Musings on the Life & Times of Chinnaswamy Subramania Bharathi                   Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan                               57

 

Musings on the Life & Times of Chinnaswamy Subramania Bharathi

Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan

57

 

 

 

 

Why did Chellamma allude to Pattinathar’s life to draw a similarity with her own and Bharathi’s? One does not want to let it hang for  those who may not be familiar with Pattinathar.

 

So, an inevitable detour, in keeping with the tradition of  these musings. And it would be a fascinating one. Saint Pattinathar was a Saivaite and a Spiritual leader. He was born to Sivanesa Chettiar and Gnanakalai.

 

Pattinathar is a name identified with two different  Tamilians, one of 10th century AD and another of 14th century AD. It was so  with the inimitable the Tamil Paatti- grandmother- Avvayyar- it is said that there was not one of them in that name, but four of them, in different eras.Pattinathar’s father was a trader in Tiruvidaimarudur, Thanjavur district. His birth name was Swetharanyar after  Lord Siva of Swetharanyeswarar Temple. 

He was also called as Thiruvenkadar by the people. When he was five years old, he lost his father. Like his father he spent money on Siva devotees, and fed them daily. He was a trader and had enough wealth. At sixteen years, he was married to Sivakalai, daughter of another trader by the name of Sivasithamparam Chettiyar and his wife Sivakamy. Even after fifteen years of marriage they had no children. Meantime there was a very poor Saivaite by the name of Sivasarumar who spent all his wealth in feeding the Siva devotees. When all his wealth was spent he sold his wife’s nuptial chain (thali) and fed the devotees of Lord Siva. Once in his dream, Lord Siva appeared and told him, he would find him (Siva) as a baby at a certain spot. “Hand over the baby boy to Thiruvenkadar. He would give gold equal to the weight of the baby. The Saivaite devotees found the baby and took him to Pattinathar. He adopted the child and gave the couple, gold and more wealth.

The divine child grew up and followed in his father’s footsteps. Once the father sent him on a ship with a good lot of merchandise and when he came he brought back sacks full of paddy husks. The father was angry and locked him up in a room and going to the harbor, threw the husks out. What was his surprise to see they were all gold; Every dried piece of the husk turned out to be gold and precious gems. He hurried home to see his son. He was not in the room. His wife gave him a small box the son had given before he disappeared. In it was an Palm-leaf manuscript and a needle without an eyelet. On the script were the following words ( and in English for understanding):

 

காதற்ற ஊசியும் வாராது காண் கடைவழிக்கே” “Kaadhatra Oosiyum Vaaraadhu Kaan Kadaivazhikkae”meaning, This eyeless needle is useless and will not go to the market. And, even this useless needle will never accompany you in your final destiny (after death). These verses that changed Pattinathar’s life.

Pattinathar(Thiruvenkadar) realized the philosophy and wisdom of the words, and renounced everything – his wife, his wealth, his kith and kin and all other mundane attachments. With only a loin cloth he left. He sang many a philosophical song to enlighten people on the blissful state of renunciation. He sang about the human life and its complex dimensions, made his lyrics more appealing to the common man. He urged repeatedly not to be attached to the body and its pleasures, for the body which perishes and becomes food for animals and worms. Think of God and surrender at God’s feet. Over to Chellamma Bharathi.

 

The Britishers were not letting go  of their efforts to break into Bharathi’s security blanket. They tried one mode after another. Chellamma refers to one special anecdote. It is unbelievable that the colonisers went to such an extent and ‘the saddest part of it was the willing co operation from our fellow brethren. Without which such happenings could not have taken place. Moves by the Englishmen  of this genre would have been impossible without the generous complicity of Indians. Why did they do it? What was their motivation? They surely had nothing to hate Bharathi,Iyer and Siva. They were supplicants to the rulers. For what? Their daily bread and comforts. What a shame that nation and sacrificing Swadeshis were ignored. It was nothing short of betrayal of national interest for self-interest. To advance in the career ladder in civil and security administration at the cost of Bharat Mata. What a shame?”, bemoaned the Mahakavi.

