Tamil poet Subramanya Bharathi (1882-1921) lived in tumultuous times. His family lived in poverty, which was magnified by Bharathi’s nonchalance towards alleviating ‘material’ penury. The anecdote about Bharathi throwing food grain (meant for the family’s next meal and that was borrowed from a neighbour) to the sparrows and bursting into a song on seeing their happiness, perhaps, best summarises his personality.
When the Indian independence movement was oscillating between phases of vigour, dullness and momentum, Bharathi sang for political freedom and emancipation from social stagnation. His radical humanism was rooted in advaitic (non-dualism) Vedanta as he battled against the evils of caste system and subjugation of women. He, at the same time, sang about the universe - from the movement of the galaxies to the storms in his coastal town. Non-dualism bubbled in his verses.
Read More at https://swarajyamag.com/culture/subramanya-bharathi-the-cosmic-vision-of-a-tamil-poet
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