Question

What social ideas did Periyar support?

Answer 1

Hint: Periyar, was a Dravidian social reformer and lawmaker from India, who established the Self-Respect Development and Dravidar Kazhagam. Periyar needed considering individuals to realize that their society was distant from idealizing which it is in a pressing need of change.

Complete answer: Ramaswamy Naicker was also referred to as he was called, came from a middle-class family. Interestingly, in his early life, he was an ascetic and carefully learned Sanskrit scriptures. Periyar found the self-respect movement. He assumed that all religious people saw social distinctions and equality as provided by God. He was an outspoken critic, particularly the codes of Manu, the ancient lawgiver, and the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana, of the Hindu scriptures. He believed that these texts were used to define the dominance of Brahmans over lower castes and the rule of men over women. Ramaswamy Naicker was a member of Congress. As he felt that the Party discriminated between castes, he soon left Congress. It was made for the lower castes to sit at a distance from the upper castes. As Brahmins enjoyed gifts and donations from non-Brahmins but opposed and discriminated against non-Brahmins in cultural and religious matters, he challenged the subjugation of nonBrahmin Dravidians. Periyar spent more than fifty years giving speeches, spreading the realisation that everyone is an equal person and that the inequalities were man-made to hold the innocent and ignorant as underdogs in a society based on caste and faith. Although the speeches of Periyar were aimed at the illiterate and more general masses, educated individuals were also swayed by his knowledge. The reasoning was seen by Periyar as a special instrument. Everybody was blessed with this tool, according to him, but very few used it. Periyar thus used logic in his presentations to his audiences concerning subjects of social interest. In Tamil society, communal differences were viewed by many as deep-rooted characteristics before Periyar came to the scene. He wanted the exploited to wake up and think about their status and use their arguments to understand that a handful of people were manipulating them. If they began to think, they would know that they were human beings like the rest, that birth did not and should not grant dominance over others and that they must wake up and do everything possible to enhance their lot.

Note: Periyar sent a copy of the resolutions in the administration to the government and political parties, counting the Congress. Congress overlooked the resolutions since they had come from Periyar and his party. The acknowledgement of the resolutions by the Equity Party was without a doubt a triumph for Periyar's Self-Respect Development.