Self-Respect Movement in South India

The Self-Respect Movement (Suya Mariyathai Iyakkam) was an egalitarian social movement founded in Tamil Nadu in 1925. It emerged as a direct response to Brahmin dominance in public administration, religious life, and educational institutions. During the early twentieth century, Brahmins held a disproportionate share of civil service positions relative to their population. The movement challenged the orthodox Hindu social order, caste hierarchy, and patriarchal social structures. It advocated for rationalism, critical thinking, and equal rights for lower-caste non-Brahmins and women.

Founders and Key Leadership

E.V. Ramasamy, popularly known as Periyar, founded the movement. He was an active leader in the Indian National Congress who resigned from the party in 1925 following disagreement over caste practices, particularly the practice of separate dining for Brahmin and non-Brahmin students at the Cheranmahadevi Gurukulam.

Prominent Leaders of the Movement

• E.V. Ramasamy (Periyar): Primary strategist and ideologue who criticized religious scriptures and caste discrimination.
• S. Ramanathan: Co-founder who played an active role in organizing the first Self-Respect Conference in Chengalpattu in 1929.
• S. Gurusamy: Leading editor and organizer who managed party administration and ideological publications.
• P. Jeevanandham: Prominent communist leader who integrated Marxist economic thought into the Self-Respect ideology in the early 1930s.

Core Ideology and Key Publications

The ideology rested on rationalism, self-respect, anti-Brahminism, and gender equality. Periyar rejected traditional Hindu scriptures like the Manusmriti and epics, arguing that they legitimized caste inequality.

Major Journals and Newspapers

Major Social Reforms and Agitations

The movement translated its ideology into practical social action, pioneering radical reforms across Tamil Nadu.

Self-Respect Marriages

The movement introduced Suya Mariyathai Thirumanam (Self-Respect Marriages). These weddings were conducted without Brahmin priests, Sanskrit mantras, or religious rituals. The marriages required only a mutual declaration of equality between the bride and groom in the presence of friends and family.

Anti-Hindi Agitation (1937–1940)

When C. Rajagopalachari’s Congress ministry made Hindi compulsory in secondary schools across Madras Presidency in 1937, the Self-Respect Movement led widespread protests. Periyar viewed the imposition of Hindi as an attempt to establish cultural hegemony over Tamil-speaking people. The agitations led to thousands of arrests, including Periyar.

Women’s Rights and Rationalist Propaganda

The movement advocated for women’s autonomy, female education, property rights, contraception, and the right to remarry. It strongly opposed child marriage and the Devadasi system.

Merger and Creation of Dravidar Kazhagam

In 1938, while serving a prison sentence for leading the anti-Hindi agitation, Periyar was elected President of the Justice Party (South Indian Liberal Federation). This brought the electoral organization of the Justice Party together with the radical cadre of the Self-Respect Movement. At the historic Salem Conference in 1944, Periyar merged the Justice Party with the Self-Respect Movement to create the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK). The Dravidar Kazhagam abandoned electoral politics to function as a dedicated social reform organization advocating for an independent Dravidian state (Dravida Nadu).

Historical Facts Summary

The term “Periyar” (meaning ‘Great Soul’ or ‘Elder’) was formally conferred upon E.V. Ramasamy at the Tamil Nadu Women’s Conference in Madras in November 1938, presided over by Neelambikai Ammaiyar. The first Self-Respect Conference took place at Chengalpattu in February 1929, chaired by W.P.A. Soundarapandian. The conference passed resolutions demanding equal inheritance rights for women, reservations in employment for lower castes, and the abolition of religious titles. In 1932, Periyar toured Europe and the Soviet Union alongside S. Ramanathan. Influenced by Soviet socialist development, he co-authored the Erode Plan with communist leader M. Singaravelu Chettiar to merge socialist economic goals with the Self-Respect Movement. The DMK government under C.N. Annadurai passed the Hindu Marriage (Madras Amendment) Act in 1967, granting legal validity to all Self-Respect Marriages performed retroactively and in the future. In 1970, UNESCO conferred an award on Periyar, recognizing him as the “Prophet of the New Age” and the “Father of the Social Reform Movement in South India.”