They are not figments of my daughter's imagination.

Ranganayaki's preface:

What I have written about are incidents which happened when we lived near my father's close friend BhArathiyAr in Puducheri.
SrimAn BharathiyAr was not like any other poet who sat down with a paper and pen to create his poems. While conversing with others, as if he were speaking, dependent on what the conversation was about, he would sing his verses out. After running them by my father, he would then go home, sit down and pen them.
In my simple words, I've tried to write about such a mahA kavi. This little work which comes with the introductions by my father and Sri. rA.a.Padmanabhan, I do hope conveys to the world what all hardships BhArathiyAr, his family and friends had to go through for the love of their country.

I dedicate this book to the loving memory of my older sister Yadugiri who was more dear to BhArathiyAr than I was.

rA.a. Padmanabhan's Intro:

When Bharathi was in Puduvai (1908-1918), A. G. Ranganayaki who was a child then, knew him as a family friend. She's the second daughter of the owner of India Weekly--SrirangapaTNam Srinivasacharyar (MaNDyam Srinivasachari), and younger sister of Yadugiri Ammal who wrote BhArathi ninaivugaL. Ranganayaki lives in Bangalore.

Srinivasachayrar's family, for generations has been known for its social work and patriotism. His father, S.T. Krishnamacharya had at one time lived in Puduchery. In the 1890-s, he ran a journal called The Indian Republic, both in English and French.
Srinivasachari and his two brothers, in the beginning of this century (20th) had a business selling printing presses in Chennai. Their cousin Tirumalachariar ran a printing press called India Printing Works. He was the one who started India in 1906 and appointed Bharathi as its editor.
(Then, he gives us details of the events which we already know--of how the svadEsis went to Puduvai one after the other)...

Bharathi, Srinivasacchariar and Iyer lived on Easwaran Dharma Raja Koil Street. Away from home in Puduvai, they all lived like one family. Yadugiri, Ranganayaki, Thangamma and Shakunthala, Iyer's daughter Subhadra and son Krishnamurthy were more or less of the same age. They were playmates, growing up in the shadow of their elders who were active in their roles as svadEsis. As a result, they are true witnesses to the lives of Bharathi andV.V.S.Iyer.
After Thangamma, Sakunthala and Yadugiri's memoirs about Bharathi, Ranganayaki has written her memoir in the dramatic form. It is true to life, not an enactment of imagined scenes. This book is good not only for reading, but for being presented on stage. These scenes are worthy of being performed in schools for the benefit of children. Hope the public welcomes these patriotic plays and makes the author happy that her message comes through.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 27 Apr 2012, 21:54

Here's the first skit in the book that A. G. Ranganayaki wrote:

OM

vandE mAtharam

BHARATHI ILLARA NADAGAM

1: jAdi madangaLaip pArOm
________________________

(Place: Bharathi's house. Bharathi, Ranga (Ranganayaki), Andal (her older sister), Chellamma, Shakunthala, Appasami (CID) and another policeman).

Bharathy returns home after a walk, followed by Appasami, the CID policeman. Ranga, Andal, Shakunthala and other children are enacting a wedding with their dolls (bommaik kalyANam). Chellamma is watching it. The policeman stops at the door. Bharathi comes in.

Chellamma: (looking at Appasami) Why is he following you like a shadow--as if you are a prisoner?

Bharathi: Why should it bother us when we have nothing to hide? We haven't stolen anything. We are not alone in this and we don't have to be ashamed. He's a good man.The government pays his wages and he's doing his duty.What's wrong about that?

Chellamma: Well, I don't know what to say. Parvatham (maid) hasn't come today to bring in the water. I've to go to the well to draw water...

Bharathi: (tenderly) Chellamma, why should you exert yourself? There he is, at the door, not having anything to do. I will ask him to bring in the water. You feed him and he would obey your commands readily. He does not get a decent meal, tailing me all the time. Poor man!
(goes out) Appasami, Amma needs the aNDA (water storer) to be filled. Go draw water from the well!

Appasami (with due reverence): Yes AiyyA! (comes in and picks up the kuDam--pot).

Chellamma: You don't even know which caste he belongs to, and without asking, you let him come into the house to draw water?

Bharathi: Listen to me! Why should it matter? I'm going to sit down with him and eat, if you want to know! Have you any grilled appaLam? When they came to check the house (the police), that IyengAr ate all the appaLams!I can eat them at least today!

Chellamma: What farce is this? Won't Ranga and Andal laugh at us? You know that even we aren't allowed in their kitchen! I joked with their mother one day: may be it's easier to see paramAtmA himself, but not the inside of your kitchen! She will smile but I haven't been let in once!

Bharathi: It's just part of their tradition. As for Appasami, just as jamindArs have guards working for them, we have someone to help us, who is here even without our asking. If you are an official in the government, you get two men to serve you at the office and two at home. Why can't we make use of Appasamy's availability?

Chellamma: What you say is only acceptable to you! You could have at least asked which caste he belongs to!

Bharathi: (sings) vendE mAtharam enbOm, engaL mAnilath thAyai vaNangudum enbOm
jAdi madangaLaip pArOm--uyar janmamid dEsathil eidinarAyin--
vEdiyarAyinum onRE, anRi vERu kulathavar Ayinum onRE!
Inap paRaiyargaLenum.....

Chellamma: Siva siva! This is unbearable to hear! What if my mother were here!

Bharathi: Chellamma, if there is more house work, ask him to do it. Appasami! Sweep the floor and get it all clean. We both can eat afterwards.

(Appasami finishes sweeping).

Chellamma: (taking some coins from her maDi (the waist band of the sari also worked as a coin purse!) Here! Go to the shop and get some betel leaves, betel nuts and bananas!

Appasami: Yes, Amma! (exits)

Shakunthala and Ranga: We want to go too!

Chellamma: You both go, but let Andal stay here with me.

(The girls follow Appasami)

Shakunthala: Appasami, where all did you go with AppA today?

Appasami: I went with your father to Kosavarpalayam (Potters village). We looked at their making terracotta images. By then, it started to get dark. That place is so far away, little one!

Shakunthala: Will you take us there one day?

