Musings on the Life & Times of Chinnaswamy Subramania Bharathi Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan 58

Musings on the Life & Times of Chinnaswamy Subramania Bharathi
Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan
58

Iyer and Bharathi were bosom pals in current lingo. They always worried and thought for the other’s welfare. The ‘ IyeW(a)ell’ anecdote shattered the peace in the family. Into
the houses of the brothers’ in arms, access for the spies was not difficult. How could they have a 24×7 look out? It was not possible. Iyer was worried for the safety of his wife and Chellamma and the two little girls. Bharathi asked Iyer, “ Iyerwaal, if we let doubt and worry to take over, we can forget peace in the family. We may have to brazen ourselves to meet any challenge. Leave it to Parasakthi. She made us. She brought us up. If she wants us to deliver what she wants, it is her duty and responsibility to take care of us. Why should we worry? Let her worry”. Iyer was not comforted by these words which he felt fell from Bharathi’s lips and not from the deeper recesses.

Chellamma agreed that Bharathi too was flustered, as worries invaded from multiple directions. Bharathi always looked for the new and novel. He was a Pudumaipithan- Innovatove, said Chellamma. He was rarely flustered. But recent happenings were too much even for Bharathi. And this Iyer was not helping. Iyer was a good story writer. But, he always wrote sad stories. Pathos was second nature in his writing. And he always had the habit of sharing his stories with Bharathi and the family before publishing them.

Chellamma said “ One day Iyer shared with us his ‘ Kulanthangarai Arasamwram’ – Pipal Tree on the Tank Bund. It was a sad story. It had a sadder ending. Bharathiyar had gone to Iyer’s house and when he came back, his elder daughter Thangamnal asked, “ Appa, how has Iyer concluded his story. No change. The same tragic ending?”. Bharathi replied, “ What do you think? Iyer chose to drown his Rukmani in the Kulam- tank. He does not let her survive or live happily ever after. He loves such themes or rather his mindset has gone awry to not allow him to let his characters live joyously”.

Chellamnal could not forget that like Rukmani the character in Iyer’s sad ending, his daughter Subhadra was lost in the swirl pool at Papanasam. And Iyer, who went to rescue her was sucked in and died at all of 44 years, outlasting and outliving Bharathi by just 5 years. Was Iyer prescient?

Bharathi said, “ Doubts and worries are dangerous afflictions. They are worse than the physical variants. They are beyond the pale of even the most powerful diagnosis of doctors and worse than the worst viruses. They affect the body. The health, strength and energy of the individual suffer. Those with a depressed state of mind and revel in sadness need to take a change. By visiting temples or at least changing their focus to almighty, they can try to pivot for the good and better. Depression is a killer disease. And when the monkey mind is impacted, it can ruin your very being. The sad stories that Iyer brings out seem to be an expression of his state of mind. But they are creative nevertheless”.

Chellamma recalls that within a few days of this lecture on mental depression and its devastating impact, “ Bharathi himself came under its spell. When cast under its spell, we take it out on others. Close relatives and friends take the rap. And if they are not around, it may even target strangers. But Bharathi was different. Whenever he felt downcast, he could sense it. He always avoided interaction. He chose to go upstairs and lie down. Kept silence. To let it pass. In line with his habituated spell, he went upstairs telling us, ‘ Let no one come up and disturb me. I need to cast away the spell and silence and solitude are the cures for me. However high or close he or she may be, don’t let them come up”.

Within an hour , as if on cue, and he had timed it to perfection, Iyer came in to meet Bharathi. And as was his wont, he briskly took to the stairs. Chellamma drew parallel to their state at that moment to Jayan and Vijayan, two gatekeepers ( Dwarabalakars) of Vishnu’s residence (Vaikuntha Lok). According to the Bhagavatam, the Four Kumaras – Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, and Sanatkumara, who are the manasaputras of Lord Brahma (sons born from the thought influence of Brahma), were wandering across the worlds when one day they decide to pay a visit to Lord Narayana- Lord Vishnu’s form that rests on Shesh naga.

