Birth anniversary of revolutionary Tamil poet marked by Indian Consulate in Jaffna
11 December 2018The revolutionary Tamil poet Subaramani Bharathi or Bharathiyar was celebrated on the 137th anniversary of his birth by the Indian Consulate in Jaffna on Tuesday.
Prominent local figures including politicians, local government officials and elected representatives, and religious leaders attended the event held at the iconic Bharathiyar statue in Nallur.
Bharathi, popularly known as Mahakavi or great poet for his pioneering influence on Tamil literature, was born in Thoothukudi in British India in 1882 and died in Chennai in 1921.
His poem Thamil Thaai Vaazhthu – ‘invocation to Mother Tamil’ – was traditionally sung in Tamil schools across the North-East, and is still sung to inaugurate Tamil cultural events, as a replacement of the Sri Lankan national anthem.
Another iconic poem Achamillai – ‘fearless’ – is also popularly invoked as a rallying cry of Tamil resistance.
SRI LANKA 