Periyar E. V. Ramasamy

Periyar Erode Venkata Ramasamy (Tamil:பெரியார், Kannada:ಪೆರಿಯಾರ್) (1879-09-17 – 1973-12-24), also known as Ramaswami, EVR, Thanthai Periyar, or Periyar, was a Dravidian social activist and former politician from India, who founded the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam.

Society

• By helping the poor, we must be able to remove their poverty. By extending help to one here and one there in the form of providing food will not remove poverty.

• Why should there be high caste and low caste in the country of India, which is said to have gained independence. Can any one say that things could go on only when there is high caste in the country? Can it be argued that the high caste Brahmins alone are people with sterling character.

• If god is the root cause for our degradation destroy that god. If it is religion destroy it. If it is Manu Darma, Gita, or any other Mythology (Purana), burn them to ashes. If it is temple, tank, or festival, boycott them. Finally if it is our politics, come forward to declare it openly”.

• The word ‘Sudra’ which means ‘Son of prostitute’ should not find a place even in the history hereafter. We will not allow it to find a place in the dictionary or encyclopedia.

• Our country would be considered to have gained independence only when the villagers are completely rid of god, religion, castes, and blind beliefs. South India is quite different from the North in many respects. It is a distinct and separate State of Dravidian race.

• Man is equal to man. There should not be exploitation. One should help the other. No one should harm anybody. Generally there should be no room for grievance or complaint from anybody. Everyone should live and let others to live, with a national spirit.

• There should be no differentiation amongst the people. All should be treated as equals. On this basis the Brahmin must give up his false prestige. In the interest of the society. I say that the blind beliefs should be given up. If the newspapers “Hindu” and the “Swadesamitran” carry on false propaganda that I am communal, I am not responsible for that”.

Braminism

• I have not talked of anything to despise the Brahmins, just because they are born as Brahmins.

• My request to the Brahmins is this “if you are not willing to live with us in unity, go to hell. At least keep away from putting hurdles in the path of our Dravidians unity”.

• Brahmins cannot hope to claim a high and superior status forever. Times are changing. They have to come down. Then only they could survive with dignity. Otherwise they will one day be forfeiting their high status. It will not be by force. It will be just laws of the land and the people.

• Because our ladies mostly attend Kalatshepams, (Religious discourses) they have fallen prey to the superstitions, blind beliefs, and immorality by the false and fictituous propaganda of the Brahmins.

• I want the Brahmins to realize that the Dravidian people today are very much hating those who cunningly cheated them with absurdities. They are now aware of the particular community making a living by spreading the foolishness. People have begun to hate god, religion, caste, mythologies (puranas) and so on”.

• Those who still believe the Brahmins should take a serious not of the changing times and start leading an awakened life.

• If one is to be considered high, some one should show some just reason. Brahmin calls himself high and superior. In what respects is he superior to others? Are there not Brahmins who are connected with all the trades in the world good and bad? Do we not see them eating all things as others?

Aryanism

• Aryans made the Dravidians to celebrate the Deepavali festival, Rama’s birthday, Krishna’s birthday. Similarly the Northerners made the Dravidians celebrate August 15th as the Independence Day. That is all. There is no other benefit or laudable reason.

• As there was no open opposition to Aryanism from the beginning, it grew in stages and made us degraded.

• The idols, the Vedas which breed ignorance, Upanishads, Manu code, Baratham and other literature which make the people foolish would be driven out of our Tamil Nadu borders”.

• If we have a girl at home who has attained puberty, some one should come and ask for alliance. Otherwise the girl will have to remain a virgin only. But in a Brahmin’s house if there is a girl who has attained puberty the Brahmin will go from door to door seeking a bridegroom. This is the difference between the Aryan and the Dravidian customs.

Marriage

• We see morality in speeches and writings. We do not find it in practice. We are having different regulations for the males and the females. Our code of conduct is unfair to women. Child marriage is abolished. If there is right to divorce, right for widows to remarry and if women are now given certain rights, we will not see prostitution in the country. It will gradually disappear.

• A male has the right to wander about as he pleases. He has the right to marry any number of girls. This practice has led to prostitution.

• The common man thinks that the marriage is like appointing one to do his work. The husband thinks so! The husband’s family thinks so. Every one thinks that a girl is coming to the family to do work. Even the girl’s family trains the girl to do the household work.

• What for is marriage? It is to unite a man and a woman to enjoy a natural life with happiness. It is to find solace after hard work. Most of the people do not realize that marriages are for sharing pleasures of the wedded life.

• Marriages should culminate on account of the wishes of the couple. It is their knitting of the hearts that should lead to marriages”.

Reform

• I am accused of ruining the world. What is it I am going to gain by ruining the world? I do not understand what the Brahmin devotees actually feel. Will anyone carry on propaganda to ruin the world? I hope they would soon think with reason.

