Subramania Bharati Writings in The Hindu

On December 27, 1904, The Hindu carried a letter titled 'Mr. Sankaran Nair's Pronouncement' by a then unknown 22-year-old journalist. This was only his second piece of writing to appear in print; his first in English. Over the next decade, he would emerge as the foremost poet of Tamil Nadu: C. Subramania Bharati (1882-1921).

Based on research into the back volumes of The Hindu, this book brings together all of Bharati's writings in India's premier national daily. Critically edited by A.R. Venkatachalapathy, with notes and appendixes, this book not only expands our knowledge about the great poet but also showcases how The Hindu, India's leading national daily, provided a forum for Bharati to express his political views when in exile in Pondicherry.

A.R. Venkatachalapathy, a professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai, has taught at universities in Tirunelveli, Chennai, Chicago and Singapore. Awarded the V.K.R.V. Rao Prize (History, 2007) and Vilakku Pudumaippithan Award for lifetime contribution to Tamil (2018), Chalapathy has published widely on the social, cultural and intellectual history of Tamil Nadu in both English and Tamil. His publications in English include The Brief History of a Very Big Book: The Making of the Tamil Encyclopaedia; Tamil Characters: Personalities, Politics, Culture; Who Owns That Song?: The Battle for Subramania Bharati's Copyright; The Province of the Book: Scholars, Scribes, and Scribblers in Colonial Tamilnadu; and In Those Days There Was No Coffee: Writings in Cultural History. He is also an advisor to The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages