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The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that Mahakavi Subramania Bharatiyar ignited resurgence in Tamil literature and he drew inspiration from ancient sources of Indian culture. He was addressing the gathering at an event to pay tributes to the great Tamil Poet, Shri Subramania Bharatiyar on his Birth Anniversary, here today. The Minister of State for Finance and Shipping, Shri P. Radhakrishnan and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
The Vice President said that Thiru Bharatiyar left behind an extraordinary legacy of poetry and prose writings and his works gave form and vitality to the present day Tamil literature. He further said that Bharatiyar, like Swami Vivekananda, lived only for a short period of 39 years, but earned an eternal name and fame by his words and deeds. Bharatiyar was also an ardent Indian nationalist and a fervent advocate of social reform, he added.
Shri Naidu said that Shri Bharatiyar in one of his poems wrote that there is no caste system and it is a sin to divide people on caste basis. He advocated equality of human beings, and fought for rights of women, he added.
The Vice President said that Mahakavi Bharatiyar, a pioneer of modern Tamil Poetry had shown his large heartedness by describing Telugu as ‘Sundara Telungu’. A true nationalist and patriot, Bharatiyar invokes a strong passion of nationalism and freedom of thought, he said.
Shri Naidu said that his appeal was to our common humanity, an eternal optimist, his rallying cry was,“Nalla kalam varuguthu!” – “the best of times lies ahead!” He urged his brethren to keep moving forward bravely, disregarding the daunting odds that blocked their path, he added.
The Vice President said that we are indeed fortunate that such a great man ever walked our motherland. We will remember him forever and his writings will lead generation after generation in the path of freedom and his poetry will keep inspiring patriotism, humanism and love, he added.
Following is the text of Vice President’s address:
“I am indeed happy to be present here today as we celebrate the life and times of one of the greatest prodigies of Indian poetry and a proud son of Bharatmata, Thiru Subramania Bharatiyar.
Thiru. Bharatiyar left behind an extraordinary legacy of poetry and prose writings. His works gave form and vitality to the present day Tamil literature.
He ignited a resurgence in Tamil literature. It is true that Bharatiyar drew inspiration from ancient sources of Indian culture. But his works were truly innovative in both form and expression and were much ahead of the time. The eternal revolutionary’s works hold timeless value.
Bharatiyar, like Swami Vivekananda, lived only for a short period of 39 years, but earned an eternal name and fame by his words and deeds.
Bharatiyar was also an ardent Indian nationalist and a fervent advocate of social reform. His strong ideals and his love for motherland and his people inspired him to sing relentlessly for freedom, freedom not only from the British rule but also from the oppressive social customs that subjugated his brethren.
In one of his poems, he said, “There is no caste system. It is a sin to divide people on caste basis”.
He advocated equality of human beings, and fought for rights of women.
He was also an accomplished journalist with a deep understanding of political, social and economic issues.
He is said to have learned 32 languages including 3 foreign languages. He learned music at a very young age.
He taught Tamil, studied Vedas and spirituality, translated Vedic hymns, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra and Bhagavat Gita into Tamil.
Mahakavi Bharatiyar, a pioneer of modern Tamil Poetry had shown his large heartedness by describing Telugu as ‘Sundara Telungu’.
A true nationalist and patriot, Bharatiyar invokes a strong passion of nationalism and freedom of thought.
He was a firm believer in reason and Science. He never ceased to criticize the shortcomings of the past and acknowledge the failures of tradition.
His appeal was to our common humanity. An eternal optimist, his rallying cry was,“Nalla kalam varuguthu!” – “the best of times lies ahead!” He urged his brethren to keep moving forward bravely, disregarding the daunting odds that blocked their path.
He dreamt of the day his country would lead the world in culture, literature, trade and other aspects.
Even as Gandhiji was just finding his feet in India and freedom was far from reality, Bharatiyar wrote about a ‘new and free India’ with vigor and zeal.
His works have been translated into every major Indian language. His ideas have transcended the boundaries of India and have found expression in number of European languages, including English, French, German, Russian, and Czech.
We are indeed fortunate that such a great man ever walked our motherland. We will remember him forever. His writings will lead generation after generation in the path of freedom and his poetry will keep inspiring patriotism, humanism and love.
Thank you all!”
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