Appasami: How can I, ammA? I happen to be a slave to the government!

(Another CID nears)

CID: Where are you going with these children?

Appasami: Going to the veTRilai (pAn) shop. Haven't chewed veTRilai in three days! Brought them along for an outing.

CID: What are their fathers doing now? Are they home, or are they out?

Appasami: I am guarding this pApA's house. Her father roams around singing Sakthi. Sakthi and I can't get evidence of any mischief there. He's at home now.

CID: Are they gathered at the house where Nateasan and Chinnan are posted?

Appasami: The AiyyA at my house goes there every day. They spend time talking and singing merrily. Quote from tEvAram or sit down to write verses! They don't realize how time flies in all this!There's no talk about our government when they go on this way!

CID: When there was a raid, did you all look keenly for any clues?

Appasami: Nothing at my place. Wherever you look, there are books.The same with the house which Chinnan guards. A dark room with a five tiered shelf filled with heavy books! He said he felt bad about going in there, fell down prostrating before the books--and saluting the aiyyAs, left the place! When they went to the house that Natesan is guarding, I heard that they found two weapons in the well. Who knows if it's true or not?

Shakunthala: Shall we keep going? It's getting late.

Ranga: Yes, I've to go back home soon. My mother is alone in the house.

(They return to Bharathi's house. Appasami gives Chellamma what he got from the shop).

Bharathi: Chellamma, what's this purchase all about?

Chellamma: Our Papa celebrated a dolls wedding. She needed to offer the bride's party veTRilai pAkku.That's why.

Shakunthala: AppA! Ranga wants to take her daughter (the doll) with her to her house, but I said that she should stay here. She's not keen on that. You convince her AppA!

Bharathi: You are the bridegroom's party, then! Let the bride go and stay with thangak kiLi for a while. Women do have freedom. Just because they are married, it doesn't mean that they have to stay with their husband's family all the time. They can come home happily after a visit. Indian women need equality with men for India to be a better country! (sings) paTTangaL ALvadum , saTTangaL seivadum pArinil peNgaL naDatha vandOm!

(Shakunthala hands over the doll to Ranga who's happy).

Ranga: (Looking gratefully at bharathi): Look! Papa has given the doll to me to take home with me!

Bharathi: (looking at Shakunthala papa): When a marriage is celebrated,there is happiness all around. Look how very happy Ranga is! Ranga and Andal, why don't you eat with us?

Andal: We have to go home. Amma will be alone in the house because Appa will be away at Aravinda Ghosh's house. We will stay another day.

(Shakunthala gives them both veTRilai pAkku and the girls go home, escorted by Appasami).

* * *

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Apr 2012, 22:04

Nice intro to
BhArathiyAr illaRa nADagam
Just refresh for me
rA.a. Padmanabhan. Have we met him before?

Good start!
Confused about Annasami/Appasami.
Is it a typo or a true translation?

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 27 Apr 2012, 22:25

Padmanabhan, the publisher of Yadugiri's bhArathi ninaivugaL.

Typo corrected.

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 28 Apr 2012, 11:16

Makes nice reading. I trust that this time I will find time to read the serials.
In a Appasami's dialogue it is noted as terracotta dolls. I thinkit may be better to translate as CLAY dolls. Terra cotta is a refined material and the technique of doll making with this is different and relatively new (about 20 years only). I am not nitpicking but we should avoid anachronism

smala · Post by **smala** » 28 Apr 2012, 13:03

rshankar wrote:...let me go out on a limb and guess that the yadugiri who wrote about the mahAkavi is the maternal grandmother of the yadugiri you met...

rshankar, our Yadu is the maternal *great*grandmother of the yadugiri Arasi met. She is as arasi points, out also her *great* m-i-l.

only thing that makes sense if Smt. Ranganayaki is her mother-in-law....yadugiri junior would have married her oNNu viTTa mAmA.
...

Ranganayaki is her maternal paati/grandmother as well as m-i-l - so you are right that yadugiri married her mother's brother (son of Ranganayaki) - who is the mAma/uncle. But can't follow the "oNNu Vitta?"

This is familiar to me. This was not unheard of those days. My own mother married her mAma, her mother's brother, so my mother's maternal paatti was her m-i-l as well.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 28 Apr 2012, 18:14

Mala,
When Ravi draws up the family tree, we can (and need to!) refer to it again and again because the names repeat themselves in every generation, on top of it. That's why Yadugiri junior is happy and proud to be the only other Yadugiri in the family!
You are good at figuring relationships out.

Ponbhairavi,
Thanks for pointing out the terra cotta (baked earth?) bit. I wasn't sure how to translate the word 'bommai'. My guess is they were kolu bommais, big ones--RAma PaTTAbhishEkam, Krishna with butter in his hand and big figurines which were in demand and were sold before navarAtri. I remember seeing a whole array of them in front of the Parthasarathy temple.
Another skit makes me think that they were kolu bommais. Clay figurines, yes--and painted over.
The word bommai is the culprit here. Also, the children are enacting a bommaik kalyANam where the 'dolls' were probably marappAchi bommais, wooden ones!

Yes, please go back and read at least a few chapters from Yadugiri's book. If you want the original in tamizh, and others too, Rajesh has many copies of them.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 28 Apr 2012, 18:50

About these skits by Ranganayaki: I find them charming. There is no need to compare this book with Yadugiri's. These are just ideal to be enacted by school children--simple in structure and yet with a message and verses from the poet. Play acting is an exciting thing for a child. As RA. a. Padmanabhan mentions in his intro, these skits are good tools to introduce Bharathi and his poetry to school children (in primary and middle schools?).
What's interesting to see is that reading, writing and printing presses, are handed down from generation to generation in this family! Did not know until I read his intro that Sri Sri Acharya's father also ran a journal in English and French!

nri · Post by **nri** » 28 Apr 2012, 22:48

Am following these posts religiously. One of the very interesting threads of this forum - if not the best among non-carnatic.

oNNu vitta business is like this:

Your mother's own brother is your direct mama. Your mother's cousin brother (what we call these days univocally) - ie., her chithi /chithappa or periamma / periappa's son is her oNNu vitta annA or thambi. By that virtue, he becomes your oNNu vitta mAmA.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 01 May 2012, 05:09

nri,
Thanks for the encouragement. Will try to post whenever I can. We have to keep our love for Bharathi alive--in every possible way...

smala · Post by **smala** » 02 May 2012, 20:27

Arasi, do you have the names in order of birth of

--Yadugiri's eight offspring
(Dwaraki Krishnaswami is one daughter)
(Yadugiri Jr is one grandaughter?)

--Ranganayaki's offspring
(we know Yadugiri Jr's husband (name?) is her son)

--Parthasarathy's (Valimai Maindan) offspring
(Srinivasan and Narayanan)

Wish Dwaraki was active on this thread on Rasikas to answer this.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 02 May 2012, 21:13

smala,
valimai maindan IS parthasarathy--Yadugiri and Ranganayaki's youngest brother who is 95! The repetitions of names in every generation, and their sometimes marrying within the family makes it difficult for us to figure out who's who.
I have sent the family tree (that Yadugiri junior wrote out for me) to Ravi who kindly offered to help in posting on this thread. You have your homework cut out, once it's up!

smala · Post by **smala** » 02 May 2012, 21:22

Yes, Arasi I do know Valimai Maindan is Parthasarathy, I merely stated his alternate name in parenthesis - was asking about his
offspring.

I think I mistook something earlier when I said "... our Yadu is the maternal *great*grandmother of the yadugiri Arasi met. She is as arasi points, out also her *great* m-i-l.

Yadugiri Sr is Yadugiri Jr's Periya Paati as her Paati's (Ranganayaki's) sister. I think I'm on track though re. Yadugiri Jr marrying her own mAmA - not Onnu Vitta...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 02 May 2012, 21:30

He has two sons--Srinivasan (understandable--his grandfather's name) and Narayanan.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 03 May 2012, 00:30

Smala - I am working on the family tree (looks more like a family forrest, if you ask me!), but just to be clear, Ranganayaki (aka tanga kiLi) is Yadugiri Sr.'s sister, and the mother of Yadugiri Jr.'s husband. Yadugiri Sr. is Yadugiri Jr.'s pATTi (and not periya pATTi). Yadugiri Sr. is Yadugiri Jr.'s husband's periammA...

smala · Post by **smala** » 03 May 2012, 01:22

Yes, thanks rshankar, awaiting the family tree, I did get it right that Yadugiri Jr married Ranganayaki's son!

Gosh, I just re-read what Arasi wrote!!! So it seems Yadugiri Jr is Yadugiri Sr's grandchild, who married the son of Ranganayaki, so I guess that makes him the Onnu Vitta maama - while Ranganayaki to Yadugiri Jr. is her chitthi-paati, if there's such a term!

...."A sheaf of papers in Yadugiri's writing of the rough copy of her book...
How did she get them? Now, hold your breath and be ready for the complexities of repeated names and marriages within the family! Not only was Ranganayaki her pATTi Yadugiri's sister, she was also her mother-in-law. Thanks to Yadugiri, she gave us the family tree, but I'm still trying to learn from it!

smala · Post by **smala** » 03 May 2012, 01:53

So, in all this within kin marriages, what is the acceptable morai?

Is it correct to say one can :

-marry mother's siblings (male only)- i.e mama?
-marry from offsprings of mother's siblings (i.e. maama's kids, chithi's kids, periamma's kids) ?
-marry only father's sisters kids (male or female - athai's kids) ?

The "logic" being father's side males and their offspring are taboo for within kin marriage?

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 03 May 2012, 05:46

Mala,
'uRavukkuLLE thirumaNams' (marrying within the family) at that time was on the wane, but not quite. Some communities adhered to them longer, that's all. Thank goodness, such traditions are almost non-existent now.
Giving favorite God's names is another thing. So, the confusion multiplies when we look at such a family tree.

Yadugiri junior was the chief communicator/coordinator and was very helpful. Dwaraki herself said that she was a good contact person for me to get to know the family--which I found out to be true. You will soon see them in a few photographs. You will also listen to them in the audio I have--with a little help from my friends on the technical side...

As CML suggested, I will do the postings little at a time, taking it easy.
I would like to post a few very interesting passages from the centenary edition of Chitra Bharathi. More of Ranganayaki's sweet little plays, if you folks wish...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 04 May 2012, 03:44

CHITHRA BHARATHI

The book CHITHRA BHARATHI was first published in 1957 to commemorate Bharathi--he would have been 76 then, had he lived. It was brought out again for Bharathi's centenary with many additions, thanks to rA.a.Padmanabhan's tireless work in gathering more material about Bharathi. Here are some excerpts from the book:

This is what Sri.Sri. Acharya wrote in his introduction to the first edition in 1957:

Bharathi joined our India Journal soon after it was started. I had known his skills in writing by reading his article in English, written for BAla BhAratha. Our friendship burgeoned from the day I met him. We used to call him Bharathi then. Now, when the vara kavi is lauded for his epic poems and other creations, when he is celebrated as kavi chakravarthi, the immortal poet, I am awestruck that it is our friend Bharathi--our companion with child-like qualities who made us feel as if he was part of our family.

Though we had been friends in Chennai, it was only after we both went to live in Puducheri that we became intimate friends.
In our little band of friends (the svadESis), he was king. We would play chess, cards and other games.Though it was V.V.S. Iyer who won most of the time, if Bharathi weren't around, the games were lackluster because we were not keen on winning, but thrived on stimulating conversation.

At sunset on the beach, we loved listening to his clarion voice when something magical happened. Not just us--the entire surroundings seemed as if everything came to a stop with his majestic singing.

From his childhood, Bharathi was aware that thamizh lived in him (thamizh aNangu tham nAvilE ulavuvadu).
But his father was intent upon his son getting an English education, for him to get proficient in English and Mathematics so that he could secure a good job in the government, and Bharathi resented it. He has ridiculed this by saying: it was like trying to feed the lion cub mere grass!
His father's insistence resulted in Bharathi's disliking English education. This he expressed strongly in his writings.

We should not come to the conclusion that Bharathi was not well-versed in English or that he looked down upon anything written in English.Not at all. He admired the literature and thought he came to know by reading in English. He felt that English should not occupy the place of our national languages in educating children.

