பாரதி

Bharathi – a Visionary

Bharathi – a Visionary

மகாகவி பாரதியாரின் 125வது ஆண்டு விழாவை முன்னிட்டு நடைபெற்ற பன்னாட்டு கட்டுரைப் போட்டியில் இரண்டாம் பரிசு பெற்ற கட்டுரை

Introduction

Bharathi was a rare star in the firmament of Tamil Poetry. He illuminated Tamil literature by transforming contemporary trends in verses and lyrics.  He is unanimously acknowledged, the poet of renaissance and a poet non-pareil. Shakespeare applied brakes in the changing mode of English literature by his immense contribution. Before him, it wo8ld be difficult to read play written by Chaucer or University Wits without paraphrase. Shakespeare wrote for common men and his works were immortalized.  Similarly Bharathi became a trendsetter in Tamil literary tradition.  It can be classified as pre and post Bharathi eras.

Poet with a difference

Bharathi is known for his immaculate innocence and impeccable integrity. He never swayed in his principles or oscillated in determination. With his poor economic background, he fought tooth and nail against the atrocities perpetrated by the British Empire. His voice, surcharged with patriotic fervor echoed in the horizons of freedom movement in Tamil Nadu and created reverberations in the souls of Tamil youth.

Bharathi was a man who lived his words. For him, Vijaya Bharathi states, “Life and literature were not separate entities; poetry was the essence of life to him and life is poetry itself”. His poesy was brimming to the brink and it was ‘spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings’. He wrote out of insight and intuition/ He was unique in so many facets of life that one would wonder how scholarly he was, after perusing his works.

Bharathi – a radical

He was polyglot. His poems make the reader comprehend his mastery in geography, history, mythology, English literature, law, classical and science.  He upheld the lofty traditions of our country but, at the same time, was not a conservative. He was for a modern India, growing from strength to strength by consolidating its resources, knowledge and scientific temper.

He wanted India to prosper in art, literature, scientific innovations, industrial growth, economic equity and democratic outlook. He wanted the women of India to be liberated from the clutches of superstition and mindless suppression.  All these dimensions of Bharathi were simply incredible for the persons who have not gone through his classical poetry, even once.

Bharathi vision

By delineating his poetry on our country, ‘Bharathi Desam’, we could appreciate the vision he had in constructing a new, strong and sound India by all means.  It was a great dream which is being realized today by this nation. AS a result, rhetoric is becoming reality.

Bharathi wanted our youth to explore great heights, which will strengthen their bones, solidify their muscles and heighten their spirits. He gave a clarion call –

“We shall stroll on the snow clad silvery heights of the Himalayas”

The British ascertained their suzerainty over others in the globe just by virtue of their naval strength.  Once upon a time, the Bay of Bengal was called ‘the Chola’s Lake’. Rajarajan and Rajendra, the later Cholas, conquered the south eastern nations as they had a mighty navy and brought glory to the south. When the north was under peril by the invasions of alien rulers, the south was glowing under the glorious rule of Cholas. The British captured many parts of the world due to their authority over sea.  Before they mobilized their navy, they were slaves under the French rule.  Etymology reveals that the names of the animals like sheep, pig, deer were all English names.  But their meat, viz., mutton, pork and venision were French terms.  The British as slaves reared the animals and the French as masters ate their meat.  However, a 360 degree turnaround took place when the British grew strong in exploring the sea.  That is why Bharathi was very particular that we should have a strong navy and explore all the water bodies around the world, not only for trade, but also for security.

