On 1st of May – 1935 the Labourers’ Day was celebrated in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu. The valedictory speech was delivered by Thanthai Periyar. It was reproduced and published in ‘Kudi Arasu’ of 12.05.1935. The excerpts from the speech are as follows, in nutshell:
My dear cadres, friends and well-wishers, already five or six cadres have spoken here today on the significance of ‘May Day’. In my valedictory speech, I would like to express my own views on my part.
May Day is being celebrated all over the world but in a different manner in every country. This is true. The celebration is not the same in Russia as it is in England; nor is the celebration in Spain similar to that in France. We too differ in India from European countries in the matter of May Day celebrations.
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Wide and varied features:
Not all countries are similar in growth and development. The features are indeed wide and varied. We cannot expect an undeveloped or developing country to celebrate as does a well-developed country. It is being celebrated by Russia mainly with the intention of making all the world countries follow them. England, France and a few other countries celebrate with their wish to emulate it in several respects and to follow its features in order to revamp themselves. However, not much difference could be there in the principal aim and objective.
There are millions of economically backward people in our country. They are being oppressed, denigrated and persecuted in society. They exist as slaves stooping for ever before the upper caste fanatics and capitalists. The working class is being endlessly exploited by them. The ultimate aim of the May Day celebration is to honour the sweat of the labourers, to free them from the shackles of slavery and make them acquire equality in all respects. If this spirit is kindled in all the people, efforts and strife for that would spontaneously crop up according to the ambience of each country. The downtrodden and oppressed people also exist differently in each country. In overseas countries, people are segregated as ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. Their economic status and work nature classifies them into different groups. Therefore, the struggle there is generally called ‘class struggle’, between the capitalists and the labour class.
Different ambience in India:
In India the people are being discriminated basing it on their birth. Since, the segregation is not as per their economic status or the occupation, it has become important to remove first the birth based stigma on the downtrodden people existing in servility. In India the revolutions and rebellions are all against the upper caste – lower caste discriminations. Removal of their birth-based stigma becomes our first priority. The class struggles and the capitalist – labourers disparity removal is of secondary importance, naturally. In India, for centuries a divide has been existing based on religious discrimination. We have a class of slaves and a class of labourers.
Graded Inequality:
In India, by labourers the fanatics mean only the people on the fourth rung of the graded inequality ladder. They are considered the fourth-colour elements: In other words, low caste people are the Sudhras. They are supposed to be hardworking labourers who are compelled to serve the people of the other three castes, superior to them on the ladder of inequality. They have to sweat and toil throughout their life for the sake of others and exist for ever in servility.
The people dumped on the fifth rung of the inequality ladder called ‘Panchamas’ or ‘Chandals’ are expected to sweat as slaves for all the other four castes above them on the ladder of inequality. The upper caste people have the right to extract labour from the Sudhras and the panchamas without even paying any wage. This power is vested in them by the codes of religion and ancient scriptures. This is the miserable condition of the downtrodden people in India. There may be some who say that wages are not denied these days. But meagre wages would not mitigate their sufferings. There are many other hardships the oppressed people endure even today.
Nearly 6 to 7 crore Panchamas exist in society. Can any one come forward and say that 90 per cent of them are free from suppression and torture? Infact, no body is exempted among them from humiliation and disgrace. The Hindus, who are non-brahmins, are brushed aside as Sudhra labourers. These miserable people work hard, toil restlessly sweat profusely as labourers. The May Day on 1st of May every year is being celebrated to salute those labourers. This Day revives our eternal demand of rest and happiness to all the labourers and the entire women folk in the country. This Day is a special day to respect every drop of the sweat of labourers all over the world.
Caste disparity as an evil:
Look at the downtrodden people living as worms and perishing pitiably just because they hail from a low caste. They may not be labourers and yet they are looked down upon as specks of dust. They could be the old parents of the struggling labourers. We have to celebrate May Day in India mainly to annihilate the divisions as brahmins, sudhras, panchamas or chandals because the capitalists here are on an ivory tower because of their superiority in birth. The caste based supremacy causes two different classes in India; One as the capitalists and the other as the working class. Hence we have to crush first the supremacy of caste. We differ largely from other countries in this respect. Our fights must be aimed at the total eradication of castes. Instead of “Class Struggle”, we should rather use the terms “Caste War”, to make ourselves clear.
It is because of the birth based discriminations that 99 per cent of a particular low caste continue to toil for the upper caste affluent people. There is no redemption for the downtrodden people here. They are forced to lead a life of slavery, remain poor for ever and toil to provide food for others. Unless caste system is annihilated, the classification as the capitalist class and the labour class will not vanish. On every May Day, it is our bounden duty to swear and take an oath that we would establish absolute equality.
Consuming without producing:
In India our labourers go on producing for others and the others shamelessly go on consuming without producing any thing. Religions are the root cause of caste system and caste system is the root cause of the class struggle. This is my belief. If we can smash the class struggle by any other means, please think over and tell me dear friends. I shall accept your suggestion if it is sensible and practically suitable.
Our political leaders do not attempt to annihilate castes and religious extremism.
They are hypocrites who pretend to sympathise with the poor, suppressed labourers. They deserve no respect from us until they agree to strive for caste annihilation and religion-eradication. They are the major hurdles for labour welfare. Most of the union leaders and party leaders have a talk with labourers time and again but this would never yield fruitful results. Such meetings and talks are totally futile; a duping strategy! Such pseudo-leaders flourish by taking gullible labourers for a ride. They move around wearing invisible masks. I urge upon all the labourers, never to trust them. The pot-bellied political leaders try to entrap labourers through false promises, fake-guarantees, and intoxicating assurances. They do it for their own survival. It is sheer exploitation. Our labourers should never blindly believe in them.
The Striking difference:
The religion and caste affinity of a few groups of that religion seem to perpetuate the doctrine of capitalist class and the labour class. This must change. This causes the striking difference between our May Day celebration and that of other countries. This is my firm belief. Religious extremism or caste disparities are not the major issues in European countries. They may celebrate with much pleasure and less pain but we celebrate with much pain and less pleasure because of our intolerable problems. Skin colour differences is not our problem here as in the U.S. and some other countries. Our major problem is the caste supremacy of brahmins and the degradation suffered by the non-brahmins. Our national spirit intends only to keep the capitalist labour class segregation, last for ever. It protects and safeguards religion and caste. I have been reiterating this unpalatable truth, time and again.
In fact, today the struggle in India between brahmins and non-brahmins is in disguise the struggle between the rich business magnates and the toiling labourers. Because of the restless struggles of our Dravidian Movement, there is some improvement. There is an awareness that the segregation of capitalists and labourers is not ordained by our birth. They are man-made evil ploys and strategies. Brahmins look at us as deadly enemies because we have all woken up. We are accused as opponents of a particular group of people. In fact they are our opponents. They try to crush us all as pulp. We have to annihilate brahminocracy for the welfare of our people – especially the labourers.
Relief – the dire need:
I insist on gender bias too. The sweating of women as labourers under male owners should also stop. Women labourers should elevate themselves and scale great heights. Our labourers should get enough rest and happiness. Women empowerment is essential. On every May Day – the 1st of May every year, labourers should swear to strive not only for their advancement in life but also for the emancipation and advancement of all our women.
Long Live May Day! Long Live Labourers!
Courtesy: ‘Kudi Arasu’ – 12th May 1935
Translated by : M.R. Manohar
