Musings in the Life & Times of Subramania Bharathi Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan 4
Musings in the Life & Times of Subramania Bharathi
Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan
4
Having promised an anecdotal route, one owes it to the reader to stick by it. Bharathi was an amazing conversationalist. His debates with Aurobindo in Pondicherry were diamond mines. There was not a topic that they did not dissect and divine. V Ramasamy Ayyangar ( Va.Ra) regretted that he did not have the felicity of stenography to capture them verbatim. Just a couple of instances alluded to by Va.Ra. in the life and times of Chinnaswamy Subramania Bharathi may make our day, for now.
Bharati had sung five songs on Mahatma Gandhi that are worthy of notice. Scholars have often expressed surprise as to why we had not heard of many meetings that took place between them? Occasions when Bharati and Mahatma met and talked. Just one meeting stands out. That communicates the essence of the individual and maverick that Chinnaswamy was. For him meeting Gandhi and a commoner was no different said V Ramasamy Ayyangar (Va.Ra- Bharathi’s biographer).
He recounts this famous anecdote- Gandhi had come to Chennai in 1919. Many Indian leaders wanted Gandhi to lead the protest against the repressive Rowlatt Act. Rajaji was then living at No.2 on Cathedral Road. Gandhi stayed there for four or five days. One afternoon at 14.00 hrs , Gandhi was as usual chatting while reclining on a bolster.
Mahadev Desai, his secretary, was taking down his dictation. Salem barrister Adi Narayana Chettiar was making juice out of kudagu lime fruit for Mahatma. Sathiyamurthy and others were reclining against the wall. On the opposite wall, Rajaji and a few others too were in a resting position . I ( Va.Ra) stood outside as a guard with strict instructions to not let anyone inside.
Please don’t make fun of my guarding. While conversation was going on inside the room Bharati briskly entered addressing me, ‘Hey! How are you!’ I had to drop my vigil and follow him inside . That was his magical presence and command. Bharati bowed to Gandhi and sat beside him on the bed. He began to talk.
Bharati : “Mr Gandhi! At five thirty today evening I am addressing a meeting in Triplicane beach. Can you chair that meeting?”
Gandhi : “Mahadev bhai! What is our program this evening?”
Mahadev :“At five pm this evening, we have an appointment elsewhere.”
Gandhi : “In that case it may not be possible today. Could you postpone the meeting to tomorrow?”
Bharati : “Not possible. Bharat Mata cannot wait for another 24 hours. She has more important preoccupations. I am leaving,
Mr.Gandhi. I bless the movement you are going to start.”
Bharati left. The meeting lasted barely two minutes. I too followed him to the entrance. There were no pleasantries exchanged or even a semblance of introduction of personalities. Bharathi barged in. Took his seat. Yelled out his request. And swiftly left when Gandhi could not oblige. Gandhi and the rest were in a state of stupor as this breezy exchange took place and subsided as if a less than a minute storm.
After Bharati’s exit Gandhi asked, ‘Who is he?’
Rangasamy Iyengar might have thought that he should not speak highly of Bharati, in this environment. So he was silent. He felt Gandhi may have been offended by the uninvited guest and his discourteous intervention.
Sathiyamurthy was also silent since he might have angrily viewed Bharati’s occupying a seat on Gandhi’s bed as a disrespectful act. And so he revealed much later.
Rajaji said, “He is the fierce patriotic poet Subramania Bharathi from our Madras State.
Gandhi listened a little more on Bharathi before he said, “ I can see greatness in him. He could turn out to be a national treasure. He needs care and patronage. Is any one there to do that in this State ?”. There was silence. And there has been total silence for all times to come?
The other occasion was when Gandhi addressed the citizenry of Madras at the Triplicane Beach. Subramania Bharathi was in the audience. He was a cheeky man. A mischievous patriot. He wrote to Gandhi. “ Mr. Gandhi, I heard your speech. It was inspirational. The audience appreciated your commitment. The contents were fine. Yet, I felt dissatisfied and discontented. You are a proud Gujarati. I would have loved and appreciated if you had addressed us in your mother tongue. Or in Tamil, if you had learnt it. Or at the very least in Hindi, our undeniable link language. To address us all, about driving out the Englishmen, in their language sounded odd, artificial and jarring. It did not sit well on me”.
