For centuries in the past women have been ridiculed as a weaker sex and treated as mere store house of pleasures, unpaid labourers and use and throw cups. Periyar raised voice against cruelty to women. If women are free, respected, self-reliant and economically independent today, they owe a debt of gratitude to Periyar who spoke and wrote much during his lifetime in defence of women. Gleanings from his speeches are here. They were all delivered at various places, on various dates, concerning women’s problems.
Women’s education
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Educated women can reform uncultured men. As long as women in our society remain illiterate, men would be uncouth ruffians. I advise parents to give importance to the education of their daughters. (23.08.1956)
Men of the modern era prefer an educated woman to share their life. Literate women would earn respect in the family. Illiterate women are likely to remain spinsters forever. So education is essential for every woman. (20.04.1931).
Education is the ladder which would help women reach great height in life. The mind of a literate woman would operate on a higher level of intellect. She can make her own choice and lead her life on her own terms. (08.06.1966).
Education makes a woman economically independent. She can become an entrepreneur if she completes a vocational course. An educated woman would achieve equality in all respects. She would come up in life and be superior to men. (08.07.1968).
Widow remarriage
Long ago a woman had to be burnt alive on the funeral pyre of her husband. The system was called ‘SATI’ or saga gamanam’. By the strife of reformers like Warren Hastings and Dayanand Saraswathi, the system was abolished, but widow remarriage is still opposed by many conservatists. I am in favour of widow remarriages. When a widower can remarry why can’t a widow? Why do we have double standard?
I practice what I preach. When the daughter of my sister lost her husband I got her married off to a relative, facing a lot of protests. According to the census of 1921 the number of Hindu widows in our country was 26,37,788. Social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy protested against cruelty to widows. People should come forward to encourage widow remarriages in order to establish equality and social justice. (22.08.1926).
Property rights
Women should have equal rights in property on a par with men. I have been insisting on this – Recently at the Y.M.C.A. building in Chennai, eminent religious exponent Narayana Kurup and former Advocate General Venkatrama Shastri spoke in a public meeting emphasising grant of property rights to all women. Equal rights for women in property are essential for their empowerment. It would make them economically independent and would relieve them from enslaved condition.
Outdated systems must be thrown overboard. Property rights were denied to women long ago. In 20th Century the unequal system must be violated to pave the way for reformations. In the ancestral family property, daughters too deserve a substantial share. I would stress that the share must in fact be equivalent to that of the sons. There should be no discrimination. (26.10.1930)
Self-respect marriages
Women should say “NO” to marriage performed in the presence of a Brahmin priest. The chanting of unintelligible and gibberish words make no sense. Such marriages are not economically viable to middle class parents. These conventional rituals are devoid of self-respect. Hence, I advise self-respect marriages. Exchange of garlands, promises by the couple and witness of well-wishers are enough. (03.06.1928)
Self-respect marriages save our time and money. They include remarriages. It is a sign of social reformation. Self-respect marriages are protests against caste system and religious fanaticism. The ridiculous dowry demand is also eradicated. Secularism and universal brotherhood are established by self-respect marriages. Women should insist on getting married in this manner. Wedding knot (called “Thali” or “Mangalyam” in Tamil) could be optional. (31.05.1931).
Family Planning
Every woman should have the right to decide whether she needs a child or not. Pregnancy could be terminated on various grounds, but it should be a matter of a woman’s personal choice. Use of contraceptives must not be prevented. If a woman prefers a small family, she must be allowed to plan her family.
Women are not child generating machines. They are much more than flesh and blood. Parents – in – law who mock at sterile women must be punished. Abortions have a legal sanction in western Countries. We too need such freedom for our women. Frequent child birth adversely affect their heath. Forcing them to conceive against their will is dehumanisation. (01.03.1931).
Safety of women
It is a pity, most of our women folk are not much bothered about their safety. The world is a concrete jungle. It is our duty to protect our women. I wish women are recruited in large numbers in the police department. If they wield rifles and canes, they can instil fear in anti-social ruffians, besides protecting themselves. Women should aspire for jobs in the Army. They can also serve as pilots in aircrafts and captains in ships. Nothing is impossible for women, but they should have the inclination and aspiration.
