PERIYAR E.V. RAMAYANA NAICKAR: A Dalit Philosopher and Revolutionary

Periyar, the noted philosophers and the revolutionary, was born in Erode in Tamilnadu on 17-09-1879 in a Naickar family. There was perfect harmony between his thoughts, words and deeds. It is necessary to study the conditions in Tamilnadu at the eve of birth of Periyar. Briefly, a miniscule minority of Brahmans had distorted religion, law and order, social and economic life to make themselves the masters of the land. Religion ruled the life of the people from birth to death and rationalism was brutally suppressed. Vamashrama Dharma, the enemy of humanism was enthroned and caste consciousness divided society into countless groups, which led to the fighting for power and position. Inhuman laws of Manu were made the laws of the land and inhumanity was let loose on the people (David, 1996: 8-9). The Shudras were forbidden to seek education. Due to this they were made physical slaves of society. Rituals governed the life from birth to death and Brahmans lived on the fat of the land. Brahmans, kshatriyas, and Vaisyas entered into unholy alliance and sucked the blood of the Shudras.

From his very childhood he showed implacable opposition to Brahmans and Hindu Religion. As he advanced in age he equipped himself with deadly armour against the enemies of Dravidians and fought them tooth and nail and drove them underground. There they remained till he breather his last. At the tender age of five and six how Periyar broke every rule of the Brahman game. He ate and drank in the houses of low caste friends, Muslims and Christians. He took to it like duck to water Dravidian consciousness was brimful and overflowing unconsciously. He was attracted and influenced by the non-Brahman movement and Justice Party. But in 1917 Periyar joined congress and was carrying bales of Kadhar on his head to sell it in cities and villages.

In 1924 Periyar participated in the Vaikam movement (Temple Entry Movement) in Kerala which started by Sree Narayana Guru Ramaswamy Naickar adopted the ideology of Narayana Guru. In 1924 the Cheranmadevi Scandal where high caste and low caste students ate in separate rooms brought Vamashrama ideologies to a crisis. Periyar and his colleagues put their foot down and stopped the inhuman practice (Ibid.:9.). He brought of motion on reservation for consideration in Congress Annual Meetings in 1919, but the high castes managed to side-line it. Again in 1925 at Kanchipuram conference he brought the same reservation motion but it was not taken up. Then and there Periyar vowed ‘my task in future is the demolition of congress. He left the congress party in 1925. In 1925 Periyar started Kudiarasu (Ibid)23 paper to educate the non-Brahmans to civic consciousness. He waged a bitter battle with Brahman press and held them at bay.

In 1927 he became Editor of “Dravidan” a Tamil daily newspaper and started popularizing Buddhist ideology and bitterly criticising Hindu and Congress practices. He met Gandhi at Bangalore in July 1927 and raised many doubts. Gandhi failed to convince Periyar. From this time Periyar was like of man on fire. He had to save the Shudras from the Brahmans (Ibid). He condemned the Brahmancal literature like Vedas, Puranas, Ramayana and Mahabharathas also condemned the religious rituals and the priesthood. In 1929 Periyar started the self-respect movement (Naragoni, 1993: 38-39). The main objectives of the movement was:

•     Abolition of priest hood
•     Condemned the caste system
•     Compulsory primary education to the Shudras
•     Widow remarriages
•     Property right to women
•     Reservation for untouchables in employment
•     Condemned the Devadasi System

In 1933, Periyar started ‘Puratchi’ to educate the masses on the ideology and practices of revolutions. Whenever an idea took hold of him Periyar would jump into his rickety old car and go on a whirlwind tour, met the people and talk to them in their language. He would stopby the wayside for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

In 1935, Justice Party accepted Periyar “Erode Plan” which was Congress rejected it. Periyar started supporting justice party. In 1938, Periyar started movement against imposition of Hindi in Tamil Nadu. He raised the slogan ‘Tamil Nadu for Tamils’. He was jailed. Periyar was elected as President of Justice Party While still in Jail. On coming out he gradually changed Justice Party into “Dravidar Kazhagam” (D.K) and made it a mass-based movement on course for confrontation with Government.

In 1938 the Tamil Nadu Women’s Convention conferred on him the title of ‘Periyar’ even though he had been called Periyar from 1928. Periyar was a Champion of the rights and privileges of women. While Gandhi and Congress were suck in the mud and mire of “Manu Dharma” and making pretensions of support to woman, Periyar based on rational scientific ideas took a quantum leap and called for radical views on childbirth, contraception, celibacy, widowhood, health and mental vigour, Periyar was talking of test tube babies in 1943 long before scientific community took up the cause.

In January 1940 Periyar met Jinnah in Bombay. He took Dr.Ambekar with him. Periyar urged Jinnah to demand two separate constitutent Assemblies. Muslims stood united and demanded Pakistan, in March 1940. The Shudras were divided and lived as slaved of a landful of Brahmans.

In 1945 Periyar started “the Black Shirts” Movement (Ibid.:10). He devised a black flag with a red circle. Black represented the social stigma and oppression of Shudras and red, revolution to end oppression. He called on the Black Shirts to spread the ideology of `Self-Respect’ and defend the freedom of Shudras. In 1947 when declaration of independence of India was made public Periyar called it a ‘fraud’ and called on the people to observe 15th of August the Independence Day as a day of mourning. He raised the say Dravidanadu for the Dravidians".

In 1953 Periyar broke the idol of Vinayaka and called for an end of idol worship. In same year i.e. 1953 Periyar went to Maharashtra and spoke in support of Republican Parties ideals. In 1956 Periyar burnt the picture of Rama and called on Shudras to abandon ignorant beliefs in Gods. In 1965 Periyar burn Ramaryana and called on the people to abandon Hindu myths and mythologies that helped to denigrate the greatness of Shudras.

Periyar was a social revolutionary condemned the Chaturvama system and the Manu Dhrama Shastra which created inequality and social degradation. He was influenced by the socialist ideology and he translated Karle Marx’s communist manifesto in Tamil. He also condemned Karma and Dharma and Rebirth theory. He described Brahmans like capitalists without capital. God, Temple and Karma theory created by the Brahman for exploiting the non-Brahmans. He said. “I have no attachment to God, Religion, Caste, Nationality and Language. My only attachment is to man, and humanity”. On 24-12-1973 Periyar breathed his last.

Ramaswamy Naickar was the champion of the non-Brahman movement in Tamil Nadu. He was true follower of Narayana Guru and Dr.B.R. Ambedkar. He met both of them and supported their low caste protest movement.