Bharathi said, “Our ships shall sail across the high seas”

Schools – temples of learning

Education was emphasised by Bharathi and schools were adored as sacred temples.  Bharathi was rebel, who once said we had more spirituality outside our temples.  For him, knowledge and wisdom were holier that rituals. That is why he proclaims,

“We shall set schools – all sacred temples for us”

Sethusamudram Project, a long-time dream of all Tamils, is now getting meterialised. Bharathi visualized –

“We shall span the sea to reach Sri Lank

and raise the level of the ‘Sethu’ and pave a road on it”

Nationalising rivers is often insisted as a mission to solve the disparities in water utility. Linking rivers is cited as the panacea for solving our poverty. It is astounding to know that Bharathi wanted this to happen long ago to solve the problem of paucity of water in drought-dominant places and abundance in flood prone regions.

“We shall water central India

With the bounteous rivers of Bengal”

Against Fanaticism

Though he appreciated the sweetness of our Tamil language, he was certainly appreciative of the melody and richness in other languages.  He wanted our nation to rise above fissiparous tendencies like linguistic fanaticism, and religious chauvinism. He wanted the poets of Maharashtra to be honoured with gifts of ivory from Kerala. He fervently desired the heroes of Rajasthan to be honoured with ornaments of refined gold from Karnataka. He visualized the unity and integrity of India where love and respect blossomed without any favouritism or nepotism.

Modern India

Industrial advancement, production of paper and proliferation of print industry, inauguration of factories, dynamism in work culture and self – sufficiency in defence were strongly advocated by Bharathi for enabling us to build a mighty nation. His uncompromising attitude in enhancing our role in all fields is evident in his powerful lines.

“We shall make tools and weapons

We shall produce paper

We shall open factories and schools

We shall never be lazy or weary”.

Science strengthens our brain and traditional wisdom, our heart. Mere scientific growth sans aesthetic sense will take away the beautiful colours and fragrance of this world and render it black and white.  Music, sculptures, paintings and literature are equally important to enrich the canvass of our life and render it a grandeur exposition.

Bharathi cautions –

“Both scriptures and sciences we shall learn”.

Scaling the heights of the sky and descending to the depths of the sea, both have been visualized.  He wanted us to excel in astronomy, space research as well as in oceanography.  He also wanted us to explore the mysteries of the moon and at the same time learn the arts of street – sweeping.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said –

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michael Angelo painted, or as Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. H should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth, will pause to say ‘here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well”.

Barathi paid tribute to dignity of labour. In other words, he wanted our knowledge to be down to earth, highly practical and not simply Utopian.

A hygienic environment, clean street, good drains, nice lay outs and pure environment free from flies and mosquitoes are all the symbols. Bharathi might have had in mind. The radical lines that flew from his pen prove this point –

“the heavens and oceans we will explore;

The mysteries of moon we shall unravel,

The art of street – sweeping too, we shall learn”.

Social equity

Economic uplift men alone will not make sense in India context. Social justice is equally important. A society infected with evils of caste and communalism can never become outstanding by mere increasing industrilisation and innumerable educational institutions. Standard of living can become significant only by achieving high standards of life.

Bharathi was certainly aware that the Indian society was fragmented with caste and communal problems and they were great obstacles in preventing the real development of the nation. Growth should be distributed with social justice. He wanted our nation to be free from the discrimination of caste and community. He placed this idea deliberately in the last stanza, to stress that it is a proviso. Unless the provision is applied, all other advancements will be futile.

“Only two castes there are,

Those helpful to others are the high born,

the upright men of virtue

all the rest are low born”.

Conclusion

While showering encomiums on Bharathg, Arignar Anna once said. “Poets were vendors of virtues in verses and the acted either as temple bells or palace drum. Bharathi was certainly the Morning Star of Tamil Poetry as he was people’s poet”. Bharathi wrote his poems for the liberation of our country. He had intellectual profundity in all spheres of life. He never sold himself in any circumstances, despite his penury. His poem had both emotional quotient and intelligence quotient in the right proportion. His poem adopted in this article illustrates how he had gone for a balance of mind and heart. This single poem can serve as the MISSION STATEMENT for the whole planning process of our country and when we achieve this ‘mission statement’, we will be self-reliant, self sufficient and self adequate.

V.Irai Anbu, I.A.S.,