Thanthai Periyar – Crusader of Social Justice

A Social Reformer who worked relentlessly with tremendous energy to demolish everything that degraded, discriminated and suppressed humans and to build a new and just social order based on egalitarian principles and rational outlook is none other than E.V. Ramasamy popularly hailed as Thanthai Periyar. This blog is a humble tribute to the Great Man on his 127th Birth Anniversary.

Periyar was born in the last quarter of 19th century (September17th, 1879) in the society where atrocious and cruel Hindu religious practices were in place. At the time the lower castes (Sudaras and panchammas) considered their discrimination, suppression and wretched condition as natural and fate. They did not resent or were not even conscious of the indignities heaped on them. Periyar who has a great passion for social justice fought tenaciously to emancipate the people from all social evils.

He stressed the need to abolish the hierarchal, graded, birth-based caste structure as a prelude to build a new egalitarian social order. He fought against those whose vested interests that upheld and perpetuated beliefs, faiths, traditions, customs and institutions that degraded and discriminated people.

He realized that without instilling the spirit of human dignity and self-confidence, people cannot be emancipated. So he started self-respect movement and spread the idea of the equality and the worth of all human beings.

He gave great importance to make people to use their rational faculty, to embolden them to think freely on all issues including the religious and ‘spiritual’ ones, and to accustom them to plan their own living, individually as well as collectively.

Periyar's vigorous and spirited role in the Vaikom Satyagraha (1924-25) contributed in no mean measure for the triumph of that first historic social struggle in the history of modern India. This paved the way for the "untouchables" to use public roads without any inhibition and for other prospective egalitarian social measures.

His programs, movements, campaigns, propagations, activities and agitations to accomplish social justice, women empowerment, script reform and birth control etc have never created any turbulence or hostility in the country. He brought in the silent revolution.

The courage, determination and perseverance exhibited by the Socrates of South India while bombarding the social disorders rooted in the society has made Periyar as a Distinct and Unparalleled Leader. His rational approach and legacy got the attention of the whole country.

The benignancy and graciousness possessed by his black shirt, stubbornness emerged out from his soft hairy white beard, modern vision envisioned by his old fashioned round spectacle and the honest path laid by his invincible walking stick are undoubtedly a boon to human race.

Long Live Periyar…..