கற்போம் பெரியாரியம்
Tamil (Let us learn Periyarism)
by: Dr. K. Veeramani
Published by: Dravidar Kazhagan (Party),
Periyar Thidal, 50, E.V.K. Sampath Salai,
Vepery, Chennai – 600 007.
Pages: 352 Rs.300.00
Dr. Palani Arangasamy
Sooner or later, the term Periyarism is going to be the latest entry in the lexicons of English and for which the Tamil book under review “Karpom Periyarism” (Let us learn Periyarism) is bound to be the source material. Devoid of the monotony of a stereo – typed chronicle, it presents the potential essence of all that Periyar had spoken in the sprawling areas of rural Tamil Nadu and written in his four Tamil periodicals plus the contents of a compendium of 38 volumes of Kudi Arasu. None else could perform this Himalayan task of squeezing the juicy part and submitting it systematically in fourteen chapters in a handy volume of 350 pages – except Dr.K. Veeramani who had been an alter ego of Thanthai Periyar, besides being a voracious reader.
This volume on Periyar is eminently suitable to put Periyar on the list of global thinkers and social reformers. The path that they all have trodden was unbearably problematic and arduous. The service that they have rendered was sacrificial of their happiness and comfort.
When society felt that the religious savants and saints were of no use, and that they themselves were found to be fallible, there arose a need for social reformers. The society withheld religious saints but upheld the reformers. Devoid of seeking renunciation and keeping isolation from the society as the saffron clad sinners did, the social reformers emerged from among the commoners and worked for their progress and welfare of the society. Innumerable maladies of the society such as superstitions, child marriages, isolation of widows, and denial of education to women were vulnerable to be attacked by the reformers such as Ram Mohan Roy, Jyothiba Phule, B.R. Ambedkar and Thanthai Periyar.
Ram Mohan Roy is chiefly remembered for his efforts to abolish a mortal ritual known as sati and to denounce caste system. As a translator of Vedas and Upanishads, he believed in the worship of the supreme god who is beyond human knowledge. Jyothiba Phule in Marathwada worked for women’s education and for the eradication of untouchability and caste system. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was a supporter of oppressed classes and an opponent of caste system. Being an European educated barrister and a constitution expert he must have found that a full fledged social reform would not suit him well. All these social reformers have not openly voiced their opposition to god, leave alone their denial of god.
But Periyar alone proved himself exceptional and scored a mark over and above these reformers. This is not to find fault with them but to indicate their limitations. In one aspect of field work in social reform, Periyar is superb and unique. He faced die–hard rivalry of the dogmatic religiosity, but never gave up even an iota of his rationalistic convictions. He loudly proclaimed his denial of god and kept on par with Robert Ingersoll in professing his atheism in umpteen platforms. Not a mere theorist he was, but a daring reformer who practised what he preached. The reformers the world has ever seen have done some work of noble note or other that was amenable to them. To my knowledge, Periyar was the only person who jumped into the vortex of many aspects of reformation with the full knowledge that it would be very hard and risky. He was bold enough to Periyar swim against the cross currents of social reformation and human rights. When he was asked why he should painfully do much against a fierce opposition, when others of the same ilk keep quiet, quickly came a reply from him, “because of the fact that others have not taken it, I have ventured to undertake.” What more do we need to identify the exceptional quality of Thanthai Periyar? How much more boldness can we expect from others?
Such a stupendous personality’s gems of thoughts are briefly stated methodically in this volume. Definition of self-respect, eradication of caste system, rights, social justice, rationalistic thoughts, agitations as the last resort, his views on Tamil, his foresightedness, his approaches to problems of complexity, human relationship, sense of equality, cultural revolution and at length, his thoughts on education. these are the topics that are listed out in a comprehensive style in the volume which is in a way a perfect capsule of Periyarism.
The author is doubly qualified to contribute a book of such essential precepts of Periyar because of his close association with his mentor for over three decades in more than seventy years of his public service. As a stickler to the dik-tat of Periyar, Dr. Veeramani doesn’t involve in active politics but declares his guidelines and comments to practising politicians. This volume that he has written in other words is exactly a mini – encyclopadedia of Periyarism. It reduces the heaviness of the task of going through thousands of pages of Periyar’s lectures, interviews and writings.
