20 min
Unknown Warriors C. Subramania Bharati: 100 Years of Revolution
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- Books
In his short life, Bharati had to live through the first great disaster of the twentieth century: World War I. This episode examines the complex emotions of Indians faced with this stunning development, just as the Independence movement was poised to take flight. Instead, Great Britain's attention turned to the battlefields of Europe. In a powerfully moving essay, entitled
"India and the War" - one of two English essays that he wrote on this subject - Bharati puts aside his passionate desire for India's immediate freedom, and instead, throws his support behind the British, approving India's "generous" and "magnanimous" contributions of "men and resources" to the War. This episode explores his reasons for doing so - and how they emerge from his belief in the "unity of the human race," his deep faith in the "Divine Will" that guides history, and his absolute commitment to doing what is right in the present moment, whatever may be the errors, sins, and cruelties of the past. Bharati's essay illustrates an exemplary Indian attitude towards the War. It reflects his immersion in Indian cultural values, and his words convey the selflessness, nobility, and love of freedom that he and other Indians of his generation embodied. The extent of Indians' contributions to the War are not always recognized by today's public worldwide - and the same may be said of the contributions of people from other European colonies to the struggle, as well. For this reason, this episode is dedicated to reminding the world of what they sacrificed through Bharati's contemporary words.
This episode features a recording of the Funeral ceremony of the Burial of the Unknown Soldier, made at Westminster Abbey on November 11th, 1920. It appears in "About a Hundred Years: A History of Sound Recording," A Symposium to mark the Centenary of Commercial Recording in the United Kingdom, Symposium Records, 1997 (no. 1222) (CD); details are available in the accompanying booklet, which notes: ""Apparatus developed for detection of torpedoes and submarines was redeployed to record parts of the service of the burial of the unknown warrior. Although terribly primitive it is, de facto, the first electric recording."
Percussion by tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh and ghatam maestro V. Suresh in a spectacular "jugalbandhi" brings together North and South Indian classical traditions, symbolizing Indian cultural unity.
Executive Producer and Host: Mira T. Sundara Rajan
Engineer: Emma Markowitz
Producer: Bradley W. Vines
Music Credits: Drums of India, Bickram Ghosh on Tabla and V. Suresh On Ghatam.
Subscribe to Bickram Ghosh's youtube channel.
In his short life, Bharati had to live through the first great disaster of the twentieth century: World War I. This episode examines the complex emotions of Indians faced with this stunning development, just as the Independence movement was poised to take flight. Instead, Great Britain's attention turned to the battlefields of Europe. In a powerfully moving essay, entitled
"India and the War" - one of two English essays that he wrote on this subject - Bharati puts aside his passionate desire for India's immediate freedom, and instead, throws his support behind the British, approving India's "generous" and "magnanimous" contributions of "men and resources" to the War. This episode explores his reasons for doing so - and how they emerge from his belief in the "unity of the human race," his deep faith in the "Divine Will" that guides history, and his absolute commitment to doing what is right in the present moment, whatever may be the errors, sins, and cruelties of the past. Bharati's essay illustrates an exemplary Indian attitude towards the War. It reflects his immersion in Indian cultural values, and his words convey the selflessness, nobility, and love of freedom that he and other Indians of his generation embodied. The extent of Indians' contributions to the War are not always recognized by today's public worldwide - and the same may be said of the contributions of people from other European colonies to the struggle, as well. For this reason, this episode is dedicated to reminding the world of what they sacrificed through Bharati's contemporary words.
This episode features a recording of the Funeral ceremony of the Burial of the Unknown Soldier, made at Westminster Abbey on November 11th, 1920. It appears in "About a Hundred Years: A History of Sound Recording," A Symposium to mark the Centenary of Commercial Recording in the United Kingdom, Symposium Records, 1997 (no. 1222) (CD); details are available in the accompanying booklet, which notes: ""Apparatus developed for detection of torpedoes and submarines was redeployed to record parts of the service of the burial of the unknown warrior. Although terribly primitive it is, de facto, the first electric recording."
Percussion by tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh and ghatam maestro V. Suresh in a spectacular "jugalbandhi" brings together North and South Indian classical traditions, symbolizing Indian cultural unity.
Executive Producer and Host: Mira T. Sundara Rajan
Engineer: Emma Markowitz
Producer: Bradley W. Vines
Music Credits: Drums of India, Bickram Ghosh on Tabla and V. Suresh On Ghatam.
Subscribe to Bickram Ghosh's youtube channel.
20 min