The Battle for Subramania Bharati’s Copyright, the word copyright occurs only once in Bharati’s writings, and he would have perhaps been amazed to learn that his poems could later earn money by being used in song recordings and in films. During this time, Subramania Bharati’s songs were part of not only patriotic theatre but also of commercial plays which had to reckon with the rising nationalist consciousness and mobilisation. Opening AVM StudiosBy 1946 the worth of Bharati’s songs had been better recognised and its commercial value had increased manyfold. In my Nam Iruvar, made at the time of Indian independence, I included Mahakavi Bharati’s songs, and they became a big hit. Meiyappan’s acquisition of the broadcast and recording rights of Bharati’s works was the fountainhead of the controversy that led to the nationalisation of Bharati.

Source: The Hindu May 06, 2018 20:37 UTC