Bharathidasan

Bharathidasan was a famous Tamil poet who lived in the 20th century. His real name was Kanagasabai Subbu. He was a writer and rationalist. His work mainly revolved around the socio-political issues faced by the country in the 20th century, such as women's rights, rationalism, and the abolishment of casteism. He used to run a monthly newspaper called the "Quill" in the form of poetry to write on these issues. His most significant influence and the inspiration for his work was Periyar, a South-Indian activist who led the self-respect movement to give equal rights to the lower castes of society. As a tribute to the Tamil poet and his mentor, Subramania Bharati, he named himself "Bharatidasan." Apart from poetry, he also showcased his talent through plays, film scripts, essays, and short stories. The song of Invocation to Mother Tamil, written by Bharathidasan, has been adopted as the state song of Puducherry by the ruling Government.

He was also an avid activist and actively voiced his opinion against the oppression of the French Government that ruled Pudducherry during his lifetime. He played an essential role in the Dravidian rationalist movement and was honored with the title "Puratchi Kavingyar," which means "revolutionary poet" by Periyar. He was awarded the Sahitya Academy Award. He also won the Golden Parrot Prize in 1946 for a play called Amaithi-Oomai. The Postal Department of Chennai also released a commemorative stamp to tribute to his work. In his honor, the University of Madras set up the Bharathidasan University, which aims at nurturing brave souls.

Bharathidasan Institute of Management, which is now a top business school, was also established in his honor in Tiruchirappalli. The Government of Tamil Nadu gives the Bharathidasan award to talented Tamil poets yearly. His poems adopted as film lyrics are Pallikudam, Kalyanam aagatha penae, Kaatrilellam, Muzhumai Nila, and Chithirai.