Gandhi would not be he if he did not mischievously respond to this Desbakth. “ Mister Bharathi, I plead guilty to your charges. I would have loved to address in Gujarati. It was not for want of intent. It was for want of translators. Equally so, with Hindi, as the available translators were proficient in English-Tamil alone . As for speaking in Tamil, I always liked and loved it and eager to learn. I was surrounded by Tamilians in South Africa and I yearn to learn your mother tongue. I will try to correct your grievance next time”. And his letter had a twisty Post Script.
“ PS: Incidentally, may I know Mr.Bharathi why you wrote this letter in English and not in your mother tongue?”.
Subramania Bharathi had to have the last word. He would not be the Mahakavi or the great poet, if he did not.
“ Dear Mr. Gandhi, I am not apologetic to use the britisher’s mother tongue. It is my culture and tradition to not use my dear mother tongue when I lash out at persons”.
Records do not reveal any further correspondence between these greats.
Do not forget that it was the visionary Subramania Bharathi who called Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi as Mahatma long before others. Bharathi died as early as in 1921 and Gandhi’s better years leading India to Independence were after Bharathi’s demise. And Bharathi’s encounters with Gandhi were too few.
வாழ்க நீ எம்மான்
வாழ்க நீ எம்மான், இந்த வையத்து நாட்டி லெல்லாம்
தாழ்வுற்று வறுமை மிஞ்சி விடுதலை தவறிக்கெட்டுப்
பாழ்பட்டுநின்ற தாமோர்பாரத தேசந்தன்னை
வாழ்விக்க வந்த காந்தி மஹாத்மா!நீ வாழ்க;வாழ்க!
அடிமை வாழ்வ கன்றிந் நாட்டார் விடுதலை யார்ந்து செல்வம்
குடிமையி லுயர்வு, கல்வி ஞானமும்கூடி யோங்கிப்
படிமிசை தலைமை யெய்தும் படிக்கொரு சூழ்ச்சி செய்தாய்!
முடிவிலாக் கீர்த்தி பெற்றாய்; புவிக்குள்ளே முதன்மை யுற்றாய்!
கொடியவெந் நாக பாசத்தை மாற்ற
மூலிகை கொணர்ந்தவன் என்கோ?
இடிமின்னல் தாங்கும் குடை செய்தான் என்கோ?
என்சொலிப் புகழ்வதிங் குனையே?
விடிவிலாத் துன்பஞ் செயும் பராதீன
வெம்பிணி யகற்றிடும் வண்ணம்
படிமிசைப் புதிதாச் சாலவும் எளிதாம்
படிக்கொரு சூழ்ச்சி நீ படைத்தாய்!
தன்னுயிர் போலே தனக்கழி வெண்ணும்
பிறனுயிர் தன்னையும் கணித்தல்
மன்னுயி ரெல்லாம் கடவுளின் வடிவம்
கடவுளின் மக்களென் றுணர்தல்;
இன்னமெய்ஞ் ஞானத் துணிவிலை மற்றாங்கு
இழிபடு போர், கொலை, தண்டம்
பிணைத்திடத் துணிந்தனை பெருமான்!
பெருங்கொலை வழியாம் போர்வழி இகழ்ந்தாய்
அதனி லுந் திறன்பெரி துடைத்தாம்
அருங்கலை வாணர் மெய்த்தொண்டர் தங்கள்
அறவழி யென்று நீ அறிந்தாய்;
நெருங்கிய பயன்சேர் ‘ஒத்துழை யாமை’
நெறியினால் இந்தியா விற்கு
வருங்கதி கண்டு பகைத்தொழில் மறந்து
வையகம் வாழ்க நல்லறத்தே!
A readily available translation runs as follows.
Glory to thee my great!
Of all the nations of the great world
Struck with poverty and lowliness
Losing freedom since the days of old
Bharath my home caught in ugliness.
Came thee my great Gandhi! Hail to thee!
Slavery dispelled, people set free
Nice wealth, nobility in living
Great knowledge and wisdom fast thriving
Leadership on earth well recognized
Thou wrought all glory well strategized!
Worst poisonous bond was broken how?
Who brought that antidote, whom we bow!
Cover to face lightning and thunder
What to say and adore we wonder!
Never ending harm aliens did
You could meet and we never to skid!
New on earth and yet very easy
How you planned well indeed is cozy!
With that spiritual bent of mind
In the world of war and violence
Amidst the encircling politics
Thou could win, turn the tides bring success!
War that brings murder and loot thou stopped!
The path of virtue is great indeed
Author of non cooperation
To thrive and progress for the nation
Don’t hate but usher fraternity
Nation will last for eternity!
Let to get to more from this anecdotal gold mine.
( Author is practising author in the Madras High Court)
