Remembering the Great National Poet - Mahakavi Subramaniya Barathi

Sept. 11, is remembered World over for various reasons ! - I have been posting fervently on Mahakavi Subrahmaniya Barathi  – for some years now stating he  passed away on September 11, 1921, at the young age of 39. Perhaps it was on the night of 11th and technically 12^th going by English calendar.  Remember seeing the plaque in front of the Bharathiyar Memorial at TP Kovi Street, Triplicane  also etched  as 11^th Sept, 1921 – but a year or so back  – it stands apparently altered as 12^th Sept. 1921.!!!! 

A cache of never-before-seen emails sent and received from within the White House on September 11, 2001, has shed new light on how the country's leaders and their staff first reacted to the horror of the terror attacks. On the eve of the 14^th  anniversary of 9/11, the emails were released by the George W. Bush Presidential Library to The New York Times through an open-records request. The release of the emails comes just weeks after never-before-seen images of then-Vice President Dick Cheney's reaction to the attacks were also made public following a Freedom of Information request.

With then-President Bush away on an education trip in Florida at the time of the attacks, the email exchanges between White House staff were typical that morning, discussing meetings and the news of the day. However, at 8:56 a.m., just after a plane crashed into one of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center at 8.46 a.m., the first change in tone came from Tucker Eskew, director of the White House media affairs office, who emailed three colleagues saying: 'Turn on CNN.' Suddenly two meetings were cancelled. At 9.20 a.m., Mary Matalin, the counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney, was sent an email from political writer David Horowitz saying: 'Today is Pearl Harbor.'

The  World Trade Center  famously known as twin towers, opened in 1973 and stood till that terror attacks in Sept. 11, 2001.   At the time of their completion, the "Twin Towers" — the North Tower at 1,368 feet (417 m); and the South tower — were the tallest buildings in the world.  There are many other twin towers at other countries too.

The man who was to become an iconoclastic freedom fighter was born in a small village called Ettayapuram on Dec 11, 1882.  By his songs and concerted actions, he reached to the masses making the aware of the need for freedom struggle and could make a great movement in Southern part of the Nation.  His songs were imbued with patriotism, over flowed with desire for freedom,  enthused people to revolt against British rule, encouraged youth to remain fit and aspire for greater things; his words woke up the sleeping slavery minded people to think of freedom and the need for the same.  He was a Genius, Extrovert, Patriot, Poet,  Thinker, man who dreamed beyond his time,  an eternal Optimist, man with die-hard spirit, motivator, man capable of uniting great minds, natural leader – all rolled one. Most unfortunate thing was his age – his life was too short - he lived for only 39 years and passed away on  this day 91 years ago.

Barathiyar’s  life was short – At the age of 22, he became the Assistant Editor of a daily newspaper called "Swadesamitran".   In 1906, he was editor of a weekly magazine called "India". By 1912, he was already a legend in South India and his political meetings were attracting multitudes of young patriots, ready to join the  movement for attaining freedom from the British rule. He was not a just Writer--  a person whose writing stoked the passion of freedom struggle.  He was on the run for most part of his life as British rulers foisted cases on him and incarcerated him.  No amount of pressure would keep his spirits in wrap.  He was a real genius, a great reformer and a very great Social Revolutionist with fiery ideas.

Blessed are those, who have scented the soil where Mahakavi lived. The house where he lived should be a sacred place of pilgrimage for all those who love the Nation.

Be it 11^th or 12^th, Nation needs to remember  Mahakavi SUBRAHMANYA BHARATHI who underwent untold sufferings for the cause of this Great Nation.

Desiya parrudan  - S Sampathkumar.

1882, டிசம்பர், 11ல் எட்டயபுரத்தில் பிறந்த மகாகவி பாரதி, 1921, செப்டம்பர், 11ல், சென்னையில் இறந்தார் என்பது வரலாறு. தமிழக, புதுச்சேரி அரசுகள், செப்டம்பர், 11ம் தேதியை, பாரதியின் நினைவு நாளாக அனுசரித்து வருகின்றன. சென்னை மாநகராட்சி பதிவேட்டில், செப்டம்பர், 12ல், இறந்தார் என, பதிவாகி உள்ளது, இந்த நிகழ்வை உறுதிப்படுத்தும் வகையில், தஞ்சைத் தமிழ்ப் பல்கலைக் கழகத்தின், பாரதி பாடல் ஆய்வுப் பதிப்பு நுாலிலும், 1921, செப்டம்பர் 12, 01:30 மணி என்றே குறிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ளது.

In the interesting mystery novel – ‘False Impression’,  by English author Jeffrey Archer ….  the story occurs mostly in UK and partly USA & Romania,  but traverses through Continents.  In the engrossing tale on a masterpiece artwork, the knowledge of the artwork resonates quite heavily.   An interesting new  angle is that upon the occurrence of Sept.11, some people went missing, presumed dead and some who were alive too, chose to  make this an opportunity !

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

11^th Sept. 2015.