Dr.K.VEERAMANI
(The following are the excerpts of the presidential address, delivered by Dr.K.Veeramani, President, Dravidar Kazhagam at the inaugural session of the International Conference on Periyar Self-Respect Movement at the University of Cologne, Germany on 27th July, 2017)
Periyar thoughts are not confined to any particular society or concerned only about to lift a particular section of any society. He never considered anybody as enemy, social, political or economic. His enemies are – first ignorance, second superstition and the third indignity; that was how Periyar developed his thoughts. Fortunately, Periyar did not enter the portals of college or university. Had he been a student, his sharp intellect would not have made him an original thinker. He never feared anything. When he was addressing a college in Tamil Nadu, I was accompanying him. The students were very anxious to hear about him. Throughout the life, he was youthful, because he always spent his time only with youths and not with the elderly. Like a brimming youth he was telling very casually, “Don’t believe anybody; any leader; any ideas, without thinking, without analysis and without using your reason.” Immediately a student stood up and asked, “Are we to believe you or not?” With his sharp intellect and with very bold acceptance of his limited base, Periyar said, “Don’t believe my words either.” Every one of the audience laughed and clapped. “Do what your reason says.” Analyse with your acumen of reasoning. Today there are people who eulogise my services; they praise me like anything. Despite these deeds, I received brick bats and was subject of being thrown with chappals in public life. I am not ashamed of it; nor am I happy about it.” Periyar boldly and plainly said, “After a hundred years, there will be some people who will come forward and announce new philosophy like Self-Respect and will say that there was one reactionary person called ‘Ramasamy’. More and more ideas must shape the society. What is modern today may not be modern tomorrow. It will be outdated. So we will have to change our mind and keep ourselves open-minded.” Thus answered Periyar.
Periyar Movement has got a very unique term, “Self-Respect”. We have to take the philosophy of Self-Respect to the next and younger generation by organising conferences like this. One may feel that this conference is being held in a small hall and there is no large gathering.
When Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, he said, “These steps are very small for man but it is leap forward in future for the mankind”. In the conference the audience are small but the delegates have come from United States of America and many European countries like Great Britain. It is not the quantity that is important. Periyar was concerned more with quality. We have people here qualified to disseminate the message of Periyar.
What is Self-Respect?
Periyar was a free thinker. His ideas are applicable to anywhere in the world, and not confined to any one particular community or area. The revolutionary poet of Tamil, Bharathidasan says,
மண்டைச் சுரப்பை உலகு தொழும்
The whole world would follow the ideas of Periyar in future. The world belongs not to the religious people or superstitious people but to science and scientifically tempered people.
Now the world has progressed well in the IT front and the usages of email, whatsapp etc. have become popular and routine. Had these scientific inventions were in use long ago, when Sita eloped with Ravana, the whereabouts of Sita would have been known to Rama and within a few minutes she would have been rescued. The necessity of ‘Ramayana’ would not have arisen at all! No help from Monkey King would have been sought! None of the rishis whatever may be their efficacy and even the omnipotent and omnipresent god was not aware of these inventions. Even today in India, the gods are very badly in need of video conferencing. All the festivals are being brought under video conferencing. All these scientific tools are used to spread unscientific ideas.
In India, the former Prime Minister V.P.Singh who was the guardian of Social Justice never met Periyar. But he eulogised Periyar at the Parliamentary proceedings and admitted that he was following the footsteps of Periyar; that was why he implemented the recommendations of Mandal commission for the uplift of backward class people of the country.
He was invited to the celebration of the Anniversary of Self-Respect Movement in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He very aptly defined by asking, “What is Self-Respect?”He himself explained, “I spit on the super computer, will it react? Super computer can offer many advantageous and useful services. It can interpret data very quickly which man cannot do within that short span. That is the efficacy of super computer. But however valuable or costly the super computer may be, if you spit on it, will it react?” V.P.Singh addressed the audience, “My dear friends and brothers, suppose if I spit on you, spit on your face, what you will do?” People were taken aback. He continued, “Immediately you will spit on me, you will react. That is Self-Respect. Self-Respect is nothing but philosophy of human dignity.”
When Self-Respect is being questioned, somebody’s self-dignity is questioned; only the Self-Respect is, the way out to restore it.
My dear friends, this conference is very timely. Periyar believed in human dignity basically. One may have right to live, right to thrive, right to write but if he does not have the right to dignity, it adds insult to the continuously injured, whether a particular community or a man. The only way out is Self-Respect, the philosophy of Periyar. It is not confined to one party. That is very important.
