Bharathi’s stint as journo recalled

Ahead of Subramanya Bharathi’s 130th birth anniversary in December, historian and writer K R A Narasiah chose to focus on the poet’s involvement in journalism, his subsequent brush with nationalism and the freedom movement.

This was part of the last leg of the series of lectures on heritage organised at the Press Institute of India recently. While the previous two lectures had mostly media students in the audience, Narasiah’s presentation saw a smattering of history buffs, media students and the general public.

Narasiah talked about Bharathi’s beginnings as a poet, his experiences in Benaras and his return to his hometown, Ettayapuram.

“And that was where his downfall started. Benaras changed him so much that he could no longer put up with local norms. He renounced the sacred thread and grew a moustache, against the rules of his caste. Life was not going according to his plans and he didn’t know what to do,” explained Narasiah.

“And when he was offered the job of a sub-editor at Swadesamithran in 1904, he left his job as teacher and took it up,” he added. The presentation chronicled the various jobs Bharathi held during the Independence movement. He had started editing for the Tamil weekly India, for which he was almost arrested for sedition and had to flee to French-held Pondicherry.

“His cartoons, which he used very cleverly to criticise the British government, landed him in a lot of trouble. But he was the first one to use cartoons in such a manner to engage his readers in political matters,” said Narasiah.

Bharathi started Balabaratham for youngsters, edited Vijaya, a Tamil daily, and wrote various pieces of poetry, criticisms and editorials that he published in his papers.

“His interest in nationalism and women’s rights arose because of his exposure to journalism. He had his own way of doing things and was a highly-spirited man,” he said.

Narasiah signed off saying, “Subramanya Bharathi started off as a journalist and died as one. He was a misunderstood man.”