Friday, June 25, 2010

E.V.Ramaswami Naiker and the Self Respect Movement

E.V.Ramaswami Naiker and the Self Respect Movement

E.V.Ramaswamy Naiker, popularly known as ‘Periyor’ was born in Erode in 1879. He rebelled against the caste rigidity and participated in inter caste dining. He participated in the Vaikom satyagraha. He went to the extent ot advocating the burning of “Manu Smriti” and Ramayana. He became a radical social reformer and published a newspaper, Kudi Arasu.

After a visit to the Soviet Union, Periyor added his version of Marxism to the Dravidian ideology. He argued that the correct path for the self respect movement was to ‘take as our problem the destruction of the cruelties of capitalists and the cruelties of religion’. The Self Respect Movement was started in 1925. He advocated wedding without Brahmin priests, forcible temple entry and burning of the Manusmriti. He supported the use of Khadi and fought for prohibition.

He attacked the supremacy of Brahmins and the caste system. He propagated the concept of equality and the basic dignity of all human beings. The self respect movement of Periyor sought to change the subordinate position of women in family and society. But the self respect movement which tried to bring about structural changes in culture and society could not make a wider impact.

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre compelled him to join in the Indian National Congress in 1920. After resigning from INC he joined in the Justice Party. In 1944, the Justice Party was renamed Dravidar Kazhakam. The main object of Dravidar Kazhakam was to create Dravidanadu. However, Naiker’s disrespect for the flag and constitution of independent India , his marriage at the age of 72 and his authoritarian style of party leadership weakened his popularity. His followers left him and formed the Dravidar Munnetta Kazhakam in 1949. [Reference SCERT Kerala]

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