In the few years that Bharathi lived in VaranAsi, he fell in love with works by romantic poets like Shelley, Keats,Wordsworth and others, and adored their love for Nature. He compared their works with those in tamizh and moaned that such jewels in our language were languishing in obscurity. It saddened him. 'As ignorant as beasts, we shamelessly call ourselves thamizh people!' (pAmararAi, vilangugaLAi, nAmamadu thamizharena). More than quarter of a century has gone by since Bharathiyar's demise. We attained freedom ten years ago. We are still in the same pathetic state. I dread to imagine how very brokenhearted he would have been to see this sorry state, had he been alive.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 04 May 2012, 05:02

EXCERPTS AND PICTURES FROM CHITHRA BHARATHI

Standing in front of the house is Bharathi's maternal uncle and playmate Sambasiva Iyer.

Subramanian (pet name Subbiah) did not have a horoscope because the details of the exact time of his birth were not noted down, it was believed. However, here's one with the caption which explains it.

ETTAYAPURAM

In the latter part of the 19th Century, Ettayapuram jamIn was flourishing in the arts. Though it had scant interest in politics and for the freedom of India, there was great regard and love for thamizh in the jamIn at that time. The JamIndAr and his uncle Venkatesura Ettappan were equally zealous about the language and wanted Ettayapuram to be next only to Madurai in promoting thamizh.
Their patronage drew thamizh poets, scholars and gems among musicians to Ettayapuram.

KounDanUr (aka kouNDapuram) was where it all happened. While outsiders knew them as jamindars, to the locals, Ramasami Kounder was maharaja! In Bharathis' autobiographical work Chinna Sankaran kadai, the life at KounDanUr, the raja's coterie of poets and scholars, the appearance of chinna Sankaran (himself) among them, their jealousies and intrigues are described. He also relates the corrupt ways of the jamIn: commanding food to be supplied by every household, cock fights, appreciating erotic works like kULappa NAickan kAdal, taking whimsical decisions on matters concerning people who lived there, were all part of it.

Nevertheless, in the palace, from dawn to ten at night, thamizh, telugu and sanskrit scholars and musicians were engaged in discourses and fierce discussions--and in keeping their arts alive.
Knowing that it was a center for scholars, Chinnasami (sundararaja) Iyer--Bharathi's father who was from SevalapaTTi, decided to settle there. He was well-versed in English, though he was not a college graduate. He was an expert in Mathematics, Logic and Modern Mechanics. He had the ability to take apart any machine and put it together in no time and make it work. To such a man, Ettayapuram jamIndAr offered a prime spot in the jamIn.
Around 1880, Chinnasami Iyer was able to establish a cotton mill there!

CHITHRA BHANU, KARTHIKAI, MULAM

In the year Chithra BhAnu, on the 27th in the month of kArthikai, in mUla nakshathrA, a male child was born to Chinnasami and Lakshmi. It was on the 11th of December in 1882.
Subbiah spent most of his infancy in his maternal grandfather Ramasami Iyer's house and was barely seen in his own house. He was adored by his aunts and was admired by all for his charm and gift of the gab. When he lost his mother at five, they loved him even more. Subbiah was surrounded by affection and attention.
Yet, even as a youth, he was known to be emotionally stirred when someone called out 'ammA'. Was it why he chose parAsakthi to be his most favored form of worship?
When his father remarried, Subbiah was lucky that Valliammal looked after him with loving care. He felt more free with her, asking for favors from her rather than from his father.

Sambasivam, his maternal uncle and close companion in his childhood days, recalls this scary incident:
Subbiah and I used to frequent the cotton mill on our wanderings. His father was very happy about this because he hoped that it would encourage his son to study mechanics by being around machines.
One evening, when the mill was closed, we jumped over the compound wall and went in. My brother-in-law's desk was unlocked. We rummaged it to see if we could find any change in it and came upon a shiny tube. I was fiddling with this new found thing and pressed the lever. It made clicks. Then, bang, what I later came to know as a revolver exploded, and a bullet flew out of it, missing Subbiah's head by a hair breadth!

When his father hoped for higher education and a good station in life for his son, Subbiah struggled with the idea and with his father's being particularly strict about studies and home work. He reveled in day dreaming and in making up verses. He loved to be surrounded by Nature. As a result, he often forgot to take his books and slate and pencils to school, and when the teacher punished him by asking him to stand up all through the lessons, he did so happily, making up verses which rhymed with the scoldings of the teacher!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 05 May 2012, 08:52

SIVALAPERI AND KADAYAM

SIvalapEri is Bharathi's native village. His father Chinnasami (given name: Sundararajan) was born to kaDuvAi Subbaiyar and Bhageerathi Ammal. Chinnasami married his maternal uncle's daughter Lakshmi from Ettayapuram. She gave birth to Subramanian, the emperor among poets, our Bharathi. There was also another child, Bhageerathi, a daughter, who died in her infancy.

Lakshmi died when Bharathi was five.
She had two brothers. Sambasivan (older to Bharathi by three years) was his close companion.

Chinnasami remarried Valliammal. She had two children and the first child, Viswanatha Iyer is still alive. He is a retired headmaster and lives in Manamadurai.

Farther away to its west in Tirunelveli district, due south of Tenkasi is a little village called Kadayam. A beauty spot, it has the same climate and it also gets the special sAral rain, which Kutralam is known for. Chellamma, the third daughter of Chellappa Iyer and Meenambal, was one among seven children.
Bharathi has described the beauty of this village in his essay SAral.

Bharathi's brother-in-law Appadurai was close to him. He worked for the postal department but was dismissed for his national fervor. After losing his job, he worked as an assistant to the jamindar of Andippatti.
He was the one who brought Bharathi to Kadayam from Puducheri.
He was large-hearted enough to say to Bharathi that he was free to take part in the national movement and was willing to take care of Chellamma and his nieces.

