BhAratiyAr New Materials Translated by Arasi

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 07 Sep 2011, 08:27

I will translate portions from a few books on Bharathi in this thread.

V. Saminatha Sarma (1895-1978), a journalist known for his writing on Tamizh political history and philosophy, in his book nAn kaNDa nAlvar (first published in 1959; I have the reprint from PUngoDi Padippagam-1998), apart from writing about the Bharathi he knew, also gives us a chronological account of Bharathi's life. I will also give glimpses of his association with the mahA kavi later. Interestingly, the three other men he has written about in this book are: Va.Ve.Su Iyer, Siva and Vi. Kalayanasundara Mudaliar (thiru vi. ka) who was the editor of dESa Bhakthan.The author worked there as a sub-editor.

*
Subramania Bharathiyar
(1881-1921)

The Ettayapuram samasthAnam in Tirunelveli JillA patronized poets and artistes. At the end of the nineteenth century, one Chinnasami Iyer, a scholar, had won the respect and patronage of of the jamIndAr. He led a happy life with his wife Lakshmi AmmAL. On December eleventh, in 1882, they had a son. In the month of kArthigai in mUla nakshatram, in the year ChitrabhAnu.
He was named Subramanian. They called him Subbaiah. He was a handsome child with sparkling eyes, a graceful gait and charming words. He was adored.

Subbaiah was five when his mother died. He spent two years of his childhood with his maternal grandparents who loved him.
To run the household and to take care of of the child, Chinnasami married again. His marriage to Valliammal was celebrated along with Subbaiah's upanayanam (holy thread ceremony). Valliammal took good care of the child and loved him. Subbaiah loved her back.

The father was very keen that Subbaiah should have an English education for his advancement in life. The boy on the other hand, wanted to learn Tamizh and be a poet like a kamban or vaLLuvan. He went to school grudgingly. He wasn't studious. He continued at the Hindu College in Tirunelveli. He studied there for three years, but his heart was in Tamizh literature and most of the time, he was lost in his imagination.

Subbaiah could make up verses from the age of eight. The poets at the samasthAnam were awed by the boy and were envious too.
Once, the poets gathered, to test the boy's talent in verse-making. They took turns in giving Subbaiah a couple of lines, asking him to complete them into poems. Not only did the boy do that, he also recited every poem from beginning to the end. They were astonished. They gave him the title of Bharathi and that day, Subbaiah became Subramania Bharathi.

Though Bharathi continued his English education, he disliked that mode of education. He must have felt that it eroded dignity and
self-confidence in the Indian youth.We read about it in his poetry.

When Bharathi was nearly fifteen, he got married to Kadayam Chellappa Iyer's daughter Chellamma. It was a grand wedding.
The very next year, Chinnasami Iyer's business took a bad turn and left him penniless. Grieving over it, he died the same year.

A turning point in Bharathi's life.

Bharathi spent a few years with his paternal aunt Kuppammal in KASi. He studied at the Allahabad University and passed the entrance exam (Intermediate?). He mastered Sanskrit and Hindi.

He came back home and worked at the Ettayapuram samasthAnam for nearly two years: reading the newspapers and good books to the jamIndAr, holding educational discussions with him. The free spirit of Bharathi soon felt like taking off.

He then taught Thamizh for three months in Madurai at Sethupathi High School. His salary was five varAgans (seventeen and a half rupees!).

In November 1904, he went to Chennai to work as a sub-editor at svadESa Mitran.

In 1905, there was unrest all over India about the division of Bengal. Patriotism came to the fore. Bharathi's poetic soul got ignited. He plunged into the political scene. His raging national fervor could not be expressed in svadESa Mitran where he wrote. It saddened him. Knowing this, his friends started the India journal. After a year and a half at SvadESa Mitran, Bharathi moved on to edit India. The first issue came out in April 1906. He wrote political essays, poems, short stories and more.

Bharathi started going to the annual Congress meetings--in 1905 to Kasi, in 1906 to Calcutta, and in 1907 to Surat. In Calcutta, he met Swami Vivekananda's disciple Nivedita Devi and acknowledged her as his gnAna guru.

(to be continued)

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 07 Sep 2011, 19:31

Arasi - once again, you have our spell-bound attention! Thank you!!
By the way, I did not know that the mahAkavi was also an example of the adage: 'AN mUlam arasALum' (which he certainly did, IMO)!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 07 Sep 2011, 19:36

Excellent arasi! Welcome to the new project!
You bring us accurate and objective view of these old publications making them available to those who cannot read/understand Tamil. This is a signal service to the topic and Tamil itself. You are re-igniting our love for the mahA kavi through these translations. No doubt you sparkle as a 'true' translator capturing the spirit and veracity of the original. All Tamils should be grateful to you for this service. Hats off!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 07 Sep 2011, 19:40

Shankar

Now the 'AN mUlam aras(iAl) ALum'

(rule our minds ..I mean..)

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 07 Sep 2011, 21:28

Yes....CML - nice pun!

cienu · Post by **cienu** » 07 Sep 2011, 22:11

Wow CML, that was a nice one

smala · Post by **smala** » 07 Sep 2011, 22:18

Really appreciate your laudable effort, Arasi. I have discovered a new love for Bharathi, thanks to you. Knowing so little about him, my eyes are glued to these posts, getting hungrier, ready to devour every crumb.

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 07 Sep 2011, 22:25

arasi, I am amazed at your zeal and enthusiasm! We reap the fruits of your labor. Thanks a ton!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 Sep 2011, 02:20

Thanks all, but your enthusiasm is infectious and makes me want to share more! Bear with me,I will do it at my own pace.
I'm also wondering if we need just two threads and not three on Bharathi. Admin and mods, please guide.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 Sep 2011, 08:09

(continuing post #1)

Bharathi was also involved in activities of the svadESi movement alongside his work at the India journal.
He made arrangements for Vipinchandra Balar's lectures in Chennai. He started the Chennai Jana Sangam. He helped open a shop for selling svadESi goods.
He wanted to bring out a collection of the patriotic poems he had written during that time and he did not have the funds. One H. A. Natesan introduced him to Krishnaswami Iyer ( a moderate), who was thrilled when he heard Bharathi sing his songs and decided to print them and distribute free copies. A volume called svadESa gItangaL followed, the very first book of Bharathi.

In 1908, the svarAjyA movement gained force. The British RAj took drastic measures to curb it. Lokamanya Tilak, Va. vu. ChidambaranAr and Subramanya Siva were arrested. Srinivasan, who was officially India's editor got arrested. Bharathi was going to be the next. Knowing this, his friends whisked him away to Puduvai.

Bharathi reached Puduvai in September 1908. In a month, the journal and the press followed suite. The last issue of India was printed in Chennai in the last week of September. It continued from Puduvai from the 20th of October. Bharathi ran the journal efficiently until March 2nd of 1910, for nearly one and a half years. The journal gained immeasurable prestige. Va. ve. Su Iyer was its London correspondent until then.
Bharathi also edited two other journals at the same time. They were Vijaya and Karma yOgi. They had to stop publication, just like India, by the end of 1910. Yet, all was not lost. Bharathi made some precious friends during this time. Aravinda Ghosh and iyer arrived in Puduvai. They, along with Mandyam Srinivasa Iyengar met every day and carried on invaluable discussions. Srinivasa Iyengar (aka Chari) was a scholar who helped his fellow-patriots in many ways.

