Jaishankar visits family of Mahakavi Subramania Bharathi in Kashi

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar paid a visit to the family of Mahakavi Subramania Bharathi in Kashi on his birth anniversary on Sunday.

Jaishankar met his grandnephew KV Krishnan during his visit.

"Privileged to visit the family of Mahakavi Subramania Bharathi in Kashi on his birth anniversary today. Humbled to receive blessings and encouragement from his grandnephew Thiru K V Krishnan ji," Jaishankar tweeted.

C. Subramaniya Bharathiyar was a poet, freedom fighter and social reformer from Tamil Nadu. He was known as Mahakavi Bharathiyar and the laudatory epithet Mahakavi means a great poet.

According to Press Information Bureau (PIB) statement, he is considered one of India's greatest poets. His songs on nationalism and freedom of India helped to rally the masses to support the Indian Independence Movement in Tamil Nadu.

Subramaniya Bharathiyar was born on 11th December 1882, in a village called Ettayapuram in Tirunelveli District in Tamil Nadu and his childhood name was Subbiah. His father was Chinnaswamy Iyer and his mother was Lakshmi Ammal.

Significantly, a new age in Tamil literature began with Subramaniya Bharathi.

Most part of his compositions are classifiable as short lyrical outpourings on patriotic, devotional and mystic themes. Bharathi was essentially a lyrical poet. "Kannan Pattu" "Nilavum Vanminum Katrum" "Panchali Sabatam" "Kuyil Pattu" are examples of Bharathi's great poetic output.

Bharathi is considered as a national poet due to his number of poems of the patriotic flavour through which he exhorted the people to join the independence struggle and work vigorously for the liberation of the country. Instead of merely being proud of his country he also outlined his vision for a free India.

Bharathi was a social reformer as he stood against the caste system. He declared that there were only two castes-men and women and nothing more than that. Above all, he himself had removed his sacred thread. He had also adorned many Dalits with sacred thread.

Bharathi died on 11th September 1921. Bharathi as a poet, journalist, freedom fighter and social reformer had made a great impact not only on the Tamil society but also on the entire human society.

( With inputs from ANI )