The Sanat Kumaras move towards Jayan and Vijayan and ask to be admitted in. Now for the reason of the strength of their tapas, the four Kumaras come out to be just children, though they are of a big age. So, Jayan and Vijayan , the gate keepers of the Vaikuntha prevent the Kumaras at the gate mistaking them as children. They also tell the Kumaras that Lord Vishnu is resting and that they cannot visit him now. The enraged Kumaras tell Jaya and Vijaya that Vishnu is accessible for his devotees any time, and cursed them both that they would have to give up their sanctity, be born as mortals on Earth and live like regular human beings.

When Vishnu woke up, he got to know what has happened and is regretful for his two dwarapalakas, who are cursed by the grand Sanat Kumaras just for doing their obligation. He apologized to the Sanat Kumaras and vows to his doorkeepers that he will do his maximum to help them go through the series of Life and Death.

With great hesitation, Chellamma pleaded, “ Aiyerwal, could you please refrain from going upstairs now. We apologise to have stopped you, of all people,in your tracks. We find it hard to do so. We find it harder not to do it also. As we found that Avar/Bharathi was in one of those depressed moods and asked us to play guard so that he could rest and relax a bit”. Thangamnal, the daughter joined in to ask Iyer Mama to not disturb Appa.,Iyer was surprised and asked, “Even I. Do I not know him as well as he himself does. No state of Bharathi is new or unknown to me”.

Chellamma and Thangamnal had no explanation or excuse or justification or reason or logic to offer to Iyer beyond . They stood transfixed and wondering how or what to respond. As luck would have it, Bharathi himself came out of the upstairs room with pen and paper in his hand. He was in a different mood than when he had entered it. He enthusiastically read out his Kannamma Paattu which he had constructed just then. The transformation was electric and Bharathi had such mood swings often enough and when he was under his writing spell , his persona took on a different glitter.

This is what he sung.

1: tUNdirp-puzhuvinaippOl veLiyE shuDar viLakkinaippOl nINDa pozhudAga enadu nenjam tuDittadaDi
kUNDu kiLiyinaippOl tanimai koNDu mighavu nondEn vENDum poruLaiyellAm manadu veruttu viTTadaDi

Like a worm pierced by a hook for use as bait, like a diya (small oil lamp) outdoors (=windy), my heart trembled for a long time. I felt very lonely like a caged parrot. Even the most desirable things turned out to be detestable.

2: pAyin mishainAnum taniyE paDuttirukkaiyilE tAyinak-kaNDAlum sakhiyE shalippu vandadaDi
vAyinil vandadellAm sakhiyE vaLarttu pEsiDuvIr nOyinai-pOl anjinEn sakhiyEn UngaL uravaiyellAm

When I am lying down on the reed-mat, I become bothered (not the exact meaning) even if I see my mother! If I said something at that time, you people would talk about it for eternity (ravi, rescue me here.) I feared interactions with you (friends) like the plague.

3: uNavu shellavillai sakhiyE urakkam koLLavillai manam virumbavillai sakhiyE malar piDikkavillai
gunam urudiyillai edilum kuzhappam vandadaDi kaNamu muLLattilE sukhamE kANak-kiDaittadillai

Food doesn’t go past my throat. Sleep doesn’t come to me. There is no interest in anything and even flowers turn out to be unattractive. The mind keeps wandering and I am confused about everything. There is not peace/comfort in the heart for even a moment.

4: pAlum kashandadaDi sakhiyE paDukkai nondadaDi kOlak-kiLi mozhiyum sheviyil kuttaleDuttadaDi
nAlu vaiddiyarum inimEl nambudarkkillaiyinrAr pAlattu jOsiyanum graham paDuttu menruviTTAn

Even milk tasted bitter. The bed hurt. The beautiful prattle of the parrot painfully pierced the ears. All the doctors declared that there was no hope anymore. The astrologist by the bridge (a common thing in a village: seated by the banyan tree by the side of the river near the bridge) said the planets were in a bad conjunction and it was troubling times.

Chellamma and Thangammal were extremely relieved that they were spared of the agony of stopping Iyer. Equally, they were overjoyed that Bharathi came into his own then. The Kannamma Paattu became such a classic that it has lived on beyond Bharathi and picked up for use in many Tamil movies and thus gaining traction as popular, even on the philosophical plane.

( Author is practising advocate in the Madras High Court)

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