Bharathi gained many sishyAs too. Parali. Su. nEllaiyappar, Tiruppazhanam Va. Ramasamy Iyengar (va rA), KuvaLaiyUr KrishnamAchari (kuvaLik KaNNan), Amudan (aka Aravamuda Iyengar), BharathidAsan (Kanaka Subburathinam) and others. KuvaLaik kaNNan makes an appearance in Bharathi's songs. Bharathi had a special place in his heart for him.

There were others who made it easier for Bharathi by helping out, when it came to coping with his domestic life--ChiTTi Kuppuswamy Iyengar, Sundaresa Iyer, Krishnasami Chettiar, Ponnu Murugesam Pillai and others. They were drawn by Bharathi's pure heart, universal view and his poetic genius. They considered it their fortune to be of help to him. I don't have to add that Bharathi loved them all equally.
AmmakkaNNu, who worked as a maid in Bharathi's house was such a help to the family, sticking with them through thick and thin.

When the journals had to stop publication, Bharathi concentrated on his writing. Four works--the translation of The Bhagavad GItA, KaNNan PATTu, Kuyil PATTu and PAnjAli Sabadam were published in 1912. He also wrote continuously for GnAna BhAnu, edited by Subramania SivA in Chennai, contributing poems and stories under several pen names. Some as follows: a correspondent called sAvitri, nitya dhIrar, Or uttama dESAbhimAni and several others.

Bharathi grew a beard for some time while in Puduvai. He had such a love for nAlAyira divyap prabandams and so started wearing a tirunAmam like vaishNavites. You see him as such in the photo taken then.

Bharathi also wrote essays in English when he was in Puduvai.

His life betwen 1910 and 1915 was a tough one. He did not have a regular income. His friends helped him out. Underlings of the British gave him enough trouble. Poverty and illnesses oppressed him and his family. Yet, these years were the best of his creative life. Perhaps, pain produces the best in a poet.

In the middle of 1915, the dark clouds of gloom lifted somewhat. svadEsa Mitran came to his rescue. After becoming the editor of India, he had no ties with SvadESa Mitran. From June 1915 onwards, he was asked to write for it again. He got thirty rupees every month for contributing essays. In addition, some collections of his poems came out at that time. Bharathi was consoled by such happenings in those bleak times.

(to be continued)

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 08 Sep 2011, 18:50

A splendid collection of facts that trace Bharathy's life chronologically...

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 08 Sep 2011, 23:32

Arasi - very interesting reading. A couple of questions:

Arasi wrote:There were others who made it easier for Bharathi by helping out, when it came to coping with his domestic life--ChiTTi Kuppuswamy Iyengar, Sundaresa Iyer, Krishnasami Chettiar, Ponnu Murugesam Pillai and others.

Is this the same ciTTi who was a fan of Sri MMI?

Arasi wrote:kuvaLai kaNNan makes an appearance in Bharati's songs

Which ones?

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 09 Sep 2011, 02:37

Ravi,
I think the one you're thinking of was a writer (of the MaNikkoDi school). His name was Sundarrajan (pen name ChiTTi).
kuvaLaik kaNNan's name appears in suya charidai, if I recollect right.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 09 Sep 2011, 09:25

(continuing post# 10)

The First World War came to an end in November 1918. The newspapers in Chennai clamored for the return of the patriots from Puduvai. Some leaders in the svadESi movement demanded the same. As a result, all except Aravindar returned home as free men.

Bharathi was released on December third in that year. He went to Kadayam and stayed there for a while. He also lived in Tiruvananthapuram, Ettayapuram and Chettinadu briefly. He gave speeches here and there. He enthralled audiences with his poetry. He was also making efforts to get his works published.

Though Bharathi had known and had praised the Mahatma in verse in 1906 for what he had done in South Africa, he met him only in 1919. Bharathi gave his blessings to the satyAgrahA movement which Gandhiji had started.

Afterliving in Kadayam and in other places for a while, he returned to Chennai in November 1920 and started working as a sub-editor at SvadESa Mitran. His salary then was a hundred rupees.

He again started making efforts in getting his works published. He advertised in the name of tamizh vaLarppup paNNai (a sangam in Chennai) that his works were going to be published in forty volumes. Thirty thousand copies were going to be printed of each book. 'These volumes will sell as quickly as kerosene oil and match boxes in tamizhnAdu', he claimed! He also sent newsletters in Tamizh and English to the persons he knew. He wrote personal letters to his friends. His efforts did not turn out to be fruitful in his life time. The people of Tamizh nADu did not offer him their support

The following is a newsletter which he sent out:

Om Sakti

svadESa Mitran Office
G.T, MadarAs.....192...

Dear.......
When I lived away from our land for twelve years, the bulk of what I wrote during that time has reached me now from Puduvai. Dividing my works into forty volumes, I intend printing ten thousand copies of each of them with the first edition. This is going to cost twenty thousand rupees. Within a year or two, I would realize a profit of one and a half lakhs.
Many of the works I have chosen to publish are stirring stories with literary merit, wrought in a style which is simple and has clarity. We have more and more adults and children these days in Tamizh nADu and abroad who can read. There is a need for a renaissance in our country. Tamizh nADu has to lead the way. My works are vital for this. I want to do the printing and the get-up of the volumes in the same way as the Americans do--thus making vast improvements to what we see in our country at present. I am going to include well-illustrated scenes from the stories. This will attract more readers. Yet, the price of the books are going to be reasonable: the prose books selling for eight annas and poetry for four annas.
I am already well-known in the book world because of the works I have published so far. I am confident that my books will sell very well and will make this venture a success.
Please send me a loan of a sum you can manage, for printing and other expenses. I expect at least a hundred rupees from each of you. Please ask at least twenty of your friends to loan me their money.
I will send stamped pro notes for the loans I receive from you and your friends. I will give a generous interest of 2/: for every loan that I receive. I eagerly await your money order and twenty more from your friends!
My prayers to God for granting you a long and happy life.

Your dear
Signature.
*

Some time after Bharathi joined SvadESa Mitran, he found a house in TiruvallikkENi. He went to the Parthasarathy temple every day for darSan. He took delight in offering the fruit and the coconut that he was given, to the temple elephant. The elephant got very fond of him. Wasn't Bharathi a jIvanmukthA and a mahAkavi who considered all living beings his equals?

One day, the elephant got mad and being unaware of it, Bharathi offered the animal his treats. The elephant brandished his trunk and tossed him away.
Bharathi fell at its feet and fainted. KuvaLai Krishnamachari came flying to the scene and carried Bharathi home. Bharathi had bloody wounds. Friends took care of him by getting him medical treatment. Bharathi got well after a while. He started going to work. He even traveled a bit to deliver lectures.

