Subramania Bharati: : writings in The Hindu / / edited and with an introduction and notes by A.R.Venkatachalapathy

He is probably the most quoted poet of the 20th century in Tamil Nadu, and is often appropriated by political parties left, right and centre, as they see fit. Subramania Bharati (1882–1921) held strong views on many of the burning political questions of the day and was a fierce advocate of social reform. As a 22-year-old rookie journalist, he wrote to The Hindu: “Is it doubted in any quarter that, in England, a cobbler-boy with necessary merit finds his path clear to the Premiership? And is it not treason in India to believe a Sudra (not to speak of Panchama) with an unparalleled knowledge of Sanskrit scripture and with exceptional goodness and piety can ever aspire to the seat of Sringeri?”

A.R. Venkatachalapathy, historian, and professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies, who has edited Subramania Bharati: Writings in The Hindu, argues that Bharati’s political position in the aftermath of the brutal crushing of the Swadeshi movement was nowhere more clearly expressed than in these writings. The Hindu was the only newspaper that gave him space to express his views in the dark period between 1910 and 1913, when many publications were banned by the British.

On December 27, 1904, The Hindu carried a letter titled 'Mr. Sankaran Nair's Pronouncement' by a then unknown 22-year-old journalist. This was only his second piece of writing to appear in print; his first in English. Over the next decade, he would emerge as the foremost poet of Tamil Nadu: C. Subramania Bharati (1882-1921). Based on research into the back volumes of The Hindu, this book brings together all of Bharati's writings in India's premier national daily. Critically edited by A.R. Venkatachalapathy, with notes and appendixes, this book not only expands our knowledge about the great poet but also showcases how The Hindu, India's leading national daily, provided a forum for Bharati to express his political views when in exile in Pondicherry.