Subramania Bharati
Subramania Bharati (1882–1921) was a Tamil journalist, translator, writer, poet, visionary social reformer and passionate independence activist. Popularly known as Mahakavi Bharati (great poet Bharati), he was a pioneer of modern Tamil poetry and is considered one of Tamil's greatest literary figures. His prolific output covered a wide range of topics, including nationalism, democracy, religion, the emancipation of women, child marriage, the caste system, nature and the environment, love and romance, philosophy and spiritualism and the Tamil language. During the colonial period, his pro-independence journalistic writings and patriotic songs led to him being marked by the authorities. In 1908, he moved to Puducherry, where he lived in exile until 1918. On his return to India, he was arrested and imprisoned. Bharati died in poverty in 1921 from injuries sustained from a temple elephant in Chennai. In recognition of his exceptional contribution to Indian culture, the Government of India conferred him the title of Indian 'National Poet', and Bharathiar University, a state university established in Coimbatore in 1982, was named after him.