God had other plans. After the shock of being attacked by the elephant, Bharathi did not regain his health at all. He had a severe stomach ailment too. The end came on the 11th of September around one in the morning. He left his body but gained immortality. He was thirty nine years old then.

He has two daughters by the name of Thangammal and Sakunthalai.

Until there is sweetness in Tamizh, until there is feeling in poetry, until there is respect for women on earth, Bharathi will continue to live among us.

* * *

I will soon post some passages from his book--Arasi.
.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 09 Sep 2011, 20:07

Bravo arasi! Succinct but stacked with facts...

I wonder what is the cause of death of Bharathy at such a young age?
It cannot be the injuries he received from the elephant from which he recovered.
I suspect 'stomach cancer' which can be potentially fatal in a short time span.
I rule out appendicitis since he was chronically ill for some time...
What do you think Shankar?

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 10 Sep 2011, 17:42

cmlover:

Extracts from 'BHARATHIYAIP PATRI NANBARKAL' R.A. Padmanabhan, 1982:-

(பாரதியாரின் அபிமானத்துக்கு உகந்தவரும், அவரால் அன்போடு 'தம்பீ' என்று அழைக்கப்பட்டவரும், புதுவையில் நீலகண்ட பிரம்மச்சாரி அழைக்க 'சூர்யோதயம்' வாரப் பதிப்பில் அவரிடம் உதவியாசிரியராக இருந்தவரும், 1917 -ல் 'நாட்டுப் பாட்டு', 'பாப்பாப் பாட்டு', முரசு', 'கண்ணன் பாட்டு' முதலிய நூல்களை வெளியிட்டவருமான பரலி சு. நெல்லையப்ப பிள்ளை, பாரதியாரின் வீட்டில் கடைசி நாள் நிலவரத்தை இக் கட்டுரையில் குறிக்கிறார். இது 'தினமணி' சுடரில் வெளிவந்த கட்டுரை. -- ரா.அ.ப.)

பழந்தமிழ் நாட்டுக்குப் புத்துயிர் அளித்த பெருங் கவியான பாரதியாருக்கு வறுமையின் கொடுமையாலும், ஒரு சாமியாரின் கூட்டுறவாலும் அவர் புதுவையில் இருந்த பொழுது கஞ்சாப் பழக்கம் ஏற்பட்டுவிட்டது. அதுபற்றிப் பாரதியாரைக் குறைகூறுவதைவிட தமிழ் நாட்டின் தவக் குறைவைச் சிந்திப்பது நலம். பாரதியார் புதுவையிலிருந்து வெளியே வந்த பின்னர், திருநெல்வேலி ஜில்லாவில் அவருடன் சில ஊர்களுக்கு நான் சென்ற பொழுது நண்பர்களிடம் பணம் பெற்றுக் கஞ்சாவை ஏராளமாக வாங்கிச் சாப்பிடத் தொடங்கினார். அதனால் அவரிடம் பணம் கொடுக்க வேண்டாமென்று நண்பர்களிடம் அந்தரங்கமாகச் சொல்லவேண்டிய விரும்பத்தகாத கடமையும் எனக்கு ஏற்பட்டது.

பின்னர், பாரதியார் சென்னைக்கு வந்தார். 'சுதேசமித்திர'னில் துணையாசிரியராகப் பணியாற்றினார். அப்பொழுதும் அவரது கஞ்சாப் பழக்கம் வளர்ந்தே வந்தது. திருவல்லிக்கேணியில் அவர் குடியிருந்தார். 'காக்கை குருவியெங்கள் ஜாதி' என்று பாடிய பாரதியார் பார்த்தசாரதி கோயில் யானைமீது அன்பு கொண்டார். கவியரசருக்கும் கஜேந்திரனுக்கும் நட்பு வளர்ந்து வந்தது. ஆனால், ஒரு நாள் பாரதியார் கஜேந்திரனுக்குச் சிற்றுண்டி அளிக்கச் சென்றபோது அது அவரை எக் காரணத்தினாலோ தூக்கியெரிந்துவிட்டது. யானைக்குச் சிறிது தூரத்தில் உணர்விழந்து கிடந்த பாரதியாரை அடுத்த வீதியில் இருந்த குவளை கிருஷ்ணமாச்சாரியார் விரைந்தோடி வந்து தூக்கியெடுத்து அவரது வீட்டுக்குக் கொண்டு சென்றார். 'வீரர் பிரான் குவளையூர்க் கண்ணன்' என்று பாரதியார் பாடிய அந்தக் குவளை கிருஷ்ணன் சமயத்தில் வந்திராவிட்டால் வாழ்நாள் அன்றே முடிவெய்தியிருக்கும்.

கஞ்சாவை அளவுக்கு மிஞ்சித் தின்று வந்ததனால் அளவுக்கு மிஞ்சிச் சூடேறியிருந்த பாரதியாரின் மென்மையான உடல் யானை தூக்கி எறிந்ததன் பயனாகக் கலகலத்துப் போய் விட்டது. அதனையொட்டி அவருக்குச் சீதபேதி ஏற்பட்டது. பாரதி பாயும் படுக்கையுமாய் இருந்த செய்தி சிந்தாதிரிப்பேட்டையில் இருந்த எனக்குக் கடைசி நாளில்தான் தெரியவந்தது. லக்ஷ்மண ஐயர் என்ற ஒரு நண்பருடன் மாலையில் நான் பாரதியாரைப் பார்க்கச் சென்றேன். அவரது நிலை கவலைக்கிடமாக இருந்தது. அவர் மயக்க நிலையில் கிடந்தார். திருவல்லிக்கேணி மாட வீதியில் குடியிருந்த டாக்டர் ஜானகிராம் என்ற வைத்தியரை அழைத்துக்கொண்டு வந்து காட்டினோம். (இவர் ஆந்திர கேசரியும் ஆந்திர நாட்டு முதன் மந்திரியுமான ஸ்ரீ தங்கதூரி பிரகாசத்தின் தம்பியென்று எனது நினைவு.) அவர் பாரதியார் உடம்பைப் பரிசோதித்து எதோ மருந்து கொடுக்க விரும்பினார். ஆனால், பாரதியார் மருந்தை அருந்துவதற்குப் பிடிவாதமாக மறுத்துவிட்டார். டாக்டர் அவதிடம் பேசி மருந்தை அருந்துமாறு வாதாடிய பொழுது பாரதியார் தமக்கு எந்த மருந்தும் வேண்டாம் என்று கண்டிப்பாக மறுத்து விட்டார். வைத்தியர் ஏமாற்றத்துடன் திரும்பினார். இரவெல்லாம் பாரதியார் மயக்க நிலையிலேயே கிடந்தார்.

