On 9th July, 1945, an Association of Dravidian students invited Periyar to delight them with his speech. They were all young students in the 15-18 age group. The event was held at Mahajan High School in Erode – the native town of Periyar.
My dear students, I have come to address you all upon the request of the Dravidian students Association. I have arrived without any specific topic in my mind. At this moment I decide to speak on certain issues that would suit your age. There are people who say students need nothing except studies. According to them, public speeches are not for students, but I disagree. The standard of education today is at a low ebb. Therefore I wish to talk to you as a corrective measure and revitalise your minds.
Aimless education
I am sure, you youngsters do not have any specific goal in life. Your education is like a travel without a fixed destination. Your school staff do not guide you satisfactorily. Your confusion is over the question what to study and of what use it would be for you when you complete your studies. Education is not merely for knowledge. I do not understand what benefit you would all reap by the present system of education. Are all our educated people truly learned? Have they all reached a higher level of intellect? Has true knowledge been acquired by them? I am very much doubtful about that.
Erroneous methodology
A student studying Geography may not be fully aware of all the aspects of the land, meridian, poles, climate, soil, weather, hills and ocean, but would talk about heaven, hell and the other world that do not exist. This is caused by outdated scriptures and fabricated mythologies. A student of Astronomy may not know much about the Sun, the Moon, the Stars and the planets or the galaxy and eclipses but would deliver speeches on mind boggling superstitious concepts. The erroneous system of education makes our students absolutely irrational. The students of the present generation lack a scientific outlook in life. Science education today is totally substandard. In brief, school and college education has become impracticable for you. There is a dire need of changes in teaching methodology.
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Imbibe the spirit of inquiry and drill your teachers in class rooms by a shower of questions. Get all the doubts clarified. This would make your teachers learn more to teach more. They would be forced to update their knowledge and that would ultimately pave the way for quality – education.
The present system of education has filled you all with muddled ideas. A student today cannot distinguish between the right and the wrong owing to contradictory beliefs and misinterpretations. The loopholes in the defective system have not yet been plugged by the Board of school education and the, Ministry. I have explained the problem to make you all realise that you have not been moving in the right direction, as far as your education is concerned.
The word “Dravidian”
Let me discuss the backdrop of the name of your Association – “The Dravidian Students’ Association”. Why should it be “Dravidian?” Browse any book related to Indian history. You can find elaborate details related to the terms “Dravidam” and ‘Dravidians’ on the opening page itself. On the following pages you can find explanations for the words ‘Aryans’ and ‘Aryam’; some acceptable and some unacceptable too.
At present there is much talk about ‘Dravidam’ and ‘Dravidians’. Youngsters like you are likely to wonder why these words are in vogue everywhere today. I must explain the significance. If I fail to make you understand, our political rivals and communal fanatics would thrust a wrong notion in you that ‘Dravidam’ is a new ploy to divide people and break their unity. Our foes are adept at spreading malicious remarks and comments. Hence, you must know the truth inorder to defeat their purpose. I have already told you that we have historical evidence for the antiquity of ‘Dravidam’ and ‘Dravidians.’
Fault is ours
Our intention is not to drag you back to the ancient eras. Our outlook is not repressive- but progressive. We have to ask one another why the facts learned long ago have been forgotten by our people, but reminding and recalling those old truths should not be objected to. It is our mistake that we Dravidians are today in a disgraceful condition, degraded as the fourth and fifth among the layers of inequality, languishing as mean labourers, lagging behind in education and employment, subservient to alien rulers and barbaric in culture, knowledge and self respect. We have failed to realise our true worth. We have not acquired that which we deserve. Most of us are not even conscious of the denigration imposed on us by our foes. The Dravidians alone are suffering here. All others are contended everywhere. None suffers like us on any foreign land.
Delink from bondage
When an out caste cobbler converts himself to Islam, his past degradation vanishes and he becomes equal to all others in society. Similarly, if a man delinks himself from the Aryan impact and takes pride in calling himself a Dravidian, he is salvaged from degradation and becomes equal to all others in society. One who clings to Aryan shackles would remain contemptible. A Dravidian who binds himself with Aryan system of thought, willingly accepts his degradation. He would exist belittled forever. My beloved comrade Sir.R.K. Shanmugam Chettiar, a chaste Vysya, calls himself an upper caste Hindu, but no one can deny today that as per the graded inequality, he is below the Brahmins. What I mean to say in brief is that be proud of being a Dravidian. Do not treat your denigration as a permanent stigma. Shed every kind of Aryan impact and begin a new life. There are some who scream that the Aryan blood and the Dravidian blood have got mixed. This is ridiculous. Until the denigration of Dravidians is annihilated there can be no equality. As long as the sufferings of Dravidians remain unmitigated, the wide gulf between Aryans and Dravidians’s would also remain as it is now.
The world to come
Aryan system of thought resists changes but Dravidam always admits changes. We believe in growth – not in stagnation. The name ‘Dravidam’ is a sign word for “objectives” – “aim” and a “mission”. The word has a rich implicit meaning. Being a ‘Dravidian’ keeps us away from superstitions and blind belief. A Dravidian always exists with self respect, humanism and a rational outlook. That is our exclusive identity. Ignore the ridicule of Aryans. Be thick- skinned and stick to our ideals at all times.
There would be amazing advancement in the world to come. Outdated thoughts and practices would be discarded. Changes are inevitable. Welcome them. The new world depends on you. You are the custodians of tomorrow’s world. Learn more and more by questioning. Listen to everyone but decide by yourself. Argue, debate and distinguish between the right and the wrong. Be proud of being a Dravidian.
(Source: ‘Kudi Arasu’- 14th July 1945)
Translated by:
M.R. Manohar
