Periyar

Lore & Background

Periyar was born on 17 September 1879 to a Kannada-speaking Balija merchant family in Erode. He attended school for five years before joining his father’s trade at age twelve. As a young man, he began questioning contradictions in Hindu mythological stories and came to believe that people used religion to deceive the innocent, which led him to warn against superstitions and priests. A pilgrimage to Kashi in 1904 profoundly changed him: he witnessed begging and floating dead bodies, and was refused meals at choultries that fed only Brahmins.

Forced by hunger to enter disguised as a Brahmin, he was betrayed by his moustache, pushed into the street, and had to eat leftovers. Realising the eatery that refused him was built by a wealthy non-Brahmin, he became an atheist. He joined the Indian National Congress in 1919 and participated in the Vaikom Satyagraha, a nonviolent agitation for temple access in Travancore, where he was imprisoned twice. He resigned from Congress in 1925.

From 1929 to 1932, he toured British Malaya, Europe, and the Soviet Union, experiences that shaped his Self-Respect Movement. In 1939 he became head of the Justice Party, transforming it into Dravidar Kazhagam in 1944. The party later split, with C. N. Annadurai forming the DMK in 1949. Periyar advocated for an independent Dravida Nadu and promoted rationalism, self-respect, women’s rights, and the eradication of caste.

The Kashi Pilgrimage: The Day a Theist Became an Atheist

In 1904, Periyar went on a pilgrimage to Kashi to visit the revered Shiva temple of Kashi Vishwanath. Though regarded as one of the holiest sites of Hinduism, he witnessed immoral activities such as begging and floating dead bodies. His frustrations extended to functional Hinduism in general, when he experienced what he called 'Brahmanic exploitation'.

One particular alleged incident in Kasi had a profound impact on his ideology. At the worship site, there were free meals offered to guests. To Periyar's shock, he was refused meals at choultries, which exclusively fed Brahmins.

Due to extreme hunger, Periyar felt compelled to enter one of the eateries disguised as a Brahmin with a sacred thread on his bare chest, but was betrayed by his moustache. The gatekeeper at the temple concluded that Periyar was not a Brahmin, as Brahmins were not permitted by the Hindu shastras to have moustaches. He not only prevented Periyar's entry but also pushed him rudely into the street. As his hunger became intolerable, Periyar was forced to feed on leftovers from the streets.

Around this time, he realised that the eatery which had refused him entry was built by a wealthy non-Brahmin from South India. This discriminatory attitude dealt a blow to Periyar's regard for Hinduism. Periyar was a theist until his visit to Kasi, after which his views changed and he became an atheist.

From Congress to Dravidar Kazhagam: Forging a New Political Identity

Periyar joined the Indian National Congress in 1919 after quitting his business and resigning from public posts. He held the chairmanship of Erode Municipality and undertook constructive programmes spreading the use of Khadi, picketing toddy shops, boycotting shops selling foreign cloth, and eradicating untouchability. In 1921, he courted imprisonment for picketing toddy shops in Erode.

He was again arrested during the Non-Cooperation movement and the Temperance movement. In 1922, Periyar was elected the President of the Madras Presidency Congress Committee during the Tirupur session, where he advocated strongly for reservation in government jobs and education. His attempts were defeated in the Congress party due to discrimination and indifference, which led to his leaving the party in 1925.

In 1939, he became the head of the Justice Party, which he transformed into a social organisation named Dravidar Kazhagam in 1944. The party later split, with one group led by C. N. Annadurai forming the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 1949. While continuing the Self-Respect Movement, he advocated for an independent Dravida Nadu.

A Merchant's Son Who Refused to Accept the World as Given

Erode Venkata Ramasamy was born on 17 September 1879 to a Kannada speaking Balija merchant family in Erode. His father was Venkatappa Nayakar (or Venkata), and his mother was Chinnathyee Muthammal. He had one elder brother named Krishnaswamy and two sisters named Kannamma and Ponnuthoy.

He later came to be known as 'Periyar', meaning 'respected one' or 'elder' in Tamil. Periyar married when he was 19, and had a daughter who lived for only 5 months. His first wife, Nagammai, died in 1933.

Periyar married for a second time in July 1948. His second wife, Maniammai, continued Periyar's social work after his death in 1973. In 1929, Periyar announced the deletion of his caste title Naicker from his name at the First Provincial Self-Respect Conference of Chengalpattu. He attended school for five years after which he joined his father's trade at the age of 12.

He used to listen to Tamil Vaishnavite gurus who gave discourses in his house. At a young age, he began questioning the apparent contradictions in the Hindu mythological stories. As Periyar grew, he felt that people used religion only as a mask to deceive innocent people and therefore took it as one of his duties in life to warn people against superstitions and priests.

A Legacy Written into the Fabric of Tamil Nadu

Periyar promoted the principles of rationalism, self-respect, women's rights and eradication of caste. He opposed the exploitation and marginalisation of the non-Brahmin Dravidian people of South India and the imposition of what he considered Indo-Aryan India.

Since 2021, the Indian state of Tamil Nadu celebrates his birth anniversary as 'Social Justice Day'. His ideas were advocated by Dravidar Kazhagam after his death in 1973. He is considered the architect of Dravidian politics, as well as a leading figure of left-wing politics in India.

Reader's Guide

Periyar promoted rationalism, self-respect, women's rights and eradication of caste. He opposed the exploitation of non-Brahmin Dravidian people and the imposition of Indo-Aryan India. Since 2021, the Indian state of Tamil Nadu celebrates his birth anniversary as 'Social Justice Day'.

Periyar’s behaviour was shaped by a formative pilgrimage to Kashi in 1904, where he witnessed what he considered Brahmanic exploitation and was denied food at choultries that fed only Brahmins. Forced to eat leftovers after being turned away, he concluded that Hinduism’s holy sites did not welcome all, and he became an atheist. He later joined the Indian National Congress in 1919, participating in the Vaikom Satyagraha—a nonviolent agitation for temple access—and was imprisoned twice. Resigning from Congress in 1925, he toured British Malaya, Europe, and the Soviet Union from 1929 to 1932, which influenced his Self-Respect Movement.

In 1939, he led the Justice Party, transforming it into the Dravidar Kazhagam in 1944. A split in 1949 produced the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam under C. N. Annadurai. Periyar advocated for an independent Dravida Nadu and opposed the marginalisation of non-Brahmin Dravidians. His significance lies in being the architect of Dravidian politics and a leading figure in Indian left-wing politics, with his ideas continued by his second wife, Maniammai, after his death in 1973.