பாரதியாரின் நிலையை அறிந்த நானும் அன்பர் லக்ஷ்மண ஐயரும் இரவில் அங்கேயே தங்குவதென முடிவு செய்தோம். எங்களுக்குத் தூக்கம் வரவில்லை. அடிக்கடி எழுந்து எமனுடன் போராடிக் கொண்டிருந்த பாரதியாரைக் கவனித்துக் கொண்டிருந்தோம். பின்னிரவில் சுமார் இரண்டு மணிக்குப் பாரதியாரின் மூச்சு அடங்கிவிட்டது. உலகத்தாருக்கு 'அமரத்வ' உபதேசம் செய்த பாரதியார் மரணம் அடைந்தார்.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 10 Sep 2011, 18:06

So the direct cause of death is the internal injury (attack by the elephant) and contributary cause is 'opium addiction' ....

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 10 Sep 2011, 19:45

PBala,
Thank you for finding this.Yes, a tragic scene, described by his long time friend and follower.
I have seen Nellaiyappar a few times--even got his autograph. The reason I called him Parasu Nellaiyappar earlier (not Parali), was because he had signed his name as para. su. Nellaiyappar in my book, and it stuck in my memory, I think!

smala · Post by **smala** » 10 Sep 2011, 19:48

A translation would help much. arasi? sidhar-rang ?

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 11 Sep 2011, 14:51

One has to doubt the veracity of the portion relating to the addiction to Opium by Barathi.
Please see http://www.madeinthoughts.com/BharathiLastDay.html
Here there is no reference about it. Neither Neelakanta Brhmachari -another close associate nor Parali S Nellaiapper speaks about this addiction.
Barathi in his letter to Chllama had assured her that he would never follow a wrong path.
Please see his letter to her at:
http://te-in.facebook.com/topic.php?uid ... topic=6001
I could not trace any information that any of his colleagues have ever complained about this addiction.
Chellama in her AIR speech has also not mentioned about this. See her speech of 1951 at:
http://www.sramakrishnan.com/?p=622

There have been some forces bent upon discrediting Barathi, his compositions on the basis of his caste.
They were from later generations and not contemporaries of Barathi.
http://www.keetru.com/literature/essays ... avan_1.php
The above link provides another view about Barathiar. Make an interesting reading!!
My view is that this portion about addiction could have been inserted later and to give credibility,
Parali S Nellaiappaer’s letter could have been used.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 11 Sep 2011, 20:00

Many thanks vkailasam for those informative collections.
Do please share more such illuminating revelations that you may have...
The negative writings on Bharathy were mostly propagated by the DK group out of their brahmin hatred.
They visualized him as a brahmin rather than as a Tamilian - one of the reasons the TN govts never accorded due recognition for his works or writings.. which continues even today!

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 11 Sep 2011, 21:46

I am providing below a few more links:

http://www.madeinthoughts.com/BharathiWork.html
http://baski-reviews.blogspot.com/2010/ ... st_30.html
http://www.madeinthoughts.com/KuvalaiKannan.html
http://www.madeinthoughts.com/Mayai.html

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 12 Sep 2011, 19:55

Many thanks vkailasam for those links..

smala · Post by **smala** » 12 Sep 2011, 23:50

Once things start getting posted in Tamil only - it becomes limiting - even a transliteration of the prose in the several links posted recently would help somewhat.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 13 Sep 2011, 04:31

smala: Transliteration of external links is a lot of work. If you are interested in reading them, you can try Arun's automatic transliteration tool.( http://arunk.freepgs.com/cmtranslit/editor.php ). The full thread on the tool is at http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic. ... 977#p34977

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 15 Sep 2011, 00:12

Some rare photographs of Bharati in this URL (thanks to mintamil google group for leading me to this)

http://tinyurl.com/bharatipicsrare

There is also a cartoon showing a turban-less (bald) Bharati along with kuLLa chAmi (the spiritual guru who had a lot of influence on Bharati in puduvai)

smala · Post by **smala** » 15 Sep 2011, 00:46

Thanks a ton, sridhar_rang. Am posting pics here for better clarity.

Please identify the persons around Bharathi. Blurb below.

smala · Post by **smala** » 15 Sep 2011, 00:49

smala · Post by **smala** » 15 Sep 2011, 00:51

smala · Post by **smala** » 15 Sep 2011, 00:54

Would really love to get a translation of the write-up on this one.

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 15 Sep 2011, 02:02

The above is a letter written by Bharati to bring kuLLachAmi to Chennai from Puduvai.

First the transliteration:

Om Sakti

C. Subramania Bharati

89, Ramaswami theru
mutyAl pETTai
chenna paTTaNam

SrImAn kanaka rAjAvukku namaskAram.dayavu seidu indak kaDitam kanDavuDan SrI kuLLaccAmiyai gOvindan alladu vENu sahitamAga mElE kATTiya vilAsattil SrI S. duraisAmi ayyar M.A. B.L, high court vakkIl (professor of law college) vITTukku anuppa vENDum. selavum paNam mudaliya sakal saukaryangaLum ingE naDakkum. puduccEriyilirundu ingu vara nee paNam koDuttanuppu. migavum mukyamAna kAryam. un kaiyil paNam kiDaikkAviTTAl yAriDamEnum vAngi koDuttanuppu. ingu vENu vandu sErndavuDan unakku tandi maniyArDar mUlamAga anda togaiyai anuppi viDugiROm. migavum

Translation

NamaskAram to SrImAn kanaka rAjA (I assume this is Kanaka Subbu Rathinam aka bhArati dAsan). As soon as you see this letter please send kullachAmi along with Govindan or Venu to the above address of Sri Duraiswami Ayyar, MA BL, Lawyer of the high court and professor of law college. All expenses and comforts including money will be taken care here. You pay them money for the travel from puducheri to here. It is a very important matter. If you don't have money borrow from someone and give it to them. Once Venu reaches here we will send you that amount by telegraphic money order. (migavum)

Notes under the cartoon

1) Letter for kuLLachAmi

Part of the letter sent by Bharati to bring kuLLachAmi, whom he considered a parama yogi, to Chennai from Puduvai. The little swami came to chennai. Meeting and felicitations took place.

2) Meeting of Bharati and kuLLAchAmi

Drawing by K.R Sarma in 1930 to depict the meeting between the two "one day in the city of Puduvai". This is part of the series of Bharati song pictures serialized in "mitran" (the journal sudesa mitran?) in those days. This is what the turban-less Bharati used to look like.

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 15 Sep 2011, 02:12

picture in #29 shows Bharati's younger daughter Sakuntala and wife Chellammal sitting, and daughter thangammal, friends Ramu and T (D?) Vijayaraghavan standing along with Bharati.

Pic in #27 taken in Karaikudi, hindu matAbhimAna sangham, shows sitting: a.mu.ka.mu.ka.kaRuppan cheTTiyAr, rAya. chokkalingan, bhArati, so. murugappA, ki. nArAyaNan cheTTiyAr. Standing: mu. naTarASan, unidentified young boy

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 15 Sep 2011, 19:24

Thanks sridhar_rang
It appears there are more pictures and write-ups.
Pl post them if you can.
Would like to know more about 'kuLLachamii' and his relations to Bharathy...

