Guv Ravi, CM Stalin pay tributes to legendary poet Subramania Bharati on 143rd birth anniv

CHENNAI/MADURAI: Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi and Chief Minister M K Stalin, on Wednesday paid tributes to Mahakavi Subramania Bharati on his 143rd birth anniversary.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed Bharati as the father of modern Tamil literature and said he illuminated the path of the nation's freedom struggle with his luminous wisdom and reformed the society to become its original self.

Tamil Nadu Governor Ravi paid floral tributes to the decorated portrait of the iconic poet, placed near his statue, at the Raj Bhavan here and also carried the 'Jathi pallaku' (palanquin with the poet's bust) in a ceremonial procession.

Chief Minister Stalin praised the poet for his opposition to regressive practices, his yeoman services to the Tamil language, society, the nation, women's emancipation and for the sake of the country's independence. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami quoting the great poet's verses, paid his tributes to him.

Meanwhile, several people and Tamil literary scholars garlanded the statue of the Poet Bharati at Sethupathi Boys Higher Secondary School, where the legendary poet worked as teacher, in Madurai, and paid tributes as a mark of respect.

R Mohan, former caretaker of the poet’s house in Ettayapuram, garlanded the bust of Poet Bharathi at Perungudi in Madurai on the occasion. The bust was installed by the Pasumpon Magalir Narpani Mandram several years ago.

Collector K Elambahavath and other officials garlanded the poet’s statue in a house, where he lived in Ettayapuram and subsequently paid tributes at Bharathiyar manimandapam, sources said.

To mark the occasion, several students from Tamil Baptist Primary school participated in a programme organised at Therkku Konar Kottai, a village near Ettayapuram. The programme was presided over by P Muthu Murugan, founder, Bharathiyar Memorial Trust, Kovilpatti.