After Bharathi's death, he joined his sister Chellamma in bringing out some works of Bharathi (Bharathi Ashram publications), but they had to discontinue this because the books would not sell.
Appadurai died in 1940.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 05 May 2012, 09:21

Thanks to VK and K for helping me in putting up the pictures

A little detour from Tirunelveli District to the dramatic incident in Tamizh NADu's capitol...
Pages in Yadugiri's handwriting from her notebook--a draft of her work "Bharathi Ninaivugal".
Thanks to Yadugiri Gopinath--her grand daughter for sharing this with us. The notebook was given by the author to her sister Ranganayaki (whose son young Yadugiri married).

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 06 May 2012, 00:55

Note the expression 'adu vELaikku' in the last sentence. Yadugiri had been living in Karnataka for a long time, away from tamizh nADu, speaking kannaDa and the thamizh which Mandayam families spoke. Wonder how she wrote it in the final copy. I don't have the book here with me. adu vELaikku=appozhudu, anda nErathil.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 May 2012, 02:26

Back to Bharathi's childhood...

How Subbiah Became Bharathi
-----------------------------------

His father's love for modern education of mathematics and mechanics did not appeal to young Subbiah. Listening to discussions on thamizh poetry fascinated him more. He was eager to be part of those sessions and spent hours listening to them.The jamindars encouraged the boy and were delighted to hear his impromptu poetry. Bharathi went to an eminent old scholar to study kamba rAmayanam with him, and his father was not aware of this.

Somasundara Bharathi, his childhood friend says:
We used to read thamizh literature, hiding in the vAhanAs of the gods in the temple (carriers which take the idols out in processions on festive days--in the shape of their mounts like Nandi and so forth).
We both had such resistance at home for our love of thamizh. thamizh paDithuk keTTup pOgAdE! (Don't ruin yourselves by learning thamizh)!--we were admonished!

Subbiah's maternal grandfather on the other hand, encouraged him to study thamizh. After having a taste of vaLLuvan and kamban, his dream was to attain fame by writing poetry like them. In a few years, Subbiah could recite many lines from their verses and amaze the poets at Ettayapuram. He was also quick in adding a finishing line to their poems when they challenged him to do so.

Subbiah earned his title of Bharathi when he was eleven at an assembly of poets who were gathered to test his poetic ability. He came up with line after finishing line, for every poem they threw at him. They were thrilled and bestowed on him the title Bharathi (Sarasvathi).

Not all the poets were pleased. To snub him, they would often give tough lines to finish, and before they even finished reciting, Bharathi came up with his lines. Once, when the poets concurred that it was impossible to write a kAvaDich chindu like Annamalai Reddiar, Bharathi instantly composed a song which began with the words 'pachchaith thiru mayil vIran'.

Bharathi went to The Anglo Vernacular School in Ettayapuram and then was sent to Tirunelveli to study at The Hindu College School. He studied up to fifth form there.

He had many arguments with Sivarama Pillai, the thamizh pundit. Once, he was sitting in the gallery (bench row high up in the class room). The teacher bellowed at him: you are praised for your raining verses like a dark cloud (reference to poet kALa mEgap pulavar too, here)! You are also sitting high up there. Why don't you rain some answers to my questions the same way?

Bharathi answered: the respected pundit does not seem to be aware of the nature of a rain cloud. It rains only when it pleases, to do so. It does not obey orders from a pundit, I'm afraid!

When a stuck up senior, Kanthimathinatha Pillai asked him to compose a veNbA with the last words--bhArathi chinnap payal (Bharathi is a little fellow), this is what he came up with instantly as the finishing lines: kAradu pOl nenjiruNDa kAnthimathi nAdanaip
pAr adi chinnap payal!

kAnthimathi's husband SivA with a chest darkened by the poison he imbibed, looking like a dark cloud--and the other meaning: look, very (pAr+ ati) little fellow (chinnap payal)--at kAnthimathinathan who has a heart as dark as rain clouds!

Bharathi's chithi (mother's younger sister) who took care of him with motherly love.

Bharathi's maternal uncle and childhood companion R. Sambasiava Iyer who was three years older to him.

Tirunelveli Hindu College school where Bharathi studied for a few years.

His childhood friend Soma Sundara Bharathi who shared Bharathi's love for thamizh.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 08 May 2012, 16:52

Arasi - these are lovely posts...I'm slowly catching up.
So, the mahAkavi (or, as Sri PS referred to him, kavi arasar) was an illustration of the saying 'AN mUlam arasALum' - He continues to rule the world of poetry!

nri · Post by **nri** » 08 May 2012, 19:13

A horoscope was considered so personal and private that many families in the good old days shunned to share a horoscope of a living person with unknown people - heard it through my grand-ma and she had an occult reason for doing so and the values they used to attach to several such things, what is seen as trivia in later times.
Queenie, did you get to know of his sub-sect? One of several vadamal, brahacharanam etc.?

Come to think of it - I'm getting inquisitive of all the wrong info that our grand poet of modern thoughts despised the most!!!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 May 2012, 19:38

There is nothing wrong in being inquisitive about these things, I think. Without being inquisitive, Bharathi would not have known so much at a young age, and would have taken the best from our culture to treasure them, praise them and observe them, shunning the rest!

He belonged to the BruhacharaNa sub sect (I originally wrote that I vaguely remembered it to be vaDamA. Corrected now, after seeing PBala's post and K finding it in the book). BruhadcharaNam??

Ravi,
AN mUlam arasALum came true in the case of kavi chakravarthi. By the same token, peN mUlam nirmUlam would have made him upset, just as much as it would have the women, who were born under that star in those days! These sayings would have been made up by those who were like the bulk of Ettayapuram rhymers

Thanks to Bharathi and to the advancement that women see in modern times, we don't need to pay too much attention to negative rhymes like that!

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 08 May 2012, 19:42

Shri C. Subramania Bharati belonged to Iyer - Brahatcharanam sub-sect.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 May 2012, 19:51

Thank you, PBala!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 09 May 2012, 22:08

The Wedding
---------------

From 1897 to 1904, Bharathi's life was bittersweet.