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 15 Sep 2011, 20:54

Some where it was stated that Barathi’s poverty and his association with a saint landed him into the habit of using Opiam.
So far as I could gather his association was only with Kulluchami who was an ardent follower of Vadalur Ramalinga swamigal and his suddha sanmargam.
Please read the article below:
Arutperum Jodhi Arutperum Jodhi Thaniperumkarunai Arutperum Jodhi
National Poet Bharathi -A Sanmarge
Every one is aware of Bharathiyar as a poet, but not aware of that he was a yoga practitioner of a Grace Path called Suddha Sanmargam for-Immortal Life. During the Independence struggle, British police searched him for his revolutionary articles, speeches and patriotic songs. So he fled to Puducherry for asylum –It was the French colony then.

In this period, he happened to meet a sage by name KULLACHAMI – who was following Suddha sanmargam.

It was the turning point of his life and birth for initiating into suddha sanmarga. As he hibernated, Bharathiyar didn’t attend his mother’s funeral for the fear of British Police. He was longing to see his mother’s face, so he went to his Guru and expressed his desire – who superimposed his mother’s face .Bharathiyar was all in tears and was so grateful to his Guru and fell on His feet.
Sanmargam – is a commune which follows the path of Truth and Harmony – Universal brother hood which believes “I and He” the same. After merging with Sanmargam, he wrote many poems in line with this school of philosophy - Grace Path.
He wrote many poems, which were on the name of Kannan and Kannamma. The whole world thought and even now thinks that Kannamma is the nick name by which he addressed his wife and Kannan – The Divine child who played on the banks of river Yamuna. They are the not the human beings indeed – but the personifications of mystical experiences arising out of an organ in the human body so he termed as such. This will be very well understood by those who got initiation in this path. He had a big fire in his body through yoga, his mind and soul longing for the liberation from this earthly life, so he was not able control on it.
On the other hand he spent his time & energy for the liberation of the nation, so he was not able to continue the Immortal Life practice.
Had he not participated in the freedom struggle, India would have witnessed yet another saint like Ramalinga Swamigal.
With thanks and regards BG Venkatesh.

This is what Yadugiri has stated : "Bharathi came under the spell of a sAmiAr--kuLLach chAmiAr. He came to know him because KuLLach chAmi frequented Murugesam Pillai's house. The poet who had a thirst for new ideas, found a guide in him. From then on, whether it did him any good or not, Bharathi started seeking the company of some mendicants"

venkatakailasam

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 16 Sep 2011, 02:35

Rare pictures! Mother and daughters posing with father (and friends! Strangers, in those days for women to pose with, I bet). Well, Bharathi wanted it, I suppose. Not only that. He has his hand on Chellamma's shoulder. He was after all true to being Bharathi!

Very good to see the cartoon too. This one brings back my memory about reading an old bound volume of svadESa mitran weighing a ton (remember, printed tabloid-size). I must have been eight, and it was far too heavy for me to handle and as I was fascinated with it, I would put it on the floor and pour over it, lying down on my belly! What comes to my mind is, that I saw many such illustrations, where you did not see many different faces--they all nearly looked the same--just as in victorian publications. So, Bharathi might not have looked much like Bharathi but like any young man that illustrator portrayed

athItam is a very interesting magazine to read.
When I read that Bharathi did not wear Kungumam on his forehead (not that it makes a difference to me)--and to say that artiste Arya added it in his portrait is something I doubt. I'm following this post with bits from the chapter kavik kulak kOn from Saminatha Sarma's book. You see him there with a poTTu in Sarma's description of him. he wore a nAmam sometimes and may be he did not wear any marks at times.

As for his addiction, I don't doubt it. Whether it was kuLLach chAmi, GovindasAmi or any other mendicant who introduced it to him, we are not sure. Yadugiri wrote this book in the thirties--a traditional married woman--and even she mentions it. We have the chapter where she is perturbed to see changes in Bharathi when she returns to Puduvai from Karnataka (he's not himself, he looks frail, his eyes are red). Chellamma, her father and finally Va Ve Su Iyer make it clear that it was after all substance abuse which was undermining him. In one of the references which we see in this thread, Nellaiyappar speaks of it.
A family friend of ours who was a child then, lived not far from Bharathi's house. She was banned from going anywhere near that mad man's house. The poet they could tolerate, but not the addict.
Another information thet we get from Prema Nandakumar's book is that he was introduced to ganjA even when he was in the service of the Ettayapuram samasthAnam!

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 16 Sep 2011, 06:11

Thank you Arasi for setting it right...if his addictions can be thought to be the doings of a political party, then, those that seek to portray him without them in my mind, are sycophants who want to put him up on a pedestal. He does belong on a pedestal, but not such a one. While I cannot see him as a perpetrator of domestic abuse, I do think he did partake of addictive substances, based on exactly the same reasons you cite. But who cares about these things? I for one don't. His writings and opinions are what capture my mind and captivate me; his blazing intellect draws me like a moth to the light....so what if he was not perfect...he's beyond that, IMO.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 16 Sep 2011, 07:50

Ravi,
I wonder if all this is born out of a tendency to see anyone we hold in very high regard as a saint, or even as a new avatAra of God Himself. Our political party leaders are a good example of this. Even Gandhiji was considered God by many. Then, no wonder, we find out that they don't live up to our unrealistic expectations of them as a saint or God incarnate. Even the undeserving ones in politics are adored and deified!
In Bharathi's case, it's a pity--the differences seen among men because of their castes was something he abhorred. He sang about it at all times and stood by it by the example of his own life, going overboard sometimes, for his times.
Anyone who truly loves Bharathi should see him casteless. He couldn't help being born as a brahmin. He was for equality among the people, whatever their caste or station in life. We all know that he was not a hypocrite. There is no point in our blaming each other for the neglect we all have shown in getting him his right place among world class poets. He was also a patriot and a humanitarian who missed out even on being recognized at a national level.
If fingers are pointed at(either brahmins or non-brahmins )for our neglecting to give him the right place in our nation's history and our literature, all of us are to be blamed, for giving a political slant to everything that we hear or experience. We become a narrow-minded, heartless, caste-conscious lot who are more interested and involved in the pettiness of caste prejudices and worse, political leanings.
Bharathi was beyond all that. Imagine! He happened to be living a hundred years ago, born in a family steeped in brahmin tradition. He himself speaks about it in the book to Yadugiri that she will find the world to be a totally different place, once she goes away from Puduvai where the svadESis lived a free life.Yes, he associated himself with people of other castes, and ate in their houses--all this, a hundred years ago!

