{"id":132700,"date":"2024-09-18T19:31:27","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T14:01:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&#038;p=132700"},"modified":"2024-09-19T17:01:31","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T11:31:31","slug":"periyars-146th-birth-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/periyars-146th-birth-anniversary","title":{"rendered":"Periyar EV Ramasamy&#8217;s 146th Birth Anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Periyar EV Ramasamy&#8217;s 146th Birth Anniversary <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was recently commemorated in Chennai.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-132673 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/185-66ead69fdc327.webp\" alt=\"Periyar\" width=\"401\" height=\"327\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/185-66ead69fdc327.webp 686w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/185-66ead69fdc327-300x245.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>About Periyar EV Ramasamy: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He was an <\/span><b>Indian social activist<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>politician<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> who started the <\/span><b>Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam (DK).\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He is <\/span><b>known as the &#8216;Father of the Dravidian movement&#8217;<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>The title &#8220;Periyar,&#8221; means &#8220;Respected Elder.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since 2021, the Indian state of Tamil Nadu has celebrated his<\/span><b> birth anniversary as &#8216;Social Justice Day&#8217;.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Political Beginnings: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Periyar began his <\/span><b>political career as a Congress worker<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Erode in <\/span><b>1919.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Vaikom Satyagraha (1924)<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Periyar\u2019s fame<\/span><b> grew beyond the Tamil region<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> during the <\/span><b>Vaikom Satyagraha<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a mass movement <\/span><b>demanding equal access to a public path in front of the Vaikom temple for lower-caste individuals.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He actively participated in the agitation with his wife and was arrested twice, earning him the title <\/span><b>&#8220;Vaikom Veerar&#8221; (Hero of Vaikom)<\/b><b>.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Resignation from Congress: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He resigned from the Congress in <\/span><b>1925<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when he felt that the <\/span><b>party was only serving the interests of Brahmins<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Association with Justice Party:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> He <\/span><b>associated himself with the Justice Party and the Self Respect Movement, which opposed the dominance of Brahmins in social life, especially the bureaucracy.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Social and Political Reform (1920s-1930s)<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Redefined Tamil Identity: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He<\/span><b> redefined Tamil identity <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as <\/span><b>egalitarian and untainted by the caste system, contrasting it with the Indian identity promoted by the Congress.<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He argued that <\/span><b>caste was introduced to the Tamil region by Aryan Brahmins from Northern India.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Self Respect Movement:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Self-Respect Movement was a significant social reform movement that originated in Tamil Nadu, South India, in 1925.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The movement <\/span><b>aimed to promote social equality and eradicate the caste system, which was deeply entrenched in Indian society.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Opposition to Hindi Imposition (1930s)<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Periyar <\/span><b>opposed the imposition of Hindi <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by the Congress Ministry, paralleling it with the Aryanisation process and viewing it as an attack on Tamil identity and self-respect.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under his leadership, the<\/span><b> Dravidian Movement evolved<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> into a struggle against caste and an assertion of Tamil national identity.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Dravidar Kazhagam: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1939, Ramasamy became the head of the Justice Party, and in <\/span><b>1944, he changed its name to Dravidar Kazhagam.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Formation of Dravidar Kazhagam (1940s)<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the 1940s, <\/span><b>Periyar established Dravidar Kazhagam,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> advocating for an independent Dravida Nadu for Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and Kannada speakers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He based his<\/span><b> idea of Dravida national identity on the Dravidian linguistic family.<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The party later split with one group led by C. N. Annadurai formed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 1949.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Legacy of Periyar<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Influenced the Political Identity of Tamil Nadu:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Periyar\u2019s ideas significantly <\/span><b>influenced the political identity and culture of Tamil-speaking areas within the Madras Presidency<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and continue to resonate in present-day Tamil Nadu.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Linguistic Pride: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For many Tamils, Periyar represents an ideology centred on <\/span><b>social equality, self-respect, and pride in the Tamil language.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Focus on Reform: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a social reformer, Periyar <\/span><b>addressed social, cultural, and gender inequalities.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> His reform agenda critically examined faith, gender roles, and traditions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Promotion of Rationalism: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Periyar <\/span><b>advocated for rational decision-making in life<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. He championed women\u2019s independence, arguing they should not be confined to childbearing but should have equal employment opportunities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Self Respect Movement: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under his leadership, the <\/span><b>Self Respect Movement promoted ritual-free weddings and supported women\u2019s property and divorce rights.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Challenge to Caste System: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Periyar urged people to<\/span><b> drop caste suffixes from their names<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and<\/span><b> avoid mentioning caste.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> He also introduced inter-dining practices with food prepared by Dalits at public conferences in the 1930s.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He <\/span><b>passed away in 1973 at the age of 94.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+CSE+Books\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC CSE Books From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the years, Periyar has transcended the political divide as well as the faultlines of religion and caste, and come to be revered as <\/span><b>Thanthai Periyar, the father figure of modern Tamil Nadu.<\/b><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.9272%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 137.814%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Must Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Daily Editorials<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.2782%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/daily-current-affairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Daily Current Affairs<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-textbooks?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Textbooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.2782%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-modules?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Modules\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC Modules From PW Store<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-previous-year-papers?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Previous+Year+Papers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out Previous Years Papers From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.2782%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-test-series-courses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Test Series 2024<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/quiz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Current Affairs Quiz<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.2782%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Main Answer Writing<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 137.814%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\" colspan=\"2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+CSE+Books\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC CSE Books From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Periyar EV Ramasamy&#8217;s 146th Birth Anniversary was recently commemorated in Chennai.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[2088],"subject":[4646],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/132700"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/current-affairs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132700"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/132700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":132885,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/132700\/revisions\/132885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132700"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=132700"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=132700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}