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.
