Tributes were paid to freedom fighter and national poet Subramania Bharathi on his 141st birth anniversary on Sunday, December 11, with Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi hailing him as a social reformer, while Chief Minister MK Stalin inaugurated the renovated house in Varanasi, where the late freedom fighter once lived. The Chief Minister, via video-conferencing, also unveiled a bust of the poet and released a souvenir brought out by the State Information Department on the occasion of Bharathi's birth anniversary.

Bharathiar, as Bharathi is reverentially addressed, not only dreamt of India's freedom but also for a strong, capable and self-reliant India, a Raj Bhavan release quoted Ravi as saying. The Governor recalled the great nationalist poet and social reformer Bharathiar and his immense contributions in nation building at an event held in Chennai. Citing Bharatiyar's line, "seppu mozhi pathinettu udaiyal chinthanai ondru udaiyal," the Governor pointed out that the poet had said Mother India speaks 18 languages but she has one thinking.

Earlier, Ravi paid floral tributes to a portrait of Bharathi. Rajkumar Bharathi, the poet's grandson and family members of the late freedom fighter were present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, Stalin virtually inaugurated the renovated house in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, where Bharathi once lived. An official release said that Stalin had last year announced that the Varanasi residence will be renovated. Accordingly, an agreement was entered into with the owner of the house to convert it into a memorial and a part of it was renovated at a cost of Rs 18 lakh by the state government where a bust of Bharathi has been installed.

Photos about the national poet, his works and a small library have also been set up. Bharathi's nephew, Professor Kedar Venkatakrishnan, and some other relatives were present on the occasion. Bharathi was born on December 11, 1882 at Ettayapuram in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district.