As for domestic abuse: Are we kidding? Again, let's go back a hundred years, see an only child and son, and soon, a motherless child, petted by grandparents, an aunt and a stepmother who loved him. Then the wife (an old-fashioned wife who did everything for her husband). If he says, 'Chellamma, light the lamps, spread out the mats', it as not because he refused to do anything to help her. It was simply because he wasn't used to doing these things! An abuser won't lovingly educate her, won't let her argue. An abused Chellamma would not have cried with joy and pride when she heard him burst into song.
That hand on her shoulder in the picture speaks volumes about his care for her. He jokes around with her and she does the same--all in the throes of financial worries. We see Chellamma in despair, only when he acts the reclusive poet lost in his world, when he goes away without telling her, when he gets addicted.
He wants his Chellamma to be part of the tea party, and teases her for putting the teacup under the table, instead of drinking from it. An abusive husband would not have taken her to the party! I understand though, that the abuse stories came out of his being a maverick, and in his not being a traditional brahmin, for being a svadESi, and for not earning a regular salary. All the misery they went through in Puduvai when no money came from svadESa Mitran, would have made him look like an irresponsible and abusive husband by her folks. Every time Chellamma went to Kadayam, the idea would have been reinforced. No wonder, they put Bharathi in a house away from the agrahAram when he returned there...

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 16 Sep 2011, 08:49

Reg post #36

Smt arasi has not passed a judgment in this – to set the matter !
She had given her reading on the accusation that Bharathi was a drug addict .
Just as for the reasons brought out in my postings at #34 and #20
I feel convinced that he is not a drug addict.
If for this reason if one has to keep company of sycophants,
one should feel only happy about it.
As Shri. Nandhivarman
The General Secretary of Dravida Peravai, a political party for unifying global Tamils observes:
“If in all languages such derogatory remarks against Bharathiar reaches all the nook and corner of the world, what should we do ?
Is it time to just sing sonnets on Bharathi sitting at our homes, while in world Bharathiar is portrayed as an oppressor of women, drug addict, casteist, selfish convert to nationalist cause etc.?

venkatakailasam

smala · Post by **smala** » 16 Sep 2011, 12:48

It certainly is off-putting this going on and on about Bharathi's drug "addiction" - for heaven's sake.

I fully endorse rshankar's views that these were his experiments -- and not addiction! -- the same Yadugiri who mentions a strange Bharathi under this influence does not mention it again in her other meetings and conversations with him (recall the one where he catches on to her lament of losing her son and gives her clear counsel) and particularly the last poignant one when he visited her morning and evening, on the day of her departure for Mysuru. His return to Chennai after the Puduvai days saw him with a responsible job, activities with his faculties intact - his letter pleading for a loan of Rs 100 repayable with interest sent to his circle of friends is quite heartbreaking for the fact that it did not elicit a single response - not even from his close Puduvai circle of friends! Possibly because he was tainted with this "addiction" brush, tarred for life. Till his very last moments his thoughts were clear - he asked about Yadugiri, lamented at not seeing her and wished her well wherever she may be. He even asked that Chellamal keep everything ready early the next morning for him to attend to work. None of this sounds like a man ranting and raving under hallucination.

If society in those days was moralistic, hostile, judgmental and quick to malign an unconventional man who dared to be different, what is the scope of so-called present day literates throwing a brick at Bharathi, nearly a hundred years after his death, suggesting domestic violence/abuse without any factual basis.

In a way all this reminds me of Murray, accused of manslaughter, and his lawyers, crying foul that Jackson was the bad guy, a drug addict. Today, persons close to Jackson reveal that greed, money and power were the factors that made those around him egg him on, stressing him out to exhaustion, to need severe sleep inducements, to make that one mega comeback gig that was in the works. Not meant to be.

Both ganja and opium are smoked by ordinary folks - visit Kulu-Manali and you'll see ganja traded freely and openly. These are people who live their daily lives, go about their work and relax with a ganja smoke or two. In Kolkata, some decades ago, rickshaw wallahs would share a puff of ganja, sometimes a beedi, passing it around. In Afghanistan, life might be quite intolerable, if the mountain people didn't pull out their hookahs and socialize smoking some opium or charas, such is the dreary harshness of life. In CA and some states marijuana (ganja) has medical sanction. There are legal clubs dispensing pot here and apparently it helps certain conditions, particularly pain.

Closer to home for that matter, Tambrams from Kerala, and possibly elsewhere! would engage in some harmless "56" or 2 paisa aattam to be labeled as "gamblers" - My father loved to play Bridge, sometimes Rummy, when meeting with old friends, and yet not for a moment did he shirk his responsibilities ever. He raised us daughters single-handedly post our mother's loss in child-birth when I was a little over six.

NOTE - I am not making excuses for "drug" acceptance just stating some realities.

varsha · Post by **varsha** » 16 Sep 2011, 15:24

Even Gandhiji was considered God by many. Then, no wonder, we find out that they don't live up to our unrealistic expectations of them as a saint or God incarnate.
Gandhis greatness was that he gave us an expectation . He did not have to live up to an expectation
No wonder we discuss him so casually . Since most of us would not recognise GOD if he dropped in as our neighbour .
BTW No one ever considered Gandhiji as a GOD . Not even as a saint .(That burden sits lightly on the shoulder of a dear-composer , whom the world mocks at , once year , every year.
Gandhiji was an Exalted Soul , that is all . For all those who know the meaning of freedom . And pride in ones own country.
Back to demystifying the label of being an addict . I dont see anything wrong with that , even if he was addicted to it . My interest lies in the work that he bequeathed to us.

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 16 Sep 2011, 16:06

Demystifying the label of being an addict, I also do not see anything wrong with that except that it is considered a social taboo and it affect the health.

But will we marry our daughters to an addict?

There are hundreds of people resorting to this addiction.

In our daily life we meet many of them. Are we concerned? no...

But, when it is tagged to the Maha kavi like Bharathi , it hurts.

while he was living no body bothered to caution him even people who are considered his well wishers and those who are close to him-If the addiction was true.

After he is no more and is defenseless, accusations are made and supposed proofs are produced!! Is this fair...

