When the entire country, especially the Hindi heartland, was busy celebrating the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tamil Nadu was remembering its Dravidian icon, Periyar, and his ideologies, the self-respect movement, and how the social reformer laid the foundation for the Dravidian movement.
More than 40 years after his death, Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy, popularly known as Periyar, is still an iconoclast in the Dravidian land and continues to influence the Tamil society.
Periyar was radical in every sense. His preaching on rationalism and self-respect is still relevant in Tamil Nadu. On his 141st birthday, Periyar is an icon who can’t be ignored in the political landscape of Tamil Nadu. His long beard, round spectacles and his walking stick continue to remain as symbols of rationalism.
In fact, a Madras High Court order that came a week ago in favour of ‘no god’ inscriptions on the pedestals of Periyar statues was another indication of the significance of Periyar. While dismissing a PIL filed by a person identified as M. Deivanayagam, the division bench of Madras High court found that the petition was absurd and that Periyar’s speeches from 1928 made it clear that he had no affinity for religion. In his petition, Deivanayagam had said a particular quote from Periyar cannot be inscribed on his statues. The judges, after going through the speeches and writings of Periyar, said, “there is nothing wrong in having his views inscribed on the statues.”
To the people of Tamil Nadu, Periyar is more than a name and a few statues; he stands for an ideology that sought to liberate the oppressed, abolish superstitious beliefs and uplift women. Believers may find his atheism unnerving, and his detractors may accuse him of imposing the Dravidian philosophy on people. However, his self-respect movement continues to inspire thousands of people in Tamil Nadu.
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Believers wrongly assume that Periyar promoted atheism and was opposed to the idea of God. Instead, he was opposed to superstitions perpetuated in the name of God and oppression under caste system. A progressive thinker, Periyar fought against social inequality, stood for freedom of women and championed the cause of upliftment of the backward communities.
“He is still an influencer. The BJP rule in the Centre, for the past five years, has been indirectly fueling Periyar's ideologies to take strong roots once again in Tamil Nadu. Significant contributions of Periyar is not atheism but self-respect. When the BJP and the Sangh parivar outfits are hell bent on bringing in Hindu majoritarian hegemony, the teachings of Periyar becomes relevant for oppressed sections, especially for non-Brahmin communities,” says senior journalist R. Mani.
At a time when the whole country is witnessing propagation of unscientific thoughts and irrationality, Periyar becomes all the more relevant. “We are in a situation where none other than the prime minister of this country says Lord Ganesha is the result of plastic surgery in ancient times. Indian council of medical research funds a project which explores the feasibility of reviving patients in coma state with mrityunjaya mantra from Rig Veda. Periyar precisely fought against such superstitions and advocated rationalism and scientific approach. It is the duty of the left and Dravidian parties to take forward Periyar’s thoughts and ideals to every nook and corner of the country,” says A. Shankar, an activist and a blogger.
