Musings on the Life & Times of Chinnaswamy Subramania Bharathi Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan 45
Musings on the Life & Times of Chinnaswamy Subramania Bharathi
Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan
45
The connectivity for Pondicherry with the intellectuals began with Bharathi.And it gained traction to take within its fold the likes of Aurobindo Ghosh,Va.Ve.Su Iyer. There are some interesting stories or anecdotes as to how others like V. Ramasamy Ayyangar (Va.Ra) came on board to join such a group. And forget not Vanchinathan made a travel to Pondicherry to meet these gentlemen and escaped in darkness. That is why in the Ashe murder case a net was cast wide, to explore whether these entities were also involved in the conspiracy. While Ghosh was focused on teaching Greek,Latin and French to his students who were his disciples, Bharathi was not ankle deep but cranium deep into writing fierce articles in ‘India’.
Even as ‘India’ office moved to Duplex Street,Bharathi’s writings ‘reached a crescendo of sorts in inspiring the dud, dead and those in slumber and those in worse state of pretending to sleep’ as a commentator called them. Just a couple of illustrative pieces may be more than communicative of the sting in Bharathi’s menacing words to arouse the citizenry, in support of the all sacrificing Swadeshis.
“Adey! You shameless Indian.If you are going to reside in your own home lacking manliness as an enslaved woman, you bemoan the lack of respect for us in Australia and Transvaal! What pray we can call your perfidy and ignorance. There seems no other way than this to earn the respect of outsiders. When ‘they’ come visiting, we should mete them out the same ‘treatment’ they bestow on us. That would be befitting to them and give us the props to stand up to be counted. There seems no other option. Unless we return the favour, we are unlikely to be treated with the respect we deserve. It makes abundance of nonsense and nothing else for you to complain to the government on this. You have got to take the issue into your own hands as the solution lies there and there alone”.
And on the utter disdain and lack of patriotic fervour among the masses, Bharathi said, “ Eh, You, how many times I have written, rewritten, argued and repeated that we should show the same level of respect and reverence that Dhuruvan and Prahaladan showed to
Vishnu. There is no other level the Swadeshis need and deserve to pursue the selfless cause of attaining freedom. Do we not know the heritage and the cultural legacy of this rich Karmabhoomi? Why not? Are we blinded and deafened by our stupidity for supine obedience to the colonists to eke a living. Are they worth it? Aren’t you ashamed? When the Irish freedom fighters are inspired by our Swadeshis, we the locals do not care. Why? Is your daily bread so important that you have to sacrifice all your values in life? Shame. Utter shame.
Have we not heard the wisdom of Swami Vivekananda,’ My brethren of Bharat for the next one hundred years and more you need nothing less or more than dedicated determination and perseverance for the freedom and advancement of the nation. Your religion is residing in the lives of the thirty crore Indians. Worshipping them must be your divine duty. There can be no better religion or religious pursuit for a religious Bharat!
While the whole of India appears to have heard the clarion call and followed the leaders in body, mind and spirit , the tamilian is shamelessly and thoughtlessly lacking in it. And lagging behind miserably, in heeding the call in the message. Why? Are we not intelligent? Do we not understand? Do we care at all? Is it not our country? Do we not see that a foreigner is subjugating us and we are meekly submitting? And even when at least a few pick up and stand up to arouse us, we Tamilians are in hibernation and deep sleep devoted to our our own selfish interests. Why? Should we not realise the folly in our ways? Should we not feel obliged to heed the call and revere in the cause of the Swadeshis? Are we such idiots that we cannot or we are so self cratered that we refuse? Oh! Parasakthi I do not know what language I should use to put some sense into my brothers and sisters. I cannot get angrier and harsher. I am not employing them as a literary tool but as a whiplash to awaken my fellow Tamilians. I and we owe it to Bharatmata in shackles”.
It was around this time that Kodiyalam Rangaswami Ayyangar of Srirangam came on the scene. He was a member of the Delhi Assembly (Parliament) as a representative of the land holding community. Nagai (a village adjoining Mannargudi).Jabatha , a Yogi was his Gurunathar. Before the yogi passed into time, he told Ayyangar that his new Guru would emerge from the East of India with a philosophical construct and in French occupied India. Ayyangar was desperate to know and reach out.
So, Rangaswami Ayyangar tapped into V Ramasamy Ayyangar ( Va. Ra) to go over to Pondicherry to check out the entity.Thirupazhanam V Ramasamy Ayyangar hailed from the village next to Thiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur district. He was a known progressive and bold and imaginative and willing to engage in the new. Va.Ra was too glad to oblige as he set out to Pondy, the very same night. The first person he met in Pondy was Bharathi.
It was through Bharathi he met Aurobindo Ghosh. And concluded that the Yogi or Guru thatRangaswami Ayyangar was looking for was this Ghosh. But, Va. Ra was pained to note that these intellectual giants were living in penury and starved of funds, as sources from
outside were markedly prohibited. Va.Ra was horrified. He had to do something. But he had no avenues to earn revenue in Pondy. But he was not sitting back. He decided to act. He started a business in selling ghee. Just look at the selfless acts of these souls who worked in the wings. Their contributions were no less important. But for the unalloyed concern they had and acts they committed themselves to, there could have been no Bharathi or the others we hail today as champions. The foot soldier is as important. He may be unknown and unheard, but he should not go unsung or unmused.
And Va.Ra hit upon this ghee trade for a purpose. With a purpose. And he solicited and elicited the role of Arumugam Chettiar who was living on the same Eswaran Dharmaraja Street. The Chettiar was an influential businessman. He had multiple hands in multiple areas. Incidentally, it was he who was lovingly rearing foreign rats in his house. Yes rats of a rare genre. And this act of his led Bharathi to name him ‘Ellikunju Chettiar’.
The ghee business was indulged in for a purpose. With a purpose. I repeat. Again for a purpose. It was an ingenious ploy devised by Va.Ra. to come to the rescue of the leaders who were struggling to make ends meet. How was it a clever device ?
( Author is practising advocate in the Madras High Court)