What is the effect of Periyar’s philosophy of Self-Respect? It is humanising the human beings. Of course, we are all human beings. Human beings alone are endowed with the power of reasoning freely. No one can restrict such reasoning. When Periyar addressed at Mahabodhi in Chennai on Buddhism, one person praised Periyar as the Buddha of the 20th century; Periyar was for empowerment of women, for eradication of caste system, for eradication of superstitions. Periyar immediately replied why should I alone be called Buddha. All people who are rationalists, who use the power of reasoning are Buddhas. The one who uses his ‘buddhi’, becomes ‘Buddha’. You are a Buddha, if you use the reasoning power or use your ‘buddhi’. So, all can be Buddhas if they use the power of reasoning.
Basically the philosophy of Self-Respect is needed at this hour. In the name of religion and god, people are fighting like anything; There are rivers of blood. The only answer to solve it is ‘Periyar’ – Periyar’s philosophy of Self-Respect. Even the religious wars from the days of crusade upto what is going on in India today can find their remedy through Periyar’s philosophy.
There is no under cover operation in Periyar Movement. There is no place for violence. Periyar was more nonviolent than Gandhi. Periyar never allowed anybody to commit violence. He never allowed anyone to damage public property at the time of conducting agitation. Damage to public order is chaos. If you want to conduct an agitation, you suffer yourself. Don’t make other people suffer. That is Self-Respect; empathetic thinking. In all other agitations, they make others suffer.
In those days Self-Respect was adhered to with purpose. “Today in India there may be many movements for people who are denigrated; untouchable, unseeable, sudra. Don’t think my movement is concerned only with these social problems. Broadly, my movement is about human equality. I am greatly pained when there is inequality. Discrimination by birth should go; it may be by colour or on some other ground. Half of the population are women. Why should not they enjoy equality? Periyar’s Self-Respect emanates from the concept of equality and equal opportunities. From equality, Periyar went another step. Society could be transformed only through ‘education’. Education is instrumental for societal change, that too a silent revolution.
In India, B.P.Mandal under whose chairmanship the second backward class commission gave its report said, “Periyar’s fight was not in streets but he fought in the minds of the people”. Whenever and wherever there is slavery it may be between the upper caste and the lower caste, the high born and the low born, the rich and the poor, the needy people who are suffering – there may be discrimination on economic front or political field, why are half of the population viz. womenfolk subjugated? Why should they be social slaves? They were not treated equally. Equal opportunities were not available to them.
In 1929, the Madras Provincial First Self-Respect Conference was convened by Periyar and many progressive resolutions were passed for equality of women and their empowerment. Women should be treated on par with men in all fields of employment. People of those days wondered how it could be possible for women to hold a post equally with men. Today many women have become judges, doctors, have assumed prime political positions, which was not dreamt of in those days. Women today are well equipped in all fields. They are even more than equal. Periyar was sagacious about women liberation.
The philosophy of Self-Respect is applicable to all human beings without any discrimination among them. Besides, Periyar fought for women not only for their liberation for equality but to empower them too. Periyar thought and acted forward beyond equality i.e. towards empowerment.
Periyar did not bother about politics. He said, “I don’t believe in the transfer of power but transformation of power-Transfer of power from the privileged to the sections which are so far denied of it and the transformation of power to the low from high.
The disciples of Periyar took the political path, fought elections and assumed power in the State within the span of 10 years under the leadership of late lamented Anna. Anna dedicated his government to his mentor Periyar, by bringing legislation and executive orders to translate the ideas of Periyar into practice with legal sanctity. One such translation was legalising Self-respect marriages commenced by Periyar in 1928 by bringing an exclusive legislation for it in 1968. When I came to Cologne, Germany in 2014, I conducted one Self-Respect marriage between Raghulan and Olivia. It was devoid of religious rituals and priest. Self-Respect Marriage treats both the bride and bridegroom as equal partners in their life without an iota of subjugation. The couple live happily today. Periyar’s philosophy has yielded its fruits in Germany too. And naturally it will be bear fruits throughout the world, transcending the territorial, linguistic, political, economic or social boundaries. The ultimate goal is humanism, and ensuring Self-Respect to all humans will hasten the path to reach the goal. This conference has paved the way and facilitated the move.
Let the fructification of Periyar’s philosophy of Self-Respect come faster!
Let humanism flourish among humans!
Periyar’s Self-Respect emanates from the concept of equality and equal opportunities. From equality, Periyar went another step. Society could be transformed only through ‘education’. Education is instrumental for societal change, that too a silent revolution.