His marriage to Chellamma in 1897 was an elaborate four day affair. Two other weddings took place at the same time: Chellamma's older sister's and Bharathi's three year old sister Lakshmi's! There were processions every evening and music from vidvans from Harikesanallur. Tamizh vidvAns were there as well.

in Chellamma's words: There were gifts of shawls, pearl necklaces and rings from the jamIndArs and Bharathi's uncle Krishna Sivan (from Varanasi). The raja of Ramanathapuram had sent the golden-nAdasvaram playing vidvAn Ratnasami to play at the wedding. The famed Tirunelveli Ammani danced.

Though Bharathi was not keen on getting married at such a young age, he thoroughly enjoyed all such celebrations of his wedding.
Traditionally, a groom did not speak to the bride in public. Bharathi even sang to me!
thEDak kiDaikkAda sorNamE
uyir chithiramE, maDavannamE!
kaTTi aNaithOr muthamE thandAl
kai thozhuvEn unai nithamE!

Oh, precious golden one,
Painting come alive, swan of grace!
Embrace me and give me a kiss--and
I will worship you every single day!

I was ashamed and felt so humiliated that I ended up with such a husband. How could a seven year old girl appreciate such romantic sentiments! I cried!

On the fourth day after the usual procession and the Unjal (the swing ceremony), Bharathi gave a short speech with a poem, praising the grandeur of the wedding and the tireless labor of love which went into making it happen. He thanked all those who had orchestrated the wedding and complimented my father for his generous spending. He appreciated the artistes for their music and dance.This made the guests exclaim: how very fortunate Chellappa Iyer is, to have found such a son-in-law! A lion-cub, a sterling boy!
My father was thrilled to hear all this.

The year after such gaiety, Bharathi lost his father. British merchants broke Chinnasami's heart by stopping supply of spare parts for the machines at the mill. As a result, the mill had to be closed down, sustaining a big financial loss. This undid him.
Sometime before that, Bharathi had written a poetic request to the Ettayapuram jamIn saying that he needed financial help for continuing his studies. It was against his will, but he wanted a job so that he could take care of the family.

After his father died, Bharathi left for Varanasi to live with his aunt and uncle to pursue his studies there.
He studied at The Mission College and Jai Narayan College.

His uncle Krishna Sivan was a devout and orthodox Siva bhaktha. The Siva MaTa at Hanumantha Ghat was run by him.

It was not easy for Bharathi to study at the university. He had to take an entrance exam in Hindi and in Sanskrit, the languages which he barely knew.

Pandit Narayana Iyengar who knew him as a neighbor across the street says: Subbiah was poor and knew nothing of Indian politics then. Once he met Annie Besant and had discussions with her, but ridiculed her ideas.
Before he left Varanasi, he taught at a school for a salary of twenty rupees. I did not have a clue then that he knew thamizh literature and was a poet! I've seen him carry a volume of Shelley's poetry around, and his sitting on the steps of the ghat, explain them in Hindi, though his Hindi wasn't that good. He also liked listening to Hindi poetry being recited.
On a Sarasvathi pUjA day, he organized a meeting and spoke in thamizh about how India would not see advancement if the women were not educated and were not treated as equals with men.
I often heard him speak on women's issues then, but not on politics...

It was in Varanasi that Bharathi gave up his kuDumi (traditional knotted hair) and opted for cropped hair, a mustache and a long-tailed turban.
When the jamIndAr of Ettayapuram attended the Delhi Durbar, he stopped at Varanasi on his way back to the south. Some in his entourage suggested that they take Bharathi back with them to work in the palace. Though he was not sure if he would stay with the jamIn permanently, the idea appealed to Bharathi because he could see Chellamma again and could spend time with her.

In the arid land of Ettayapuram, Bharathi tried to awaken a sense for the springs of good poetry. The jamIndar was keen mostly on erotic poems. The poets in the court did not have any interest in inspiring poetry which was invested with feeling. Only the structure of poems interested them, not what came alive in the lines.

In his zeal for awakening the poetic sensibilities in them, Bharathi started the Shelly Guild.He also wrote poems under the pen name of Shelley dAsan.

smala · Post by **smala** » 10 May 2012, 00:20

Enjoying the reads immensely along with the cool spray breeze on the coastline of Pacifica, Arasi.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 10 May 2012, 00:26

Arasi - beautiful!

arasi wrote:kaTTi aNaithOr muthamE thandAl

I see strains of 'kAttiruppEnO DI idu pAl kannattil muttam onru' already!
He not only awoke the people's poetic sensibilities, but also their spirit for svarAjya... (Kalki Sri Krishnamurthy pays beautiful homage to this aspect of the mahAkavi in his composition, 'deiva tamizh nATTinilE veNNilAvE' immortalized by Smt. MSS)

Govindaswamy · Post by **Govindaswamy** » 10 May 2012, 05:57

Nri
You have admitted to being inquisitive about all the wrong info that our grand poet of modern thoughts despised the most!!! You are absolutely right in this confession because he has said “சாதிகள் இல்லையடி பாப்பா! குலத் தாழ்ச்சி உயர்ச்சி சொல்லல பாவம்.” He rightly started his advise with children as grown ups are not likely to change. ஐந்தில் வளையாதது ஐம்பதில் வளையுமா.
IMHO the subsects are not castes within the varNam (வர்ணம்,சாதி அல்ல) of brahmins but onlyrefer to the different regional sub groups. In my opinion the so called sub sects under reference mean these.

brahatcharaNam – great exodus(travel)
vaDamaL –people of North
vAddima – priests, teachers
ashTasahasram- eight thousand

Among Teleugu brahmins there are divisios showing the geographical areas they belong to. (e.g) velanADu, vEnginADu, mulakanADu etc.

These divisions have no relevance today because the groups are not adhering to their respective areas. Marriages are not confined to one’s own sect. Brahmin boys and girls, particularly NRI’s are selecting partners from any nationality because they belong to the same varNam. (கற்றோரைக் கற்றோரே காமுறுவர்)

Only people of other castes in South Tamil NaDu, and HaryAnA are particular about selecting marriage partners frm within their clan. Hence there are so called ‘honour killings’ there.

