Periyar: Why he has an oversized impact on Tamil Nadu politics even 47 years after his death
Periyar was convinced that serious reforms in Hinduism were not possible under what he saw as the Brahmin-dominated ideology of the Congress, and soon turned into a staunch critic of the party and Gandhi.
Periyar
Key Highlights
- Born in the then Madras presidency, Periyar was initially attracted to the Congress, and became a follower of Gandhi
- In the early 1920s, his direct manner of speaking the Tamil language turned him to a star speaker of the Congress
- But later he turned against both the Congress and Gandhi -- and remained a critic throughout his life
Actor and superstar Rajinikanth has stirred a row by his comments on Tamil icon EV Ramasamy, commonly known as Periyar.
Speaking at an event marking the 50th anniversary of Tughlak, a magazine founded by the late Cho Ramasamy, Rajinikanth said the founder-editor had carried an article in the magazine in 1971 that was critical of Periyar, at a time when no newspaper had the courage to do so.
“In 1971, at Salem, Periyar took out an anti-superstition rally displaying naked images of Lord Ramachandramoorthy and Sita, with a garland of sandals -- and no news outlet published it,” Rajinikanth said on January 14.
The actor further claimed that the then Karunanidhi government was rattled by the news and copies of the magazine were seized. But Cho reprinted the issue and its copies sold in black “like hot cakes”.
Dravidian outfits such as the Periyar Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam have demanded an apology from Rajinikanth, but the 69-year-old actor has flatly refused, saying his comments were based on a news report. “This is an incident to be forgotten, not to be denied.”
A Tamil icon who was an iconoclast
Rajinikanth’s remarks have triggered speculation about his political future, and some commentators are seeing it a move in the direction of the BJP. Interestingly, the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP was the first to come out in support of his remarks. Rajinikanth intentions on this front will probably be revealed in the months ahead, but as a citizen and a very popular actor, he certainly has the right to express his views on any issue, including on Periyar.
Nevertheless, it's worth asking what makes Periyar, who died in 1973, such an important figure in contemporary Tamil politics?
Born in the then Madras presidency, Periyar was initially attracted to the Congress, and became a follower of Gandhi.
In the 1920s, his direct manner of speaking the Tamil language turned him to a star speaker of the Congress. He was in favour of reforms and took a lead in Dalit activism, advocating temple entry for the community. His devotion for Mahatma Gandhi can be gauged from the fact that the Tamil leader's magazine Kudiayarasu had a slogan praising Gandhi permanently fixed on its cover.
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But some experiences convinced Periyar that radical reform in Hinduism was not possible under what he saw as the Brahmin-dominated ideology of the Congress, and soon turned into a trenchant critic of Gandhi.
For him, Tamil self-pride went side by side with lashing out at Brahminism. He distanced himself from the Congress-led independence movement, and called for an independent republic of Dravida Nadu, despite little support for the idea even among the Tamil-speaking people. But this consolidated the Tamil identity, making the people more aware of their roots which go back thousands of years, and gave rise to the anti-Hindi movement.
An intellectual, activist and street-fighter rolled into one, Periyar was a larger-than-life figure the likes of which Tamil Nadu and India have not seen.
Periyar’s remarks could be extreme – but he believed that a soft approach was no solution for a culture in which Dalits were treated as sub-humans even after the country gained freedom.
Periyar’s political legacy
Of all the movements he led, it’s the Dravidian movement which has had the biggest impact on Tamil and Indian political life. The two main parties in Tamil Nadu today – the DMK and AIDMK – are products of that movement.
It is very difficult to be openly critical of Periyar in Tamil Nadu, and all politicians swear by him. That’s why the vandalising of a Periyar statue allegedly by BJP workers in 2018 triggered a severe backlash.
Since the AIDMK is allied with the BJP, it gives the DMK a handy tool to accuse the ruling party in the state of being hand in glove with ‘anti-Periyar’ forces.
By his remarks on Periyar, Rajinikanth – a legend in his own right – has done the unthinkable. But whatever happens next, Periyar will continue to loom large in Tamil Nadu’s political and social consciousness.