venkatakailasam

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 18 Sep 2011, 19:09

For some time I was away from this forum.
Shri. P Bala’s post # 16 unfortununately brought me back.
This passage in Post #16 saddaned me. Translitration( provided by Mozilla Firefox)
“ Pazantamiḻ nāttukku puttuyir alitta perug kaviyāna Bāratiyārukku varumaiyin kodumaiyālum, oru cāmiyārinṉ kūtturavālum avar putuvaiyil irunta pozutu kañchāp pazakkam ērpattuvittatu. Atupaṟṟip pāratiyāraik kuṟaikūṟuvataiviṭa tamiḻ nāṭṭiṉ tavak kuṟaivaic cintippatu nalam. Pāratiyār putuvaiyiliruntu veḷiyē vanta piṉṉar, tirunelvēli jillāvil avaruṭaṉ cila ūrkaḷukku nāṉ ceṉṟa poḻutu naṇparkaḷiṭam paṇam peṟṟuk kañcāvai ērāḷamāka vāṅkic cāppiṭat toṭaṅkiṉār. Ataṉāl avariṭam paṇam koṭukka vēṇṭāmeṉṟu naṇparkaḷiṭam antaraṅkamākac collavēṇṭiya virumpattakāta kaṭamaiyum eṉakku ēṟpaṭṭatu.”
I thought that I should share some links I have with me.
http://www.madeinthoughts.com/BharathiLastDay.html
This contains almost similar material about as to what had happened on the last day of Bharathi
except the portion quoted above regarding his addiction .
There have been some forces bent upon discrediting Bharathi, and his compositions .
They were from later generations and not contemporaries of Bharathi.
See the link below.
http://www.keetru.com/literature/essays ... avan_1.php
Then the touching lines of
Shri. Nandhivarman
The General Secretary of Dravida Peravai, a political party for unifying global Tamils who observes:
“If in all languages such derogatory remarks against Bharathiar reaches all the nook and corner of the world, what should we do ?
Is it time to just sing sonnets on Bharathi sitting at our homes, while in world Bharathiar is portrayed as an oppressor of women, drug addict, casteist, selfish convert to nationalist cause etc.
Again Bharathi had assured his wife that he will never deviate from the right and correct path at any time.
http://te-in.facebook.com/topic.php?uid ... topic=6001
Chellama in her AIR speech has also not mentioned about his addiction in her speech of 1951 at:
http://www.sramakrishnan.com/?p=622
Drug addiction blunts the mind. They may experience anxiety, fatigue, depression, and a strong desire to use more cocaine to alleviate the feelings of the crash. Many drug users engage in criminal activity.
None of these can be attributed to him.
He had an alert mind and his compositions were flowing at his will on any subject as if sluices are openi
He was on a higher plane where it will be difficult for others to reach.
Where is the need for others to push him to a higher pedestal?
When another member posted a letter written by Bharati to bring kuLLachAmi to Chennai from Puduvai, I thought I could provide the information regarding Kulluchamiar and as to his relationship with Bharathiar as may be seen in my posting at #34.
His association with him had not made Bharathi a drug addict. On the contrary, it was a
“turning point of his life and birth for initiating into suddha sanmarga. As he hibernated, Bharathiyar didn’t attend his mother’s funeral for the fear of British Police. He was longing to see his mother’s face, so he went to his Guru and expressed his desire – who superimposed his mother’s face .Bharathiyar was all in tears and was so grateful to his Guru and fell on His feet”
“Bharathi spent his time & energy for the liberation of the nation, so he was not able to continue the Immortal Life practice “ about which he mentioned to yadugiri .
It is for the intellectual members of this forum to have their own views on Barathi. If they are convinced that an addict had provided immortal compositions… well..
I am not new to the apathy of this forum to others views.

Smt Arasi can continue her translation to the benefit of all members .
Kindly do not stop it.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 18 Sep 2011, 21:53

Drug addiction blunts the mind. They may experience anxiety, fatigue, depression, and a strong desire to use more cocaine to alleviate the feelings of the crash. Many drug users engage in criminal activity.

Do let us avoid this kind of generalisation. It doesn't matter whether we are talking about a famous person or a kid on the street, it is just wrong. Different drugs... different effects... on the mind and body. To my mind, for instance, alcohol is one of the worst and most dangerous, with nicotine coming close behind. Both legal, and socially accepted, in many countries

It is for the intellectual members of this forum to have their own views on Barathi. If they are convinced that an addict had provided immortal compositions… well..

.
He certainly wouldn't be the first. Personally, I'd rather leave it to our medical members (who may or may not be intellectual too, of course) as there is a greater chance that they will speak with knowledge rather than mistaken assumptions.

From the very first chapter of Arasi's translation, the magic of this man touched me, and I think this young girl's story has touched even members who grew up with the legend. As the story unfolded, life undoubtedly got harder, and the little girl grew up too, with tragedy touching her own life.

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 18 Sep 2011, 22:15

It appears Bharathiyar was on the verge of addiction (if not addicted) to opium. The elephant that hurt him did his reputation a lot of good, it gave him a honourable demise!

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 19 Sep 2011, 09:38

The addiction, started during his last years of stay at Pondicherry, followed Bharati to Kadayam, Kaanadukaaththan and Madras. Because of this habit, Bharati had to stay in a house located away from the Kadayam agraharam.

Six of Bharathi's close friends have written about his addiction to 'Abin'. Two of them have written with lot of pain, one has made an indirect remark, and others have written about it accepting it as Bharathi's personal preference. Here are two extracts:-

(1)
(பண்டிட் எஸ். நாராயண அய்யங்கார் சம்ஸ்கிருதம், தமிழ் இரண்டிலும் அறிஞர். ஆயுர்வேத சாஸ்திரத்தில் கரைகண்ட நிபுணர். தமிழ்நாட்டில் பிரசித்திபெற்ற பல ஆயுர்வேதாசாரியர்களும் அவரது சிஷ்யர்களே. அதிகாலம் தொடங்கியே பாரதியாருடன் நெருங்கிய நண்பர். இளமையில் பாரதிக்கும் தமக்கும் இடையே இருந்த தொடர்பை விளக்கி இக்கட்டுரையில் எழுதியுள்ளார். இது தினமணி சுடர் 8.9.1956, 16.9.1956 இதழ்களில் வெளிவந்தது - ரா.அ.ப.)

"அபினி வேகத்தால் நல்ல நினைவின்றி ஒரு நாள் யானையின் வசமானார். அந்தத் தாக்குதல் முதற்கொண்டு அவர் நோயுற்று காலமானார்."

(2)
(கானாடுகாத்தான் 'இன்ப மாளிகை' அதிபர் வள்ளல் வயி. சு. சண்முகனுக்கு வேறு யாருக்கும் கிடைத்திராத இரண்டு பெருமைகள் கிடைத்தன.

ஒன்று - அவர் தமது மாளிகையில் பாரதியாரை உபசரித்து, அவர் அங்கேயே நீடு வாழ ஏற்பாடு செய்தார். பாரதியும் மகிழ்வுடன் சம்மதித்தார். ஆனால், செல்லம்மாள் வர இயலாமல் போகவே, இந்த ஏற்பாடு நடவாமற் போயிற்று.
இரண்டு - புதுவையிலிருந்து திரும்பிய பின், எட்டயபுரத்திலும் கடயத்திலும் பெற்ற ஏமாற்றங்களால் மன முடிந்து, இனி மனிதர் யாரையும் பாடுவதில்லை என்று உறுதி பூண்ட பாரதியார், வயி. சு. வின் உபசரிப்பைக் கண்டு மனமகிழ்ந்து இந்த உறுதியைத் தாமாகத் தளர்த்திக் கொண்டு வயி.சு. மீது ஒரு பாடல் பாடினார்.

வயி. சு. சண்முகன் பாரதி உபசரித்த விவரம் கொண்ட இக்கட்டுரை இந்நூலின் பதிப்பாசிரியருக்கு வயி.சு. 1956 -ல் எழுதிய நீண்ட கடிதத்தின் ஒரு பகுதியாகும். - ரா.அ.ப.)

