Musings On the Life and Tines of Chinnaswamy Subramania Bharathi Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan 11
Musings On the Life and Tines of Chinnaswamy Subramania Bharathi
Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan
11
(To me this beautifully imaginative portrayal of Subramania Bharathi – Rabindranath Tagore – by Adhishree Manokaran- captures the essence of this entire debate. She has truly Wowed us.)
The competition on “ National Poets of India”, was slated from Monday to a Wednesday. I was slotted on Monday itself. On Friday evening, I am summoned by Head Master R L Narayanan. My Tamil teacher T T Narasimha Thathachariar is seated there. I am asked to take a seat. I wondered what was the issue. If you are summoned to be HM’s room, it means trouble. My stomach was churning at what trouble I had gotten to. Contrary to public perception, I was a prankster and a mischievous one. But always a back room boy. I wondered who had complained about what prank.
RLN, “ Dey, today is Friday. We know the All India Competition is on Monday. And you are all ready with Bharathiyar as your chosen ‘national poet’. TTN and myself have gone through the list of competitors – there are over 90- and school/college students are put in the same basket. And we find that there are several noteworthy college students who are in the Bharathi debate circuit since school days. And over 75% have chosen Bharathi. Strangely, we found no one has picked Rabindranath Tagore. We are surprised. TTN and I feel you stand a fair chance to make the winners’ podium, if you go for Tagore”.
Oh My God, I thought. My mind was racing. I knew nothing of Tagore ( not that I know any more now) beyond Gitanjali. And I had but two days. And I was mentally ready to open the innings at Lords’ with Subramania Bharathi as my opening partner. And I had a great equation with him and I had won many Bharathi contests within Madras and State. Can I get ready to go for gold with Tagore? But as an obedient student, I waited for them to tell me what they wanted of me.
TTN, “ You are our major bet to win for our school a huge competition of this genre. We have decided to change tactics. It is a risk. But since student after student may be focused on Bharathi- it will become a repetitive routine. Judges may get ‘tired’, not of Bharathi, but too much of a good thing also would be wasted. With Tagore and his Gitanjali you can attract the attention. Literally, you have no other student with Tagore as companion. Let us take a chance. RLN and myself have prepared a short paper for you to build on it . We are not taking No for an answer. You are in school. If you get beaten by college students, no shame. But imagine this, if Tagore trumps Bharathi the school and you can go to town. Good Luck”.
I came home a disappointed lad. I told my father and shared the note. He said, “You must follow what your gurus have advised. Their blessings allied with ours will not fail. I will help you tweak the presentation, as I have read a lot on Tagore and after his Nobel, he was in every lesson in school. Be confident. Let us get going. Bharathi will not think you ditched him, for he himself had translated many of Tagore’s works and we can interweave Bharathi into Tagore and make it a potent presentation”.
To cut the story short, as I am not musing on me. Despite butterflies in my stomach, Tagore’s Gitanjali’s prevailed over Bharathi’s Panchali Sabatham from a college student from outside of State of Madras, when it mattered. I heard murmurs that since ‘Tagore was a lonesome entry to overwhelming Bharathi entries, ‘he’ made it. It was ‘ Tagore’ who beat Bharathi and not the schoolboy’.
The results were published in newspapers the next day and the news reports were stuck on school board. Though my parents knew I won the first prize, with Tagore as my partner, I did not share the news reports or school board display, with them and did not let them come to the prize presentation ceremony, for there was at least a little bit of Bharathi in me. Being different and unique?
Honestly, I wonder if this personal digression belongs or belonged in these musings. I apologise to those who may think it was avoidable drum beating. I am sorry. I just thought it made a fascinating interlude with a Bharathi-Tagore connect. Nothing more.
Back to where we were or where we must be. It was not as if Rabindranath Tagore alone was on the lips of Prime Minister Modi. Bharathi was not far beyond. While speaking at the event on October 31, 2020, Prime Minister Modi recited a poem in Tamil language written by Subramania Bharati. He then went on to explain the ‘inspiring poem’ in Hindi. The poem by Subramania Bharati talks about India being a legendary ‘golden country’.
(மன்னும் இமயமலை எங்கள் மலையே என்ற பாரதியார் பாடலை S.V.வெங்கட்ராமன் இசையமைப்பில் M.S.சுப்புலட்சுமி பாடியிருக்கிறார்- This song was sung by Bharat Ratna MS Amma in her honeyed voice to the mellifluous tune set by the legendary S V Venkataraman)
மன்னும் இமயமலை எங்கள் மலையே;
மாநிலமீததுபோல் பிறிதில்லையே!
இன்நறு நீர் கங்கை ஆறு எங்கள் ஆறே;
இங்கிதன் மாண்பிற்கு எதிர் ஏது வேறே?
பன்னரும் உபநிட நூல்எங்கள் நூலே;
பார்மிசை ஏதொரு நூலிது போலே!
பொன்னொளிர் பாரத நாடெங்கள் நாடே;
போற்றுவம் இதை எமக்கில்லை ஈடே!
மாரத வீரர் மலிந்த நன் நாடு;
மாமுனிவோர் பலர் வாழ்ந்த பொன் நாடு!
நாரத கான நலம் திகழ் நாடு;
நல்லன யாவையும் நாடுறு நாடு!
பூரண ஞானம் பொலிந்த நன் நாடு;
புத்தர் பிரான் அருள் பொங்கிய நாடு!
பாரத நாடு பழம்பெரும் நாடே;
பாடுவம் இதை எமக்கில்லை ஈடே!
“The great Himalayan peak is ours; is there another equal to it’
The waters of the Ganges are like none other; what can compare with these’
The ancient Upanishads are our texts; where in the world can you see their equal’
The golden bright Bharat is our land; let us celebrate it, this unique land of ours
This country that’s seen great warriors and sages, Home of wonderful music and all that is beautiful,
The land of the birth of ancient wisdom and the grace of Lord Buddha,
This Bharat of antiquity has no equal; let’s sing its praises.
We won’t fear tribulation; we will not give up and live in poverty
We will honour any work that advances our lot, we won’t go a-begging, in this land of ours.
This is a land of milk and honey, where there’s always plenty
Let us remember and repeat this, of this great land of ours,” explained PM Modi.
And more recently on 11th Sept,2021,Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted- India is proud to be home to the world’s oldest language, Tamil. Today, on the 100th Punya Tithi of Subramania Bharati, honoured to announce the setting up of the Subramania Bharati Chair of Tamil studies at Benaras Hindu University, Kashi.
Prime Minister or PM Narendra Modi announced that Benaras Hindu University, BHU would have Subramania Bharati Chair of Tamil Studies. PM Modi also mentioned that BHU would have Tamil Studies which would be added in the Department of Faculty. He said that this would help students, research scholars to work with a source of inspiration. He added that this was dreamed by Tamil poet Subramania Bharati himself.
This announcement was made by Narendra Modi on the 100th death anniversary of Subramania Bharati. While recalling his rich source of heritage and work, he paid tribute to the Tamil poet. He also said, “India is proud to be home to the world’s oldest language, Tamil.”
“Such ‘occasional’ references by high dignitaries mean little or nothing. It would be much better for these noble souls to be in the hearts and minds if we the people”, said Cho Ramasamy who was a Bharathi officianado and Panchali Sabatham maniac.
Only now we are getting into the controversial allusions. I promise there may possibly be no further autobiographical references. The Tagore-Bharathi debate and rivalling grandeur, would be left to the more qualified and genuine writers of real pedigree, class and credence.
( Author is practising advocate in the Madras High Court)
