Bharati’s faith should be formalized: Dr. Sudha Seshayan

Tamil Nadu: Dr. Sudha Seshayan, Vice President of the Central Institute of Classical Tamil Studies in Chennai, said that it is the duty of today’s generation to codify the beliefs of Mahakavi Bharathi.

On the occasion of Bharathi’s birth anniversary, the Mahakavi Bharathiar Award ceremony was held on Thursday at Madurai Sethupathi Higher Secondary School, organized by Dinamani.

Dr. Sudha Seshayan, who attended the ceremony as a special guest, presented the Mahakavi Bharathiar Award and a cheque of ₹1 lakh to writer Prema Nandakumar and said:

Writer Prema Nandakumar is the eldest daughter of this great Tamil figure. Her contribution to Bharathi is far greater than the award itself. She is very happy to accept this award.

Bharathi had great faith in our country, its people, Tamil culture, and Indian culture. That is why he was confident that this country would definitely become independent; this is what he sang. In 1928, the then Madras Presidency government ordered the confiscation of all Bharathiyar’s records and had them confiscated by the police. S. Satyamurti raised his voice in the Assembly. “If there is anyone in this Assembly who speaks Tamil, is a Tamil, is a patriot, and is unafraid of patriotism, they will accept my resolution that the confiscation of Bharathi’s works is wrong,” he shouted.

Satyamurti also said, “If Bharathi lives, this country will live. Even if the government confiscates Bharathi’s writings, they will continue to be preserved for generations, just as the Vedas, unwritten in our country, have survived for generations.” This slogan is an example of Bharathi’s faith in our country.

Bharathi, who, through Tamilnai, advocated for the translation of religious texts by eminent scholars from other countries into Tamil, has no objection to sharing his country’s religious texts with others. Bharati thus articulated the principle that our country has no objection to embracing good things, wherever they may be.

Bharati believed in the unity of humanity. Bharati’s goal was not for any group or crowd to become a part of any one group. His goal was for the entire human society to be united. Bharati had the power to raise his voice against injustice in any country. He believed that if injustice exists anywhere in human society, people must unite to eliminate it. This was the reason for the song of the Russian Revolution.

We need a guru like Bharati to focus and direct our thoughts. If we begin our journey with Bharati’s thoughts as our guide, we can overcome the various problems of our society.

Bharati, who translated the Bhagavad Gita, considered it his eyes. He believed that we should act strongly against wrongdoing. That is why Bharati said, “Be angry.” This means to be angry against oppression; Rage against wrongdoing.

If we believe that Bharathi was born, raised, and lived in our Tamil land and that he is showing us the way, if we truly respect him, we must commit to implementing his ideas. Simply reading Bharathi is not enough; we must become active warriors who implement his ideas, demonstrating our respect for the trust Bharathi placed in us.

We must formalize his belief that the generation that comes after me will surely lead this nation correctly. We must realize his ideas. We will carry Bharathi forward, follow Bharathi’s path, and travel with his ideas as our guide and Bharathi as our driver. This is the duty of the Tamil community, said Dr. Sudha Seshayan.

Just read Bharathi.

Acceptance speech by Mahakavi Bharathiar Award-winning author Prema Nandakumar:

Bharathi gave me a new lease of life through a book he wrote many years ago. Bharathi has been my guide to a happy life ever since. Bharathi’s book, which I got in Chennai for Rs. 1.50, made it clear that he was a simple poet, someone even the average person could learn. My writing career began with this English translation.

Translation isn’t easy. You need to know both languages ​​well. Only then can you translate from one language to another. If you simply translate words from one language to another, you’re likely to make mistakes. Thus, my translation efforts received inspiration and encouragement from my family.

Bharathi’s song awakened people. Bharathi’s lyrics have the purity and clarity of the waters of the Porunai River. In today’s environment, Tamil is being taught mixed with English. We must be cautious about this. Tamil got the name “Amudhu” because there is no language equal to Tamil. The new generation should not forget Bharathi, who was born in the soil of Porunai.

He said that the Mahakavi Bharathiyar Award given to me by Dinamani newspaper belongs to my parents who brought me up strictly.