Govindaswamy

nri · Post by **nri** » 10 May 2012, 15:59

Govindaswamy,
I have known that different sub-sects react differently to unconventional thoughts and deeds; my question was to understand how his family may have reacted to Mahakavi's words and deeds and that too nearly a century ago. Even today, many of us _mortals_ refrain from anything unconventional because we do not want to hurt the sentiments of people whom we love and respect.
Request that we do not transgress and let the screenplays continue.
Thanks.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 11 May 2012, 03:07

Companion At The Palace
-----------------------------

Bharathi worked at the Ettayapuram palace for two years as the jamIndAr's companion. It wasn't hard work. He had plenty of free time.
Yet, he realized that moving with people of importance was not so easy--that too, if you happened to be a poet!

His job was to read the journals to the jamIndAr every morning, make pleasant conversation and have discussions with him. However, it would have been a drag for someone like Bharathi who was endowed with a brilliant mind and imagination.

Bharathi himself conveys his feelings later in his autobiographical work Chinna Sankaran kadhai. He describes the jamINdAr's literary taste, his whimsical ways and his inefficiency in governing. For example, an order would go like this: give RAkkapiLlai some land !To which RAkkappillai, how much land, where, arid or cultivable, on what conditions? No one knew. One dared not to ask for details. Yet, the orders were fulfilled in some erratic fashion.
Va.rA mentions that Bharathi described his life at the palace while reading Chinna Sankaran Kadhai aloud to his friends in Puducheri. "How could I stay on in that land of the blind?", Bharathi used to exclaim.
The jamIndAr's focus on the arts was mainly on the erotic side--on books like kULappa Naickan's love and on provocative dances. He also had an unrealistic concept about love.
The jamIndAr sought Bharathi's company all the time. He needed someone to be at the receiving end of all his far from inspiring thoughts. Bharathi was the last person to play such a role. Flattery was beyond him. The sycophantic behavior of the palace staff sickened him.
The jamIndAr was also a bit hard-hearted and was difficult to get along with.The staff tied their upper cloth around their waists (in deference) and added the word maharAjA every now and then while addressing him. Bharathi used to wonder, ' if he thinks he is the emperor,then I'm king of poetry'!
He was not at all keen on this role of a 'nariyuyir sEvakar' (a fox pretending to be an obedient servant)--to demean himself by displaying false allegiance.

Though Bharathi was familiar with the palace and had witnessed such scenes before, he wanted to take up the job and give it a try when he came back from Varanasi . He somehow managed to spend two years as an employee in the palace.
There already was a complaint that Bharathi did not stand up and pay respects to the jamIndAr when he walked about the town.
Someone heard Bharathi say: the Ettayapuram jamINdAr has lands the size of a chuNDaikkAi (a cherry sized berry) and this world is larger than that! The word reached the jamINdAr's ears and Bharathi was dismissed.

At that time, there was a big fire in Ettayapuram. Bharathi wrote a satirical verse about it:
munbu ilangai vEndan oru *kavikku thIngu seidAn, ilangai azhindadu
ETTayapuram arasan oru *kavikku thIngu seidAn, eTTayapuram mayAnamAyiTRu...

(Once, RavaNA harmed a monkey and lankA was burned. Th eTTayapuram rAjA meant harm to a poet,
and the town became burial ground)!

*The word kavi means both a monkey and a poet
This is one of the poems which has not been located.

Bharathi went to Madurai in search of a job...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 11 May 2012, 08:35

Thamizh Teacher In Madurai
.................................

Bharathi had a few friends in Madurai. M. Gopala Krishnaiyyar who taught thamizh at Madurai College was one of them. He sent Bharathi to Sethupathi High School's thamizh pundit Shanmugam Pillai along with Aiyyasami Iyer, another thamizh teacher who introduced Bharathi as a poet from Ettayapuram.
Shanmugam Pillai said that he was going away on leave of absence to rest and recuperate. Would Bharathi take his place temporarily?
Bharathi agreed.
On the first of August, 1904, Bharathi started working as a substitute thamizh teacher. His monthly salary was seventeen and a half rupees.

Bharathi was a born poet--not someone who strictly adhered to the rules of grammar. Though he knew his grammar well, he was always drawn to literary writing which was free from the strictures of it. Still, he managed to give lessons which were built around grammar and were uninteresting to him.
Patriot A. Vaidyanatha Iyer happened to be one of his students. He says: I did not realize his glory then, but I could see a special glow in his eyes...

Though he was looking for another job during the three months and ten days at Sethupathi High School as a teacher, Bharathi still hadn't found one. The same Aiyyasami Iyer, his colleague and friend, had an uncle who was a reporter for newspapers like The Hindu in Chennai. When a sub-editor's position fell vacant at SvadEsa Mithran, he urged his uncle to recommend Bharathi for the post. Though reluctant at first, his nephew's persistence forced him to speak to G. Subramania Iyer, the editor of the journal, and Bharathi got the job.
There are a few versions of how Bharathi joined SvadEsa Mithran. This one sounds the most convincing of them all.

Bharathi's worries about finding another job were dispelled.

G. Subramania Iyer was the foremost among those who championed patriotism in Thamizh nADu. For his publication, he was looking for a man who had a sound knowledge of both English and Thamizh. The minute he met Bharathi, he was charmed by him. He was instrumental in bringing out the fine writing gifts in Bharathi and in leading him into the national political arena.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 12 May 2012, 03:19

Thanks Arasi. Fascinating accounts of early part of Bharathi's life.

Your next post is your 10000th post here. A big milestone. Make it a great one, hopefully a continuation of the above story in this thread. Now, most important thing... Do not post in any other thread, or a reply to this message etc. since that will become the 10000th post.

If you are not ready yet for the next post in this series, it will be tough to keep your hands tied, but I am sure it will be worth it!!

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 12 May 2012, 05:37

arasi,

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 14 May 2012, 04:01

Spring cuckoo, Punarvasu and CML (I guess you are away for the moment, spending time with the grandchildren),
9999 posts multiplied by hundreds of words in each post--how many of them, and how many nonsensical ones!
Every line that Bharathi wrote was so rich in meaning!
One consolation for me is that all of my words were not my merely shooting the breeze with friends--thanks to the mahA kavi. Well, you could call me that too if you want to--kav(p)i

as in Bharathi's lines in the last segment!

