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68-494: E. V. K. Sampath was nephew of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy and for a long time considered his political heir. He entered into a feud with Periyar after the latter married a woman much younger to him. Periyar soon after the marriage declared his new wife as his political heir and thus upsetting Sampath's aspirations. The marriage itself had caused opposition within the Dravidar Kazhagam , the social organisation that Periyar

136-642: A better status for women in Tamil society . Ramasamy held that, in matters of education and employment, there should be no difference between men and women. Gopalakrishnan states that Ramasamy's influence in the State departments and even the Center made it possible for women to join police departments and the army. Ramasamy also spoke out against child marriage . Ramasamy wanted thinking people to see their society as far from perfect and in urgent need of reform. He wanted

204-472: A booklet called Village Uplift , Ramasamy pleaded for rural reform. At that time rural India still formed the largest part of the Indian subcontinent, in spite of the ongoing process of urbanisation. Thus, the distinction between rural and urban had meant an economic and social degradation for rural inhabitants. Ramasamy wanted to eradicate the concept of "village" as a discriminatory word among places, similar to

272-734: A holy place which welcomed all. Ramasamy was a theist until his visit to Kasi , after which his views changed and he became an atheist . Ramasamy joined the Indian National Congress in 1919 after quitting his business and resigning from public posts. He held the chairmanship of Erode Municipality and wholeheartedly undertook constructive programs spreading the use of Khadi , picketing toddy shops , boycotting shops selling foreign cloth, and eradicating untouchability . In 1921, Ramasamy courted imprisonment for picketing toddy shops in Erode. When his wife as well as his sister joined

340-420: A major political organ. Thus movie stars held high ranks in the party. Sampath vehemently opposed the importance given to film stars in the party. The differences between E. V. K. Sampath and Annadurai finally gave way on their stands on Dravida Nadu . Dravida Nadu was envisaged by Periyar E. V. Ramasami as an independent nation that included South India. Periyar and later Annadurai considered that remaining in

408-764: A procession to the Marina to burn pictures of the Hindu God Rama. Ramasamy was subsequently arrested and confined to prison. The activities of Ramasamy continued when he went to Bangalore in 1958 to participate in the All India Official Language Conference. There he stressed the need to retain English as the Union Official Language instead of Hindi. Five years later, Ramasamy travelled to North India to advocate

476-763: A self-respecting rationalist would readily realise that the caste system had been stifling self-respect and therefore he or she would strive to get rid of this menace. Ramasamy stated that the caste system in South India is, due to Indo-Aryan influence, linked with the arrival of Brahmins from the north . Ancient Tamil Nadu (part of Tamilakkam ) had a different stratification of society in four or five regions ( Tinai ), determined by natural surroundings and adequate means of living. Ramasamy also argued that birds, animals, and worms, which are considered to be devoid of rationalism do not create castes, or differences of high and low in their own species. But man, considered to be

544-588: A sense of pride based on their Dravidian past". In 1952, the Ramasamy Self-Respect Movement Institution was registered with a list of objectives of the institution from which may be quoted as for the diffusion of useful knowledge of political education ; to allow people to live a life of freedom from slavery to anything against reason and self respect ; to do away with needless customs, meaningless ceremonies, and blind superstitious beliefs in society; to put an end to

612-530: A separate association called the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), or Dravidian Progressive Federation. This was due to differences between the two, while Ramasamy advocated a separate independent Dravidian or Tamil state, Annadurai compromised with the Delhi government, at the same time claiming increased state independence. Ramasamy was convinced that individuals and movements that undertake

680-510: A share in running the government. Thus, when Ramasamy married Maniammai on 9 July 1948, they quit the Dravidar Kazhagam , stating that Ramasamy married Maniammayar who was the daughter of Kanagasabhai when he was 70 and she 32. Those who parted company with Ramasamy joined the DMK. Though the DMK split from the Dravidar Kazhagam , the organisation made efforts to carry on Ramasamy's Self-Respect Movement to villagers and urban students. The DMK advocated

748-475: A small town in Kerala state, then Travancore , there were strict laws of untouchability in and around the temple area. Dalits , also known as Harijans , were not allowed into the close streets around and leading to the temple, let alone inside it. Anti-caste feelings were growing and in 1924 Vaikom was chosen as a suitable place for an organised Satyagraha . Under his guidance a movement had already begun with

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816-637: A universally accepted one. His philosophy preaches that human actions should be based on rational thinking. Further, the outcome of the natural instinct of human beings is to examine every object and every action and even nature with a spirit of inquiry, and to refuse to submit to anything irrational as equivalent to slavery. Thus, the philosophy of self-respect taught that human actions should be guided by reason, right and wrong should follow from rational thinking and conclusions drawn from reason should be respected under all circumstances. Freedom means respect to thoughts and actions considered 'right' by human beings on

884-485: A young age, he began questioning the apparent contradictions in the Hindu mythological stories. As Ramasamy grew, he felt that people used religion only as a mask to deceive innocent people and therefore took it as one of his duties in life to warn people against superstitions and priests. In 1904, Ramasamy went on a pilgrimage to Kashi to visit the revered Shiva temple of Kashi Vishwanath . Though regarded as one of