 

One day, there were urgent summons to Bharathi from the Iyer household. Bharathi knew and  sensed that something terrible may have happened. Otherwise, Iyer was unlikely to disturb Bharathi. Bharathi rushed to Iyer’s home wasting not a minute. And even as he entered, he anxiously asked, “Has the heaven fallen? What is it”. Iyer’s response was a calm smile. That infuriated Bharathi who shouted, “ Iyerwaal, you did not summon me urgently to see your benign smile. Tell me what made you summon me?”.

 

Iyer quietly held the hands of Bharathi and took him to the backyard.” Subbiah, please wait a second. I will reveal the conspiracy. One thing is very clear. We must be ready to face any eventuality. Enemies we can handle. But betrayers from among our brethren, we must not let our guard down. The enemies are ready running around to hang us if they could . Enemies are identifiable. But not betrayers among us. And sadly enemies are getting willing complicity from betrayers of national cause”.

 

Iyer’s wife Bakkialakshmi was posing with a bucket in her hand, standing next  to the well. There was a huge  Pithalai Andaa- Brass Vessel next to the well. And it was covered with a plate. Iyer calmly called for ‘four respectable persons from the locality as witnesses and  removed the plate over the Andaa. Inside of it there was a smaller vessel with lot of hateful, inciteful and  seditious propaganda material. The material was abusive, incendiary and vulgarly provocative. The Britishers were the target”.

 

It was obvious that the idea was to catch Iyer household with this material and criminally prosecute them. Iyer and Bharathi collated the propaganda material and tabulated them with the four witnesses signing as well. They took the material objects with the recorded Witness Mahazar. They took them to civil administration office in a French controlled Pondicherry. They lodged a complaint explaining the circumstances  of the discovery of the material and the incendiary nature of the contents. The French administration acknowledged the complaint and agreed that it must be handiwork of those opposed to Swadeshis. And they promised to provide the protection that may be necessary.

 

As it turned out, even before the  French civil administration officials could take the police into confidence, a posse of police force ‘raided the Iyer household suggesting that they had intelligence of seditious activities taking place’. Iyer told the police, “ Be careful not to place any suspicious material and then fix us . You are capable, we know. His friends and  he made sure that Police hands were clean and they only searched the nook and corner of the household. And Iyer provided full and willing co operation. Nothing incriminating was found. The police were so intrusive that they did not fail to put their hands into Sambar and  Rasam vessels  too.

 

And one from the raiding party said, “ There is a Well  in the backyard. We must not leave it unsearched. Let us do that”. Iyer, “ Oh! Milord, we are already penniless. All our resources and sources have dried up. Nothing is  allowed  in by  your administration. We have been yearning for long to clean the well  ‘Thoor Vaara Vendum’. Now we have got a glorious opportunity to get it done, neat and sure, for free. Please do a good job. We would be eternally grateful. Please, you are most welcome and help us even if unintentional”.

 

It was a bright and sunny day. The sun was shining bright into the well. The water was still. It was not a deep well. Everything underneath the water could be sighted with ease from

above. The policemen looked into it and were convinced that there was nothing suspicious to be looked into. “ Iyerwal, we are not inclined to oblige you by entering the well and cleaning it for you. We regret that we have invaded your privacy based on false intimation. Thanks for your amiable and willing co operation”. And sent away empty handed.

 

Bharathi and Iyer did not let it pass. They had their network of information. They tapped into it. They heard that those willing to toe the Britishers for personal pelf and interest were behind it. It was known that every day, in the evening hours, Iyer and his wife Bakkialakshmi, religiously, day after day, went to the beach for a long walk. Exploiting their absence from the house, a few culprits appear to have entered from the roof top and dropped Brass Andaa with the incriminating propaganda material into the well. The intention was to capture Iyer household napping. The culprits  appear to have  even taken the local police station officials into confidence, for their profitable venture.

 

Providentially, it turned out that Bakkialakshmi drew water from the well in the wee hours of the very next day and the plot was rudely exposed. Chellamma prayed to Parasakthi that Iyer and Bharathi always had her blessings and it saved them from serious harm, sometimes at the very nick of time. She concluded that her Bharathi and Iyer were born for a purpose. What a  noble purpose!

 

( Author is practising advocate in the Madras High Court)