The Modern Rationalist Annual Number 2021
Pages: 176/- Price: Rs.300/-
Periyar Book House
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Palani. Arangasamy
Journals that carry news on insurgency, scandals, encounters, elopements, exploitations, rapings and robberies are sold like hot cakes. Those of Current affairs, General knowledge and Social welfare go to the back seat. Still pitiable is the lot of periodicals oriented towards policies and principles, however benevolent and intellectual matters they are. Unmindful of these hurdles, the one who ran the journals in English such as Revolt and The Modern Rationalist was Thanthai Periyar. To follow suit with untiring efforts is Dr. Veeramani in whose honour is the Annual Number of Modern Rationalist – 2021.
Besides being exemplary both in its content and structure, its get – up, décor and delicacy, are comparable and even excelling to any of its European counterpart. Deep cogitations of potentials of judiciary, politics, administration and women welfare form part of its rich contents. Glimpses of fraternal touch is gleaming at the outset in the missive of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. Message from Asiriyar is in every syllable sparkling with enthusiasm in serving for societal progress and for annihilating caste system in every walk of life. Periyar’s thunderous voice in his 70th year of age in a lecture at an All – Party Meet at Madras advocating communal G.O., reverberates in an essay challenging the High Court verdict.
Personal recollections of nonagenarian Prof. V. Shunmuga Sundaram and of Madam Vice Chancellor (Rtd.) Mrs. Yasoda laced with anecdotes and episodic notes that are highly informative. Lapses pointed out by veteran Justice A. K. Rajan and his bemoaning the lack of accountability of the officials and passing not final orders even after framing charges may be set right with a remedial measure of implementing a mandatory instruction and a sanction against the delaying technique of erring officials. As delay breeds corruption, against those who deliberately sleep on the files, law may be framed even for penalty. Justice Hari Paranthaman reminds us of Dr. Ambedkar’s predicament at the stage of framing the Hindu Code Bill which is still hanging within the four walls of the Parlianment for decades together. Not only the most ministerial berths are with twice – born heretics in the Centre but 95 percent of Secretarial chairs are in the hands of career officials and also with personnel from their group drawn from private sector. Let us wait for three more years to see the trend upside down.
Two articles juxtaposed one after the other on Dr. Veermani and on his mentor are highly inspiring with details as to how Dravidar Kazhagam is like a massive fort unassailable by any forces on the earth. Thanks a lot to Judge Kosle Paul’s beseech and support to his Southern fraternity in the task of struggling against the unholy alliances at RSS and BJP. Let us assure him that a day is not far-off towards upsetting their apple-cart at Delhi. In Dr. Soma Ilangovan’s ideological and personal touch of nearly six decades with Dr. Veeramani is a reminder that we have a stalwart in the USA steadfastly straining his every nerve to the sustaining growth of Dravidar Kazhagam and its ideologies.
Prof. KRS has rightly pointed out the Dravidian chronology must be passed on to our younger generation of Tamils who are still blissfully ignorant of the great sufferings and sacrifices of Periyar and his earlier stalwarts. The unequals can’t go together with an advanced group is the core point of an essay by Prof. Karunanandan while that of Mr. Vidya Bushan Rawat is the full summary of what he gathered from his interaction with Dr.Veeramani. The depiction of Buddah’s selection of a disciple Ananada and that of Periyar’s choice of Asiriyar K. Veeramani are alike as pointed out by Poet Kali. Poongundran who, in another essay provides a full summary of the recent deliberations and obstacles to the life-line of social justice. It may be recalled here that, but for Periyar’s stoical fight and equally strong war of his disciple, Social Justice would have been buried nine –fathoms deep by the powers that are. Dishonesty of the Government. in enacting a law in favour of the economically backward criteria is pointed out elaborately in his essay on Social Justice.
Of the two comprehensive essays by Dr. R. Gowthaman, one speakes vividly on organ transplantation, and another briefly on how far the munificent service of the Periyar Medical Mission is effective in Six Places in the whole of Tamil Nadu. Let me share with him a highly reliable but lesser known fact with regard to heart transplantation, said to have been done by Dr. Christian Bernard in 1967. The entire surgical operation from A to Z was successfully done by a black medical sub-ordinate of the hospital but in a country of apartheid where the blacks were prohibited from doing work in various avocations, it had to be announced in the name of Dr. Bernard. Vide my article for more details in an anthology of Tamil essays entitled Vannak-Kalavai, published by Muttamil Nilayam, Thanjavur.
How far the public life of Dr. Veeramani is selfless and service oriented is depicted in two essays and in one of which, the narration of Meena Kandasamy reminds us of the atrocious casteist behaviour of the IIT Madras which is not the only stray case but the same amount of deliberate neglect and prejudice prevail in other IIT’s also. There reigns an atrocious confluence of bureaucracy and Brahminocracy.
A brief essay on the need for justice to women reminds us of the still-pending reservation problem in Parliament and another informative essay by Mr. Anburaj on the academic and societal welfare institutions of Periyar Movement both in Tamil Nadu and Delhi speaks in detail about various activities ever since it was started by Thanthai Periyar. Mr. Olivannan’s inspiring portrayal is the resultant effect of his close observation of Asiriyar’s activities that are worthy of being emulated by others. Almost the same outcome of Dr. Arangasamy’s account of Asiriyar as an extemporaneous speaker of outstanding merit.
A lengthy but engrossing our attention is the vital contribution of Mr. V. Kumaresan who lay emphasis on the uniqueness and dyanamic service of Dravidian movement, ever since Periyar has taken it up. He also says that no less was the continuation of his lieutenants in carrying on the Periyar Mission which is still vibrant under the parental care of Dr. Veeramani. An essay at the fag end by Prince Ennares Periyar details about the ups and downs of the communal G.O. which had been a hard-won gift for the backward and oppressed communities. This highly informative, colourful and well – illustrated Annual Number should be patronized not only by the literary public but also by the State Libraries and Academic institutions all over of India.