G. Subramania Iyer speaks of the greatness of our beloved Bharathi in this new segment--his words were 'akshara laksham peRum' (each one of his word was equal to a lakh of gold coins).

Salutations to that Bharathi in this 10,000th post...

Thanks to Rasikas.org for making my life richer, the past six years

----------

The first editor Bharathi worked under: G. Subramania Iyer.

The office building of SvadEsa Mithran at the end of Aramanaik kAran Street.

Map of old Chennai in 1904 when it was called Black Town. It was renamed George Town in 1911 (not in 1906 as stated here--a typo).

Sub-Editor At SvadEsa Mithran
----------------------------------

Bharathi joined SvadEsa Mithran in November 1904. The minute he entered the portals of the journal, he knew his affinity for journalism. A sub-editor's work also meant that he had to translate news from the English papers into thamizh. He had to find apt words for the newly emerging words and phrases in english. Creating new words is not an easy task, but it came naturally to Bharathi. He could translate long speeches without any difficulty--translate them in a style which would sound as if they were spoken in thamizh by the speakers! He was a fast worker too.

G.Subramainia Iyer admired Bharathi for his excellent work. He was also very good in getting the most out of his new-found talent.
Va.RA mentions this: Bharathi would be getting ready to wind up and go home, preoccupied with the thought that he should ask the editor for a raise, and just at that moment, a peon will come with a cup of coffee saying that the boss sent it for him. Soon, Iyer would appear, and Bharathi would have forgotten about asking him for more money.

"Did you read the moving speech of Sir Henry Cotton in the papers today?" , he would ask.

Bharathi: Yes, I did.

"Shouldn't we publish it at our earliest? Tomorrow, perhaps? You are the man for it, the one who can do it without losing the full impact of it. You don't have to stay late at the office! Take it home with you and bring it in the morning. I know it's child's play for you".
Bharathi would happily take the work home and deliver it in the morning.

Though Iyer made him work very hard, it helped Bharathi immensely in training as an editor. It enabled him to translate many speeches of Vivekananda, Arabindo and of others at the Annual Congress meeting. So natural were his translations that they sounded as if they all spoke in thamizh.
The first ten months at the journal was a rigorous training ground for Bharathi in his prose writing. During that period,it seemed as though he had put his poetic expression on the back burner. Then, in September 1905, his first poem 'vangamE vAzhiyavE! (Long Live Bengal!) was published in the journal.
Bharathi's salary was a pittance and he was always short of cash. Iyer was a very good man and he knew Bharathi's talents. Yet, he had no means to pay him more.
"Bharathi! You are a veritable KAlidAsa, but I'm no bhOja Raja to pay a lakh of gold coins for every word that you write!", he regretted.

To make ends meet in Chennai was extremely difficult for Bharathi. For the first time in his life, he came to experience 'oNDuk kuDithanam (many families living under the same roof). He makes a humorous reference to it in GnAna Ratham in the MaNNulagam (this earth) section.

* * *

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 14 May 2012, 06:04

arasi-ji:

....▐...........☻................☻...............☻...............☻.......
....▐.......☻......☻.......☻......☻......☻......☻......☻......☻.....
....▐......☻........☻.... ☻........☻....☻........☻....☻........☻....
....▐.......☻......☻.......☻......☻......☻......☻......☻......☻.....
....▐...........☻................☻...............☻...............☻........ Congratulations!

வாழ்த்துக்கள்!
பத்தாயிரம் பத்தாது;
தொடரட்டும் பங்களிப்பு!

vAzhttukkaL!
pattAyiram pattAdu;
toDarattum pangaLippu!
.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 14 May 2012, 06:24

PBala,
Wow! Thanks, but isn't it a bit too much?
You make me feel as if I'm a star whose name is ablaze in the marquee of a theater

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 14 May 2012, 07:57

So, the mahAkavi also had to hone his skills...no wonder his writing later on was virtually flawless - I can't think of any other word that would have served better than the ones he chose.
Congratulations Arasi!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 14 May 2012, 08:36

Ravi,
achERa ERa, Bharathiyin azhagu urai nadaith thamizhukku mElum merugERiyadu (Bharathi's beautiful prose gained more polish as he wrote more and more for the paper).

Pretty soon, I'm going to congratulate you and a few others for seeing your names in the light

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 14 May 2012, 11:27

Arasi,
Congratulations.This milestone is an index of the time you have spent in Pleasant dialogue ( without hurting anybody and without being hurt) with unseen partners.(non controversial) : Sathyam bruyath priyam bruyath- Na bruyath sathyam apriyam.It is no small achievement
rajagopalan.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 14 May 2012, 19:31

You are quite right arasi. I am enjoying my time with grand children.
குழலினிது யாழினிது என்பர் தம் பேரர்
மழலைச் சொல் கேளாதவர்...
Too difficult to post from this kluketty computer...

I for one am not excited about your 10000. Be it 10 or 1000 it is the content that counts on which you win hands down..
Especially your service to CM (as a composer) and above all to Tamil historic/journalistic literature is unforgettable! You missed your vocation as a magazine editor

Thank you for bringing the side of Mahakavi which we have never heard...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 15 May 2012, 03:33

Good to hear from you, CML! Thanks for being there for me as a constant encouraging force--like G.S to Bharathi at Mithran

What can be better than being in the sweet world of the little ones! The internet can wait. Have fun!

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 15 May 2012, 07:50

Arasi
Few decades back the very first time when Sunil Gavaskar scored 10,000 runs , the whole nation cheered including many like me . I cant recollect any other 10K worth cheering than your posts. Added to what ponbhairavi sir said, I wish more and more of your elegant compositions hits " mainstream" concerts , much more than inru varuvAnO nAlaiyO.

I must congratulate and definitely add certainly Krishnan Sir and your family , they have all given you that huge and extended --> s p a c e <-- to camp permenantly in rasikas.org .

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 15 May 2012, 08:40

arasiji,
thank you for yours..
very happy to see that you have reached a land mark 10k......the number , I feel is not important..it is how one reaches it..
not entertaining any animosity with any one..in a long innings..with different people having different virtues..with out any ego..
in a egoistic atmosphere around the world..in a platinum year of your age..

let Him give the strength and health..