"28.10.1919 அன்று எனது வேண்டுகோளுக்கு இணங்கியே, உடுத்திய ஆடை தவிர வேறு ஏதுமின்றி அவர் காரைக்குடி வழியாகக் கானாடுகாத்தானுக்கு வந்தார். வறுமையினால் உழன்ற சூழ்நிலையை மாற்ற எண்ணி, அவர் விரும்பும் நூல்கள், பேனா, கடிதங்கள், கஞ்சா, அபின், புகையிலை நிறைய வைத்திருந்த கண்ணாடிப் பாத்திரங்கள் எல்லாம் வைத்த அலமாரி ஒன்றும் காரியாலயக் கைப்பெட்டி ஒன்றும் அதன் சாவிகளும் வீட்டில் தனியாக ஒதுக்கி அவரிடம் கொடுக்கப் பெற்றன."

Incidentally, Bharati passed away four months after the attack by the temple elephant.

I agree in toto with rshankar:
"His writings and opinions are what capture my mind and captivate me; his blazing intellect draws me like a moth to the light ... so what if he was not perfect ... he's beyond that ..."

Here is another information which may be of interest. In the year 2000, I was told by a friend of mine that at the Madhya Kailash Temple, Adyar, Madras, daily poojas were being offered to Bharati. I went to the temple to verify. The priest proudly showed me a plaster of paris bust of Bharati kept near the main deity, and confirmed that daily poojas were being performed treating Bharati as the 64th Nayanmar.

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 19 Sep 2011, 12:11

In literary field we should develop maturity to distinguish clearly the man and his output;Yes, and addict can provide immortal poetic compositions. Charles Baudelaire is one such example at world level poetry. He calls the drugs as artificial paradise.( let us not hurriedly label that french people have no morals ) Such demarcation between the creator and the creation is applicable not only to poetry but also to all fine arts including MUSIC. The real emphasis should direct more towards the poetry/ music rather than the biography.
rajagopalan.

smala · Post by **smala** » 20 Sep 2011, 00:09

P. Bala has made excellent contributions but the continued harping on Bharathi's "addiction" serves no purpose.

Deep emotions and creativity are intertwined, there is a longitudinal relationship between the two, this is active in cognitive and psych research. Quick view here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creativity

Correlates between opiates and creative genius?

Edgar Allan Poe was one. Like Bharathi, Poe would have created works with or without inducements or drugs.

I quote a student on him :
"[Poe] was a creative genius in spite of himself. I am a firm believer that true creative genuis is innate and the path one chooses to delve into their own creativity is supplemental to the fact that with or without their interaction, they will end up creating amazing things."

We can say the same of Bharathi.

Thomas Penson De Quincey (15 August 1785 – 8 December 1859) an English esssayist, best known for his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater. The title says it all.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 20 Sep 2011, 02:33

Back to Bharathi's own time--to the last two years of his life when Saminatha Sarma knew him. I am going back to his book from which I translated the chapter on his chronological history of the poet's life (from nAn kaNDa nAlvar). Though he knew Bharthi for a short time (the other three of the four he was close to--Tiru. Vi. Ka, Va. Ve. Su Iyer and Subramania Siva), were all friends and admirers of Bharathi and would have spoken a great deal about him to Sarma, before and after his death.

This chapter on Bharathi is called: kavik kulak kOn (The King of Poets).

This is the moment when the author meets Bharathi for the first time:

In my imagination, Bharathi looked tall and well-built, very traditionally dressed to suit his poetic eminence--he would say very little to me, and perhaps give me a faint smile when we met.
He turned out to be very different!
The reason for this was my ignorance. I had no idea then about the power of poetry and the qualities of a poet. Even today, I will say that it's not easy to understand poets.
It was the month of March in the year 1919, and Bharathi appeared before me in the office of dESa Bhakthan.
Tie-and-dye cotton material for a turban, a kungumap poTTu on his forehead, a trimmed mustache, an open jacket, a cravat, a blue scarf, sparkling eyes, sunken cheeks, a SuruTTu (cheroot) in his mouth...
My fellow sub-editor and friend Nellaiyappar had said that Bharathi might drop into our office that morning and we were waiting to meet him. He went directly into editor Tiru. Vi. Ka's office and returned to where we were working. Tiru.Vi. Ka introduced us all to him. When it was my turn, Bharathi took the cheroot out of his mouth and laughed heartily, exclaiming, 'So? This is the Warrior!'. Smoke filled my face. His laughter and the smoke from the SuruTTu made me feel a bit insulted. Nellaiyappar noticed my reaction.
When Bharathi was gone, Nellaiyappar explained Bharathi's reaction to me this way: he had known you from reading your front page column (called, From the War Front of SvarAjyA) and has relished it. He had asked me in one of his letters about you, the 'Warrior'.
Of course, Nellaiyappar was a close and life-long friend of Bharathi and they conversed regularly through their letters. Bharathi must have imagined me in the image of a warrior and my appearance was the opposite of a valiant fighter, and that was what the laughter was all about! Bharathi and I, both were dispelled of our own images of each other!
Bharathi, known for his child-like nature and his innocence, and with his interest in physical strength in men and women, could also have indicated that he wanted me to be more healthy.
Bharathi was friendly with all, carried on a conversation with you, no matter who you were, and laughed expansively.

smala · Post by **smala** » 20 Sep 2011, 04:48

Bharathi, known for his child-like nature and his innocence, and with his interest in physical strength in men and women, could also have indicated that he wanted me to be more healthy.
Bharathi was friendly with all, carried on a conversation with you, no matter who you were, and laughed expansively.

And from the post 50, below :

How can we define a jIvan muktha?:
They are not carried away by the pleasures of earthly life. They do not despair over the misery that comes their way. They do what is expected of them in every day life. They are not bound by attachments. They do not see differences among their fellowmen. They are loving and kind. They don't have great likes and dislikes. They will hold their peace amid chaos.
Bharathi had all those qualities.

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can take away from the beautiful person Bharathi was.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 20 Sep 2011, 07:02

Saminatha Sarma continues:

From the time Bharathi came to Chennai and started working as a sub-editor in svadESa mitran to that day in September 1921 when he joined the ranks of the immortals, I got to know him. I did not fully comprehend his genius then. Most of us who were young, did not realize his greatness at that time. Some thought of him as a mad man. Yes, he was mad--mad about God and his country. In the annals of history, we find great men and seers who were not recognized in their time, but are praised only after they leave this world. It was true with Bharathi too.

If we study the lives of great poets, we realize that some of them seemed like madmen in the eyes of others, and that most of them had a miserable existence.Yet, unlike what they seemed to be on the outside, they were jIvan mukthAs.

How can we define a jIvan muktha?:
They are not carried away by the pleasures of earthly life. They do not despair over the misery that comes their way. They do what is expected of them in every day life. They are not bound by attachments. They do not see differences among their fellowmen. They are loving and kind. They don't have great likes and dislikes. They will hold their peace amid chaos.
Bharathi had all those qualities.

Only after his demise in 1921 did tamizh nADu start to realize his greatness.The young ones got drawn to his patriotic poetry. Though I had admired his writing as I read them and knew that he was not an ordinary mortal like us, when my ignorance lifted and my vision enlarged, he grew more in stature in my view and I worship him as a mahA kavi--as a faceted diamond which has to be adored from ever so many angles.

*