Women should not exist as door mats and mannequins in textile shops. Russian women are in police department. They are trained in operating parachutes too. Our women should treat them as role models. In our country, even women riding bicycles are stared at, like a snake. With the passing of time, woman in the police department would naturally become a common sight. “Woman! Know thyself!”, should be our slogan. I am sure, in the world to come, our women would be in all posts and positions in every field, brushing shoulders with men. (18.11.1946).
Domestic chores
Women suffer in our country as unpaid labourers. This must change. Routine household chores; tasks, must be shared by a husband. Women should not be confined to the kitchen throughout the day. They need a break to relax, to read and write and for some entertainment too. Most of the parents get their son married off merely to get a domestic help appointed for free services. What an unpardonable cruelty!
Women should raise voice against ill treatment meted out to them. They must get educated and employed. Arrangements could be made by employing some one for household chores. Women should interact with people in the world outside and increase the level of their intellect. We must understand the pain of a woman and treat her as a human being. (10.07.1963)
Divorce rights
No woman should be forced to endure a married life when there is the problem of incompatibility. The root cause of this problem is ancient literature, mythologies and fabricated fables, scriptures, etc; They have soaked our women in meaningless codes of conduct in married life. Leading life with a wicked ruffian and an incurable sick husband is an unbearable torture. Such women should have the right to obtain divorce and turn a new leaf of life.
Why should a woman be enslaved to a husband who has extramarital affairs, as if chastity is exclusively meant to be a woman’s virtue? Classical mythologies have kept women under threat, fear and blind beliefs. Women should be allowed to delink themselves from the shackles of an unpleasant married life. Talking about the restitution of conjugal rights is meaningless. (21.12.1930)
Ignore astrologers
Astrologers have spoiled the lives of many women by their ridiculous predictions and calculations. Horoscopes are actually horror scopes. Women should never believe that certain faults lie in their stars. Planets and stars, the sun and the moon are all marvels of nature. Women should think rationally with a scientific spirit. Our destiny is in our hands, not on the lines on our palm. I would even say that all the astrologers must be arrested and dumped in jails.
Weekly, monthly and annual predictions made by these tricksters are all a ploy to pull wool over eyes. Most of our women waste their time and health by fasting on religious grounds. There is nothing called auspicious and inauspicious time. Every minute is good for all our activities. People who have had spouses through self- respect marriage are generally leading a contended life because they had totally ignored astrology and palmistry. Every woman should learn from them (09.07.1967).
General advice and tips
Women should give up abnormal craze towards jewels and expensive clothes. They must be frugal – not extravagant. Comparison with others in the neighbourhood should be avoided. Small savings would be useful when there are hard times. Wisdom lies in curtailing expenses. They must never exceed the income of the family. ( 12.09.1966)
Children must be raised injecting the elixir of scientific spirit. They should stay away from superstitions and gradually imbibe a rational outlook. This is the responsibility of the mothers. Every woman should bring up her children as noble citizens. Women are called home makers. They must teach the children culture and discipline. (21.08.1967)
Reservation for women
I have toured around many countries abroad. I have found women placed in 50 per cent of all the jobs. We need such advancement in our country. Women should get placement on a par with men. (19.09.1965).
Empowerment of women is not possible without reservations for them in employment (14.09.1975).
Women are capable of fulfilling any task competently. Our rulers should realise this and consider them for all types of jobs. Women are in no way inferior to men. It is not fair to treat them as suitable only to serve as teachers in schools. We must try to use their skill in several other fields (01.02.1973).
Freedom of dressing
Women should have the liberty to dress as they like it. We do not dictate terms to men in this aspect. Why should we then deny that freedom to women? Let them change their hairstyle as they wish. Let them wear what they like. Their appearance is also a matter of human right, isn’t it? Why should they appear as per our likes and dislikes? They were all born free. Living free is their birth right (08.04.1971).
Source: ‘Women’s Liberation’
(Tamil) / 2019.
Translated by: M.R. Manohar