• Village reform is not merely cleaning the roads, constructing schools and worshipping monasteries. It is not mere celebration of festivals.

• Money lending is a horrible profession. If we are to call it otherwise it is lawful plundering.

• As long as we give room for domination and the dominators, there will be worries and worried people. Poverty and pestilence will live eternally in the country.

• If we can divert the wealth of the temples and the income accruing to the temples, to start new industries there will be no beggar, no uneducated man, and no man with a low status. There will be a socialist society with perfect equality.

• What pride is there in saying that the Britishers are gone. In their place traders like Marwadis, Gujuraties, and Banias of North India have settled down here in Tamil Nadu. They are exploiting freely. When we see the exploitation of these Northerners, we feel that we can even forget the Brahmins.

• Even if the Brahmin swindles money he spends it here in Tamil Nadu. He is going to die here. But it is not the case with the North Indians. When opportunity arises he takes away gold, silver, copper and cash and goes away beyond 2000 miles with his bag and baggage.

Rationalism

• Any opposition not based on rationalism or science or experience will one day or other, reveal the fraud, selfishness, lies and conspiracies.

• Wisdom lies in thinking. The spear-head of thinking is rationalism.

• Capitalists control the machineries. They create difficulties to the workers. Consequently rationalism, which has to lead the way for peaceful life to all, has resulted in causing poverty and worries to the people because of dominating forces.

• You cannot expect any rational thought from a religious man. He is like a rocking log in water.

• There is no use of simply acquiring titles or amassing wealth if one has no self-respect and scientific knowledge.

• Foreigners are sending messages to the planets. We are sending rice and cereals to our dead fore-father through the Brahmins. It is a wise deed?

• I want to say a word to the Brahmins, “In the name of God, religion, sastras you have duped us. We were the ruling people. Stop this life of cheating us from this year. Give room for rationalism and humanism.

Untouchability

• Temples are thrown open to all. But it is the Brahmins only who still enjoy the right to ring the bell, and snath away the coins falling in the plate. The lakhs of rupees spent in the name of temples is our money. Should it not be shared by our Dravidian people? A low caste Hindu converting himself to other religions will not gain anything, if his status remains the same in the new religion.

• It is absurd to quote religion or God or religious doctrines to render the people as lowest castes.

• While all men are born as equals, to say that Brahmins alone are the highest and all others are low as Pariah (the Untouchables) or Panchama is sheer nonsense. It is roguish to say so. It is a big hoax played on us.

• The Brahmins are making you fools in the name of god. He makes you have faith in superstitions. He leads a very comfortable life condemning you as untouchable. He bargains with you to offer prayers to god on your behalf. I strongly condemn this brokerage business and warn you not to believe such Brahmins anymore”.

• There is no Brahmin or Sudra (Backard Caste) or Pariah (the Untouchables) in England. In Russia you do not have Varnasrama (Casteism) dharma or fate”.

Thirukkural

• People are talking high of Thiruvalluvar. But in practice they do not respect his teachings. They act against him and disregard him”.

• Thiruvalluvar has not mentioned a single word about God in his 1330 couplets. He has simply taken a few outstanding qualitities attributed to God for the purpose of explaining. Even in that, he has abstained from describing god in a definite form. When such is the greatness of Kural, it cannot be said that Kural is not useful to make the people tread the right path.

• When the purpose of clearly exposing the differences between the Aryan and the Tamil culture, civilization, conduct and creed Thirukkural was written. I am of that firm view.

• Valluvar who is hailed by the educated and uneducated lays stress of good conduct only. He has praised the Dravidians as the people of very high character. The only remedy for all Aryan ills is the Kural. Many poets have already expressed the same view. Kural exposes the Aryan traits and foolishness. So, follow Kural in your life and gain more and more wisdom.

• When Dravidanadu was a victim to Aryan deceit, Thirukkural was written by a great Dravidian Thiruvalluvar to free the Dravidians”.

• Thirukkural is acceptable to science, wisdom, and reason.

• Thirkukkural was written to show a good path to the people to create values in life and to develop a good order in the society.

Sourced (misquoted)

• We do not need to explain how the Aryans entered and settled in the Dravidian country (tira¯vit»a na¯» t»u), and subjugated and oppressed the Dravidians. Nor do we need to explain how before the Aryans entered the Dravidian country, the Dravidian country had a civilization and arts of the highest rank.
  • Bergunder M, Contested Past: Anti-Brahmanical and Hindu nationalist reconstructions of Indian prehistory, Historiographia Linguistica, Volume 31, Number 1, 2004, pp. 59-104(46)

External links

• PERIYAR-Rationalist/Social Reformer
• The Revolutionary Sayings of Periyar
• What if Periyar had not been born?