R. Vijaya Sankar
Group Editor, The AIDEM
Formerly Editor, Frontline
Political observers outside Tamil Nadu often wonder why the State, which has successfully developed and implemented a model of development, offers the stiffest resistance to the Hindutva majoritarian agenda of the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre backed by the nefarious Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh-led Sangh Parivar network. Even those who are favourably disposed towards the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the political face of the Dravidian movement and an offshoot of its fountainhead, the Dravidar Kazhagam founded by Periyar E.V.R. a century ago, are largely unaware of the strong ideological roots beneath its success. And its critics still see it as a separatist force out of sync with the nation-building agenda of the ‘nationalists’ and are out to put an end to its historical legacy and gain a foothold in the State. The latter are in pathological denial of their own narrow political and ideological vision. But for the strong ideological foundation of the movement, laid meticulously and painstakingly over a century, they would have succeeded in their mission. So what is this ideological foundation and which organisation ensures its continuity?
To answer this question, one should go back in history by about a century. And those who are not in a position to invest their time and energy in this time travel and who are not well-versed in the Tamil language have a ready reckoner in the form of the latest annual number of ‘The Modern Rationalist’, which has been brought out as a commemorative volume celebrating the 90th birthday of Asriyar K. Veeramani, the present leader of the Dravidar Kazhagam, who had the fortune to work with Periyar himself and his illustrious successors _ Messrs C.N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi and M.K. Stalin _ who, as Chief Ministers, have been shaping the destiny of Tamil Nadu in line with Periyar’s ideals.
As the Golden Jubilee of ‘The Modern Rationalist’, founded by Periyar himself in 1971, almost coincides with the 90th birthday of Asiriyar K. Veeramani, who has helmed the journal from its inception _ an indicator of the trust Periyar reposed in Asiriyar, it is time for twin celebration. Thus its annual number is a fitting tribute to the latter, who, significantly has completed 60 years as the Editor of the Tamil daily Viduthalai, a world record. He has broken the record of Sir Etienne Dupuch, who won the International Press Institute award in 2012 for having served as the Editor of Nassau Tribune published from Nassau, the capital of the Bahama Islands in West Indies. No mean achievement for a 90-year-young Asiriyar. His achievements do not end here. He is also the Editor of Unmai, another ideological organ of the Dravidar Kazhagam, and, surprisingly, of Periyar Pinju, a colourful magazine for children. What a colouful life! Besides these journals and newspaper, he has brought out hundreds of books expounding the ideals of Periyar and taking them to successive generations of people in Tamil Nadu.
The role of a newspaper in shaping the minds of people in a progressive way and converting them into agents of socio-political transformation is crucial.
This is what Vladimir Lenin, who led the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and founded the first socialist state in the world over a century ago, has to say about the importance of newspapers:
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A reason why all the greatest political-ideological pioneers have also been journalists and editors all over the world. Marx, Engels, Lenin, Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi, Iyothee Thasa Pandithar, Periyar, Rettamalai Srinivasan, Singaravelar… the list is long. In Tamil Nadu the Dravidian Movement was the most successful example of using the print medium to sustain itself as a force to reckon with by educating the Tamil population politically and ideologically. One estimate puts the number of journals and newspapers brought out by the movement over a century at 257, which, in the opinion of observers, must be an underestimation.
It is in this context that one has to look at the role of ‘The Modern Rationalist’ in upholding the ideals of social justice, fighting for the cultural and linguistic rights of the Tamil population, and waging an unflinching ideological war against the pernicious theories of Varnashrama Dharma, Sanatana Dharma and their political and social impact. This annual number succeeds in giving a historical overview of the achievements of the journal as an effective organ of the Dravidar Kazhagam in English propagating Periyar’s ideals beyond the borders of Tamil Nadu to the larger world.
Usually, any birthday special will confine itself to heaping praises on the leader of a movement or an institution. The annual number of ‘The Modern Rationalist’ is different as the journal has always been in the sense that it uses the occasion to celebrate a man and, by extension, the movement he has been part of for about seven decades as a witness to and a leader of its milestones for over a century. It is a celebration of an ideology as even Asiriyar, in his characteristic humility, would like to put it.
Reading the 86 articles and texts of speeches, including an Editorial Note, is a rich political experience. The range of its contents is breathtaking and the writers themselves are leaders and achievers and leaders in various fields. A look at the titles of the articles will suffice to understand the range: Periyar Speaks: Genesis of the Self-Respect Movement, Need for a Social Revolution, Meaning of Scientific Temper, Religious Denominations, Secularism, Thirukkural and Tamil Nadu Governor, UGC Today – An Instrument of Fascist Agenda, PMIST – Excellence Towards Practising Sustainable Education, Census Enumeration – Need to Conduct Caste Census, Why Dr. Ambedkar Renounced Hinduism?, Science and Scientific Temper, and so on.
In short, it is a virtual compendium of articles in about 300 pages highlighting the trajectory of a movement that has made Tamil Nadu stand apart in the Indian Union as a State that embarked on a road less travelled, and the leaders who have led this journey. It will serve not only as a guide to socio-political activists and students of history but also as an eye-opener to those who forget history and those who try to rewrite it.
