We Are Of Him - Periyar - The Resilient Rationalist Reformer:
Respectful Remembrance of The Social Equaliser & Resilient Rationalist Thanthi Periyar, who passed into eternity on Dec 24, 49 years ago aged 94.
Periyar - a name that still sends shivers in the spine of bigots, casteism practitioners & godmen/women - is someone to whom every self respecting person of Tamilandu in Southindia is proud of and thankful.
For long before Social Justice, Equality, Equity, Women Empowerment, Inclusiveness even became topics of discussions in western world, His thoughts on these were ahead of his time.
His progressive views on religion, god, women's rights, equality & liberation, social justice and equality for all created a paradigm shift and revolutionised the way most people of Tamilnadu & India will think and act forever.
Thanthai Periyar made people think and arise above many man made demarcations & hierarchy propagated by religion, caste, etc and question the existing status quo of conventional wisdom.
He argued that women needed to be independent, not mere child-bearers, and insisted that they be allowed an equal share in employment. The Self Respect Movement that Periyar led promoted property as well as divorce rights for women that was non existent in India then as it went against conservative religious doctrines & texts.
He also appealed to people to give up the caste suffix in their names that was a common practice, and to not mention caste that has become the norm in Tamilnadu, India. He was instrumental reconstructed the Tamil identity as an egalitarian ideal that was originally unpolluted by the caste system.
It could be rightly said that if it was not for Periyar Tamilnadu & India would have still been in the dark ages of hierarchy & hegemony and superstition that existed in India then in the name of religion that was introduced by the Aryans who came from Persia/Europe centuries ago and used the concept of religion, gods, sacred language, rules, rites & rituals to subdue, create fear and rule over the existent indigenous population.
Further the British who ruled India for around 90 years very conveniently used the existing caste system to both rule & promote their own religion of Christianity rather than trying to create a society of equality sans religion or caste.
However thanks to Periyar and another great reformer Babasaheb Ambedkar their thoughts & principles brought rational and social thoughts among the public to a great extent created generation of other such rational thinkers especially in the south of India & Tamilnadu who rose above the fear imposed in the name of religion, god, karma, afterbirth etc and started to question all the rhetoric's and fought to create social justice & equality for all.
Thanthai Periyars legacy continues to influence many today and more so in the progressive Tamil society of southindia.
Their can be no doubt to the fact that the trajectory of the development of the state of Tamil Nadu in education, development and social empowerment of all including women would have taken a very different turn had it not been for Periyar’s thoughts and social influence on its people and politics.
Periyars teachings of rationalism and progressiveness is much more needed now for all to know & practice to keep the current and future generations to rise in unison as one common human race without the cloak of religion, gods, caste, creed, status guiding them but rather guided by our inherent rational sense aka common sense that is unconditioned by religion or society.
领英推荐
To learn more on this Revolutionary Rational Thinker and Social Reformer do check on the links below.
Resource References: https://en.wikipedia.org/.../Periyar_E._V._Ramasamy_and...
(Retired) Principal Director of Engineering at Microsoft
1 年If you follow a mad man for decades, presume intellect, and then analyse he will look a great reformer. That is what EVR is precisely. Reserved all his scorn for Hindus only, espoused a life without morals, ethics as empowerment. Shockingly attributed cloth price rise to dalit women wearing blouses... He attempted criticizing Islam, got beaten up by them. So started only preaching to the tolerant and indulging the intolerant. Lot of fake stories, like he abolished caste,facilitated entry of all into temples, UNESCO award etc are being circulated to give this mad lunatic - a Halo. A total lunatic.