A Poet Par Excellence

THAMIZHANBAN-A POET PAR EXCELLENCE
Bharatiyar is the morning star of Modern Tamil poetry.Eventhough his poetic genius and nationalistic fervor is not remembered and adored in other states of India-outside Tamilnadu-those who view the history of India in an objective and unbiased perspective, will definitely hail him as one of the national heroes of Indian Freedom Movement.
As a poet Bharatiyar had a clear vision to usher a socialist India, free from all social evils
His prime disciple, Bharatidasan, an innovator in the poetic field and an emancipator in the modern history of Tamilnadu, holds an unparalleled and supreme position among the modern poets of Indian languages. Thematic surprise, Technical innovation and iconoclasticity are his poetic tools. He is celebrated for his poems on cultural nationalism and Tamil renaissance.
But this should not prompt us to conclude that he lacked a broader perspective. His poems on National solidarity and international amity have the power to motivate everyone who reads them.
Bharatidasan, undoubtedly, dreamt for a borderless world with peace-loving citizens adopting universal brotherhood.
Thamizhanban considers Bharatiyar and Bharatidasan as his mentors.His poem on Thiruppur Kumaran-who sacrificed his life, holding the tricolor flag in his hands and chanting ‘vandhe maatharam’ in spite of the brutal attack of the policemen during British regime speaks for his national spirit.It is written in the form of a folk-ballad, for recital in the folk-entertainment called
‘Villuppaattu’. It is his first book published in the year 1968.
For the past forty years, Thamizhanban’s pen is creating wonderful and thought-provoking poems.
In 1970 appeared his first volume of poems titled "Thamizhanban Kavithaikal"(Poems of Thamizhanban). Till date he has brought 32 collections of poems, 16 Prose works and 3 books in the field of Children’s literature.
Thamizhanban is unparalleled in his futuristic vision, craving for a world without war. He wants the whole mankind to stand united shunning away the national and ethnic identities.
Satire becomes a powerful weapon in his poems, staging a merciless attack on all social evils. His sarcastic notes on the follies of men belonging to all walks of life aim at restructuring the society into an egalitarian one.
His Thirty-two volumes of poems are kaleidoscopic in their forms and techniques.
Thamizhanban has authored many narratives in free verse; they are well documented and skillfully told in lucid language; the form and content are complimentary and they have a powerful message to convey to the society.
For example we can cite one among the narratives in free verse titled "The remnant of the fire which burnt Nandhan"("andha nandhanai erichcha neruppin michcham"). It describes an upper caste landlord who humiliates and ill-treats Daliths.Here the anger of the landlord turns into a rage when the agricultural laborers ask for a hike in wage. Thamizhanban tells through this narrative that the oppressed cannot be kept oppressed for a very long time, and this is the time for them to achieve emancipation by their united efforts.
Dowry harassment is one of the social evils, which hinders the process of arranged marriages. Those who are unable to give a sizable dowry do not get married. Most of the poets readily express their anguish over the habit of receiving dowry from the brides. The poets, who pay lipservice to women’s rights, exploit this situation cleverly. They shed crocodile tears for these women just to push the sale of their books. Actually they maintain a dual role. On the one hand, they pretend to sympathize for the belated marriages of the pitiable ladies who cannot afford to pay a huge amount as dowry. On the other hand, they indulge in describing the anatomy of these ladies to attract the attention of the young readers.
Thamizhanban, a committed rationalist, efficiently exposes the dual role played by such poets in his poem"When the directions are wrong, what is the use of corrections in the map? (Thisaikalail kolaaru,thesap padaththaith t6hiruththi enna laabam?)
According to Thamizhanban when the whole societal set-up is in disorder what is the use of crying against dowry harassment? Only after establishing a socialist society we can be free from all social evils. When there is amassment of wealth on one side and acute poverty on the other side
Dowry-seekers will definitely be there to harass brides and their parents. The poet appeals to everyone in the society to realize this fact and to make a determination to struggle for the revolution with a strong will. He makes a call to the working class and downtrodden.
Even though pushed down under
The flood of domination and oppression
Thou unaffected as phosphorous
Under water! Awake!
The Phosphorous, which is put in water, remains inactive. But when it is taken out it absorbs oxygen in the atmospheric air and burns. Thamizhnban considers the labor and downtrodden as Phosphorous put in water. He is sure that one day when they get exposure they will revolt thereby ushering a socialist society.
Thamizhanban acts as an emancipator through his poems. He strives for the emancipation of women, emancipation of Daiths, emancipation of the working class and downtrodden.
As a student of Indian literature find in Thamizhanban a Nirala, because of his revolutionary outlook. Thamizhanban is more than a Dinkar as he addresses the international citizens. In his lyrics the subjective mood reminds me of Mahadevivarma.His introversion and introspection undoubtedly equals that of Rabindranath Tagore.Sometimes I consider Thamizhanban as a reincarnation of Narmadh, a Gujarathi poet of colonial India, as he considers the under-privileged and oppressed people as his kith and kin. His powerful appeal for a stronger and united India can be compared to that of Gopalakrishna Adiga in his poems. His dream for a new universe full of positive thoughts reminds us of SriSri (Srikakulam Srinivasa Rao).
Thamizhanban’s broad outlook and his sincere efforts to achieve peace and amity through his poetic career have no comparison.
He is a myriad-minded artist who has proved his skills in various ways.
He is a novelist, essayist, drama-script writerand a fine performing artist, reciting poems in Kavi mushairaas stealing away the audience by his thought-provoking puns and subtle wit.
His command of language and his artistic skills in evolving innovative techniques of poetic expression nmake his poems unique. The leading critics in Tamil literature hail him as a "Sculptor of Poetic images". He is successful in producing private symbols and mixing them with the universal symbols. By this kind of fusion he challenges his readers tom explore the inner meaning of his poems by finding their own interpretations, thereby establishing a co-authorship to unravel the poetic beauty of his symbolic poems.
Rationalism, socialism and humanism are voiced in his poems.various themes, which depict the
Complexities of the modern life are found in his poems. The psychic perplexities of the modern man in the modern sequence are illustrated only in the poems of Thamizhanban, which cannot be found in anyother poet’s works. To him poetry is not a mere slogan. He never finds pleasure in attacking any individual or any particular organization.
Thamizhanban never associates himself with any particular political party, but his ideology is progressive,left-oriented and secular.
If his complete works are translated in all languages of the world, I am sure, the whole world will look upon us in admiration.
Without any hesitation we can proclaim that Thamizhanban is a great poet of our period.
He is a pride of our nation.