This name means a lot to me. I never knew at what age I noticed him or from when I started to adore him.
His poems, his portrait, his life everything seems to be so close to my heart.
I carry a small version of 'Bharathiyar Kavithaigal' with me where ever I go. And the book has travelled with me to Thanjavur, Bangalore, Chennai and to Michigan,United States. Because I never want to miss that for the last 15 yrs. Thanks to modern technologies, but my small book has a lot of memories, feelings and stories in its pages. And I love holding that possession of mine.
I could still remember, one day in my early teens, My parents planned for a shopping trip to Pondicherry. It was during the festival of Pongal. Those times where very special for us. And as a young girl, I loved watching the streets of Pondicherry and shopping there was fun. And this hasn't changed even now.
But I was adamantly staying back asking others to proceed with the shopping, as I saw the movie 'Bharathi' being telecast in a channel. I knew I wasn't watching it the first time. Yet! I stayed back and we cancelled the plan. Yes, I love him.
And ahh! Why am I penning the memories of Bharathi when the topic choosen is about the great Chellama Bharathi.
Yes now to Chellama...
The more I loved and adored Bharathi, when I started reading about his life, my attraction and respect to Chellama was roaring in heights. She was an epitome of patience. Yes I mean it.
When Men in Social life shines bright, its the light of the women in their family. The sacrifice and endurance to run their family, makes the married men to shine in their social life.
Chellama not only married a man who stood by his strong belief in social reforms but he was also a poet who took pride in his writings. Till this decade, an artist who makes his living performing natural art does his work struggling in the puddles of poverty. And Bharathi's life was of no exception.
She struggled all along her life marrying this man, trying to give her best to support him and this love for standing alongside him had brought several hatred for her in her own community. With lot of fear and fear, she always tried to have her best foot with him.
Bharathi understood the importance of this women in his life only after his first child. Especially when he was advised the importance of womenhood and shakthi by his 'Gurumani' as he fondly calls Nivedita Devi. And here's when Bharathi opened his eyes towards Chellama.
I always wonder reading poems with the name Kanamma . Thinking, where did this character come from. And my world of imagination always revolved with lot of questions with this character. To my surprise, it was only today, I found the answer.
The answer was very clear in the writings of Dr.Vijaya Bharati(grand daughter of Bharathi & daughter of Thangammal Bharathi). She mentions that Bharathi's daughter's had written that their father had always mentioned about their mother Chellama in his poems and it was not Kanamma as it was published.
They have addressed as, this might be the change made by their maternal uncle who doesn't want his sister's (Chellama) personal life to be in magazines.
Yes! my mystery revolving around my head for years is in peace now.
Her life not only put her in lot of struggles and stress, living with the man in pride, but even after his death.
She along with her brother had managed to start a publication and print the Mahakavi's work. The hardwork her husband had put in, she could not see that go in vain. The strong urge in her was to bring in all that was unpublished earlier and to consolidate the ones published for newspapers. Again she did all of this against people complaining her efforts, the rumours that spread in newspapers about Bharathi's life. She faced everything, Yet she could not win them.
But it was all her efforts that many of Mahakavi's writings came out to be published.
She was not a celebrated hero's wife but a women the society missed to celebrate.
She was not an epitome of success always but she lived to spread the soul of her husband which is buried deep in his poems. And definitely she had succeeded in that.
She is undoubtedly one of the best women, whom I love always and the one the world forgot to appreciate.
