Mahakavi Subramania Bharathi

 

 

From Sampath’s Desk:

MAHAKAVI SUBRAMANIA BHARATHI

(11 December 1882-11 September 1921)

 

A revolutionary national bard with a vision;

Throughout life, freedom was your mission;

Writing punch poetry and essays was your passion;

All that easily came flooding in a procession!

 

Inspired by Shelly and Byron you wrote songs to stir our soul;

Motivating and rousing people not to rest before reaching the goal;

Of freedom making a great deal with zeal;

And drive away aliens to give our Motherland a good deal and real heal!

 

You chose Bala Gangadhar Tilak as your icon of trust;

Sri Aurobindo quenched your spiritual thirst;

You got from Sister Nivedita the much-needed thrust;

Against social evils, you never missed to burst!

 

You ignited the fire of patriotic fervour;

Refused to receive from the British rulers any favour;

Urged people to savour ‘Swadeshi’ flair and flavour;

And espoused and championed the cause of the Indian national endeavour!

 

You taught us to celebrate and adore India’s diversity;

And how to deal with adversity;

Took pains to expose colonial rule’s falsity;

Thus redoubled the freedom struggle’s intensity!

 

You celebrated ‘independence’ even before it was attained;

To get people’s words and deeds attuned;

And to keep our vibrant spirits sustained;

Till independence was obtained!

 

You denounced the old platitudinous shibboleths;

Especially of the British sleuths;

For they knew not righteous paths;

And Indian people’s patriotic depths!

 

On social front, you wanted to weave a society of equality;

Taking along all echelons of the society without partiality;

For all to grow and develop in totality;

The cardinal principle being neutrality amid plurality!

   

A pet ambitious dream of yours was women empowerment;

You bombarded those who were in disagreement;

Asserting women education is future investment;

And the nation couldn’t prosper without their all-round development!

 

Said you, “Crows and sparrows belong to our race”;

Giving to all living-beings human face and space;

Constructing a bridge for all to proceed apace;

To live in communion with Nature and in peace!

 

Why did you leave us so soon?

Had you lived longer it would have been a boon;

Against your name and fame, even the horizons would pale into oblivion;

You dared to beard the Lion in its own den!

 

R.SAMPATH