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Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leaders, including former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Tamil Nadu LoP Udhayanidhi Stalin, and Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, on Thursday paid tributes to social reformer and Dravidian icon 'Thanthai' Periyar E V Ramasamy on his birth anniversary, which is observed across the state as 'Social Justice Day'.
Taking to social media platform X, DMK President MK Stalin hailed Periyar as the "rational sun" of the Tamil people and emphasised the imperative need to sustain a spirit of questioning against social dominance. "Revolutionary salute to Periyar, the rational sun of the Tamil generation that stood tall with pride! Many generations bowed to dominance. One generation witnessed the revolution enacted by Periyar. Many generations are witnessing its transformation. Yet, dominance has not fully receded. It is the responsibility of the generations to come to identify it," Stalin wrote. Underscoring the essence of rationalist philosophy, Stalin added, "A place without light is darkness; a society without questions is an even greater darkness. As long as the questions 'Why? For what? How?' remain alive, darkness will not touch us. May the flame of rationality ignited by Periyar shine across generations!" Pledging to carry forward his legacy, Tamil Nadu Leader of Opposition (LoP) and DMK Youth Wing Secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin said the government will accelerate the implementation of Periyars progressive ideals and pass them on to the youth. Today marks the birth anniversary of Father Periyar, the rationalist sun who lit the torch of knowledge against two thousand years of darkness! The DMK government, led by Leader MK Stalin, has declared Father Periyar's birth anniversarywhere he proclaimed, "Dignity and knowledge are the beauty of humanity. Self-respect is the essence of a fulfilling life"as Social Justice Day. We will accelerate the works of Father Periyar, who stands as the foundation and identity of the Dravidian movement. We will bring Periyar's timeless principles to the youth of the next generation in greater measure. We will establish Tamil Nadu's progressive face firmly. Long live Periyar! May his glory flourish!!, Udhayanidhi wrote on X. Joining in the tributes, DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi called upon the people to imbibe Periyars teachings and propagate them on the world stage. "Let us read Periyar; let us sow the thoughts he sowed across the world; let us create tomorrow's world as one filled with rationality and equality," Kanimozhi stated. Born on September 17, 1879, E V Ramasamy (Periyar) launched the Self-Respect Movement in 1925 to challenge Brahminical hegemony and uplift non-Brahmin communities in Tamil Nadu. By advocating for rationalism, gender equality, and anti-caste reforms through its journal Kudi Arasu, the movement fostered a new sense of Dravidian identity and directly paved the way for the rise of the Dravidian Movement. The year 1925 is pivotal in the history of the Self-Respect Movement for two reasons: the May launch of the Tamil weekly Kudi Arasu (The Republic) and Periyar's November departure from the Indian National Congress (INC). Although his exit from the Congress is commonly seen as the movement's formal beginning, Kudi Arasu had already introduced a new dynamic into the Madras Presidency months earlier. The publication demonstrated a strong zeal for social reform that extended beyond advocating for the political gains of communal representation. After leaving the Congress, Periyar used the paper to adopt an unrestrained approach in criticising both the INC and Brahminism--a term he used for the horrors of Hindu caste orthodoxy. (ANI)
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