RSS’s musical tribute on Bharati on birth anniversary

“There are many music bands in RSS across the country, which plays patriotic songs in various languages except Tamil. For the first time a tune has been created based on Tamil patriotic song, Olipadaitha kanninai of Mahakavi Bharati. This tune will now be part of bands across the country both in RSS programs and others,” said L Krishnakumar, spokesperson of RSS, Chennai. They said that usually once a year they conduct a march past, they used to play patriotic songs in other languages. And now they can use this song for the upcoming events.

“Usually, the music played in bands will be based only on Western music, but only in our band, we have Carnatic music. We have played many patriotic songs in various states including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh in their languages. But only Tamil Nadu we didn’t have any patriotic songs in Tamil, the song olipadaitha kanninai has message for all citizens of this country., and it is been composed in Carnatic music,” said MS Shakthidasan, Chennai physical activities (Yoga, music band) coordinator.

Meanwhile, the anniversary was also observed in various parts of southern districts on Saturday. Scores of people and Tamil literary scholars garlanded the statue of the Poet Bharati at Sethupathi Boys Higher Secondary School, where the ancient Poet worked as teacher in the days of yore, in Madurai, and paid tributes as a mark of respect, sources said.

However, the anniversary assumes special significance at the Poet’s birthplace of Ettayapuram, which’s now a panchayat town in Thoothukudi district.

MK Kanimozhi, Thoothukudi MP, P Geetha Jeevan, Social Welfare Minister, Thangam Thennarasu, Industries Minister, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Minister for School Education, Anitha R Radhakrishnan, Fisheries Minister, Collector K Senthil Raj and Superintendent of Police S Jeyakumar paid floral tributes at poet’s Manimandapam in Ettayapuram.

R Mohan, once a longtime caretaker of the poet’s ancient house at Ettayapuram, garlanded the poet’s statue at Perungudi bus stop near Avaniyapuram on the way to Madurai airport, to cherish the moment.