As part of a host of activities and initiatives to commemorate the 100th death anniversary of the fiery nationalist Tamil poet, C. Subramania Bharati (December 11, 1882 to September 11, 1921), Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Mr. M.K. Stalin announced that the poet’s death day, September 11, will be observed by the government as ‘Mahakavi Day’ every year.

State-level poetry competitions will be organized to mark that day for school and college students and a best student poet award, ‘Bharati Ilankavignar Virudhu’, will be conferred to a boy and girl student for the best poetry with a citation and cash prize of Rs. One lakh for each, Mr. Stalin said in a statement on the eve of the poet’s death centenary year.

The government will distribute a compilation of the best poems of Bharati under the title ‘Manathil Uruthi Vendum’ free to 37 lakh students of all state-run and aided schools at a cost of Rs. Ten crores, the Chief Minister said.

Other commemorative steps to take Bharati’s life and works to a whole new generation will include publishing a new imprint of Bharati’s handwritten manuscripts, illustrated books with Bharathi’s songs for youths and translating Bharati’s poetry and key research works on the poet into English, Mr. Stalin announced.

Noted research scholars in Tamil on Bharati’s life and works- the late Periyasamy Thooran, R.A. Padmanabhan,

Tho.Mu.Sa. Raghunathan, and Ilasai Manian, besides senior researcher Seeni Viswanathan and Prof. Y. Manikandan, will each be honored (their family in the case of late scholars) with a citation and purse of Rs. Three lakhs, he said.

Mr. Stalin, who in all announced 14 programs and initiatives to commemorate the poet’s 100th death anniversary, among others, said: a ‘Subramania Bharati Chair’ will be established in the Bharathidasan University in Tiruchirappalli, creation of a separate division on Bharati’s collected works termed ‘Bhratiiyal’ at his commemorative houses at Ettayapuram and Triplicane in Chennai, besides in the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai and in the proposed Kalaignar Karunanidhi Memorial Library in Madurai, and cash assistance by the Tamil Nadu government for the maintenance of the house where Bharati had stayed in Kashi in Uttar Pradesh.