The Universal Poet

Mahakavi Subramaniya Bharathiyar was one of a kind. He was a great writer who wrote in simple language. This quality of his writings appealed to the masses immensely. His writings were powerful and appealed to everyone - young and old, rich and poor, men and women. They filled the Indian people with energy, enthusiasm, and patriotic fervour. Subramaniya Bharathiyar was a universal poet and writer whose writings are relevant for all people at all times.

Bharathiyar was born as C. Subramaniyan Iyer in Ettayappuram in the erstwhile Thirunelveli area in Madras Presidency of Bharat, which was under the imperialist British rule. Currently, Ettayappuram comes under Thoothukudi District of Tamilnadu state of free Bharat.

Bharathiyar wrote his first poem in Tamil at the age of eleven. He worked at Ettayappuram Palace for some time. He travelled to Kasi and lived there for a few years. He was a polyglot and learnt multiple languages, including Hindi and Sanskrit. C. Subramaniyan was a Brahmin who opposed the practice of untouchability. 'Bharathi' was a title earned by him for his erudition and his debating skills. He was considered a 'Mahakavi' or 'Great Poet' like Kalidasa. He was a social reformer as well.

He wrote many patriotic poems, including 'Vande Mataram' and 'Jai Bharat'. He wrote many poems on the greatness of Tamil Nadu and the Tamil language. His Tamil poem, 'Senthamizhnadu,' deserves to be The Tamil Anthem. He wrote devotional songs. He wrote short stories. He is considered to be the author of the first short story in the Tamil language. He wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-Gita. He wrote his autobiography. He was a genius poet-writer.

He also worked as the Assistant Editor of 'Swadesamitram', a Tamil Daily. He edited the Tamil Weekly 'India' and the English newspaper, 'Bala Bharatam'. He worked with Shri. Aurobindo on the 'Arya' and 'Karma Yogi' journals. He was an Indian Independence activist. He opposed the oppression of women.

Mahakavi Subramaniya Bharathiyar envisioned a world filled with compassion, kindness, love, patriotism, good conduct, peace, and harmony. His writings have covered the aforementioned themes.

His writings have been inspirational, and he has been praised by many, including Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi ji. He will be remembered for eons to come.