Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tributes to Subramania Bharathi, one of the most influential Tamil literary figures and also a freedom fighter, on his birth anniversary.
Modi said his government is working to realise his ideas across different sectors. He tweeted, "I bow to the great Subramania Bharathi on his Jayanti. 'Mahakavi Bharathiar' embodied remarkable courage and outstanding intellect. He had a grand vision for India's development and the empowerment of every Indian."
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also visited Bharathi's family in Varanasi today.
Who was Subramania Bharathi?
Bharathi was born on this day in 1882. He was a poet, freedom fighter, and activist from Tamil Nadu and played a proactive role as a member of the Indian National Congress. His songs and essays on nationalism helped rally the masses during the freedom struggle.
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He is best known for his poem Sudesa Geethangal, written in 1908. His contributions to modern Tamil literature earned him the title of 'Mahakavi Bharathiar.' Later in 1949, he became the first ever poet whose works were nationalised by the state government.
Owing to his revolutionary patriotic fervour, he was forced to live in exile from 1910 to 1919 in Pondicherry (now Puducherry), then a French colony.
Bharathi was a vocal critic of the caste system and he had himself taken off his sacred thread. He also condemned certain shastras that denigrated women and championed the cause of social justice by preaching equality of humankind.
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(With inputs from PTI)