In disclosing the essence of what Periyar has said in many a place, quotations that are relevant to the point have become inevitable. This ensures an authenticity to the substance of the volume.
World history is replete with examples of dominant groups gleefully enjoying their control over the indigent groups. Slavery was dominant and human rights were trampled under foot. The world had to wait until the declaration of Human rights in the year 1948 by the United Nations Organisation (UNO).
When that global institution took care of rights of humankind in general, an individual’s respect had been overlooked or uncared for. In the name of caste and community, men were divided into various groups and degraded to a low level. Periyar felt that caste was a curse and it has to be abolished. In his effort to eradicate it along with superstition which is like a stumbling block and to cultivate rationalism. Periyar founded the Self Respect Movement in 1925. Before this campaign, he had undergone a bitter experience of having known discrimination based on caste system, perpetrated in the Cheranmadevi Gurukulam which was founded as a Model institution of nationalistic spirit, on the pattern of Gandhian thoughts.
As regards the empowerment of women, Periyar’s efforts included the abolition of child marriage, impetus to widow marriages, right to divorce, and women’s education. Periyar’s statement that if he were to hold powers, he would give an exclusive privilege to women’s education for ten years, is an indication of how far he gave importance to it. Unlike many social reformers who theoretically supported widow marriages, Periyar conducted them all over Tamil Nadu. Not a man of mere words he was, but of actions, bold and adventurous. The book contains a brief note on Periyar’s booklet “Why were Women Enslaved?” which enumerates the reasons for their sub-ordination. A wedding he conducted to young widowed cousin against the wishes of his orthodox relatives proved that he was not a mere theorist. A new proverbial statement that Periyar has coined much against the patriarchal attitudes is highly humorous and interesting.
A chapter on Periyar’s rationalistic thoughts in about fifty five pages is worthy of being printed separately as a booklet. When agitations are conducted by political parties, scuffles, tear-gas, lathi-charge and violence are not uncommon. When Periyar organised agitations, he saw to it with his instructions that satyagrahis or the agitators maintained discipline and did not indulge in violence. A thirteen point hand-out he supplied to the volunteers on the eve of Anti-Hindi agitation in 1958 as to how they must conduct themselves is a typical guideline for others.
He was very careful when conducting the idol-breaking of Vinayaga, by requesting the cadres, born in Christian and Islam, families not to participate in it at all. Feared that allowing the members of both the religions may give room for a mischievous propaganda and may ignite inter – religious clashes. Such was the balanced thinking and careful planning Periyar maintained in conducting agitations.
Apart from his methodology of reforming the Tamil script, what he requested the Tamil scholars was to look at Tamil literature in its totality and criticise them with a rationalistic outlook adding an offer of cash awards to them. Appreciating Thirukkural, Periyar printed cheap editions of it in 170 pages and sold it from Kudi Arasu office at a rate of about half a rupee. Books and pamphlets by Ingersoll, Bernard Shaw, Bertrand Russell and Grand Allen were translated into Tamil and published by him. As a journalist, Periyar brought out many Tamil journals, the very titles of which are Kudi Arasu, Puratchi, Pagutharivu and Viduthalai which are thought – provoking. The English magazine started by him viz. Revolt (1928) and The Modern Rationalist (1971) had done commendable ideological propaganda.
Just after a cursory look at the ways and means of Periyar many people accuse him as an anti-Brahmin. It is not true. He is a person of anti-Brahmanism. He spoke against the hegemonistic dominance of Brahmins, and called it Brahminocracy. This is a coinage he contributed to English lexicons. Never has he insulted any individual Brahmin.
At length, the volume, ‘Let us Learn Periyarism’ is an essential document to disseminate the policies and principles of Thanthai Periyar
vis- a–vis the ideologies of Dravidar Kazhagam. This handy – Volume, if translated into other Indian languages, will prove its worth besides reiterating the thoughts of Periyar all over the country.
