Subramania Bharathi and Pondicherry

Our home town has the pride of nurturing great poets in its lab. The history gives us a brief list about their literary works when they were in Pondicherry. Subramania Bharathi is a great name in the modern Tamil Literature as well as in the Indian freedom movement. Our Pondicherry is so lucky to have given him place during the freedom struggle. Now let us glimpse his days in Pondicherry.


Although born at Ettayapuram in Thirunelveli district, Subramania Bharathi was one of the first to seek refuge in Pondicherry in 1908 to escape from British incarnation. He lived here under the patronage of Kuvalai Kannan, S. Swaminatha Dikshidar and Sundaresayyar, who were the readers of “India”, a journal with which Subramania Bharathi was closely connected while in Madras. Within a month the “India” press was clandestinely brought to Pondicherry from Madras; the journal which had stopped appearing from the last week of September 1908 reappeared from October 20. He soon settled in a south facing house at Easwaran Dharmarajakoil Street. Sri Aurobindo arrived at Pondicherry in April 1910 and since then Bharathi came more and more under the influence of Sri Aurobindo. A few months later came V.V.S. Iyer. Va.Ra. Aravamudayengar who is popularly known as “Amuda” and Kanakasuburathinam who was later famously known as “Bharathidasan” were the dedicated disciples of Subramania Bharathi. In 1911, when Sub-collector Ashe was shot dead by Vanchi Iyer at Maniyachi, Subramania Bharathi was protected by Sundaresayyar, Ponnu Mugesapillai and Sundaresa Chettiar.