952-591: The Chief Minister of Madras Presidency , he introduced Hindi as a compulsory language of study in schools, thereby igniting a series of anti-Hindi agitations. Tamil nationalists , the Justice Party under Sir A. T. Panneerselvam , and Ramasamy organised anti-Hindi protests in 1938 which ended with numerous arrests by the Rajaji government. During the same year, the slogan "Tamil Nadu for Tamilians"

1020-460: The Devadasi system. In his view it was an example of a list of degradations of women, attaching them to temples for the entertainment of others, and as temple prostitutes. Further, for the liberation of women, Ramasamy pushed for their right to have an education and to join the armed services and the police force. According to biographer M.D. Gopalakrishnan, Ramasamy and his movement achieved

1088-492: The Kanchipuram Session. Ramasamy and his followers campaigned constantly to influence and pressure the government to take measures to remove social inequality (abolish untouchability, manual scavenging system etc.) even while other nationalist forerunners focused on the struggle for political independence. The Self-Respect Movement was described from the beginning as "dedicated to the goal of giving non-Brahmins

1156-555: The Tamils , acceptance of Hindi in the school system was a form of bondage. When the Justice Party weakened in the absence of mass support, Ramasamy took over the leadership of the party after being jailed for opposing Hindi in 1939. Under his tutelage the party prospered, but the party's conservative members, most of whom were rich and educated, withdrew from active participation. At a rally in 1944, Ramasamy, in his capacity as

1224-637: The exploitation and marginalisation of the non-Brahmin Dravidian people of South India and the imposition of what he considered Indo-Aryan India. Erode Venkata Ramasamy was born on 17 September 1879 to a Kannada Kamma merchant family in Erode , then a part of the Coimbatore district of the Madras Presidency . Ramasamy's father was Venkatappa Nayakar (or Venkata), and his mother

1292-866: The self-respect philosophy. Embarking on his journey from Nagapattinam with his wife Nagammal and his followers, Ramasamy was received by 50,000 Tamil Malaysians in Penang . During the same month, he inaugurated the Tamils Conference, convened by the Tamils Reformatory Sangam in Ipoh , and then went to Singapore. In December 1931 he undertook a tour of Europe, accompanied by S. Ramanathan and Erode Ramu, to personally acquaint himself with their political systems , social movements , way of life, economic and social progress and administration of public bodies. He visited Egypt, Greece, Turkey,

1360-672: The Congress party due to discrimination and indifference , which led to his leaving the party in 1925. Vaikom Satyagraha was a nonviolent agitation for access to the prohibited public environs of the Vaikom Temple in the Kingdom of Travancore by the Congress Party. Kingdom of Travancore was known for its rigid and oppressive caste system and hence Swami Vivekananda called Travancore a "lunatic asylum". In Vaikom ,

1428-714: The Congress, Sampath merged Tamil National Party with the Congress party in 1964. Periyar E. V. Ramasamy Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (17 September 1879 – 24 December 1973), revered by his followers as Periyar or Thanthai Periyar , was an Indian social activist and politician who started the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam . He is known as the 'Father of the Dravidian movement '. He rebelled against Brahmin dominance and gender and caste inequality in Tamil Nadu . Since 2021,

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1496-451: The Hindu religion remained totally unsuitable for social progress . He argued that the government was not for the people, but, in a "topsy-turvy" manner, the people were for the government. He attributed this situation to the state of the social system contrived for the advantage of a small group of people. One of the areas of Ramasamy's focus was on the upliftment of rural communities. In

1564-464: The Indian state of Tamil Nadu celebrates his birth anniversary as 'Social Justice Day'. Ramasamy joined the Indian National Congress in 1919. In 1924, Ramasamy participated in non-violent agitation ( satyagraha ) involving Mahatma Gandhi in Vaikom , Travancore . He resigned from the Congress in 1925 when he felt that the party was only serving the interests of Brahmins . He questioned what he felt

1632-571: The Soviet Union, Germany, England, Spain, France and Portugal, staying in Russia for three months. On his return journey he halted at Ceylon and returned to India in November 1932. The tour shaped the political ideology of Ramasamy to achieve the social concept of Self-Respect. The communist system in the Soviet Union appealed to him as appropriately suited to deal with the social ills of

1700-617: The Union meant accepting linguistic domination of the North and backwardness of the South. Nevertheless, after touring the Soviet Union , E. V. K. Sampath opposed the call for Dravida Nadu and declared that the idea of independent Dravida Nadu was an impossible task to achieve. With this difference E. V. K. Sampath and his supporters left DMK and formed their own party. Thus Tamil National Party

1768-738: The agitation, it gained momentum, and the administration was forced to come to a compromise. He was again arrested during the Non-Cooperation movement and the Temperance movement . In 1922, Ramasamy was elected the President of the Madras Presidency Congress Committee during the Tirupur session, where he advocated strongly for reservation in government jobs and education. His attempts were defeated in

1836-532: The aim of giving all castes the right to enter the temples. Thus, agitations and demonstrations took place. Ramasamy was invited to lead the movement as he was the President of the Madras Presidency Congress. On 14 April, Ramasamy and his wife Nagamma arrived in Vaikom. They were immediately arrested and imprisoned for participation. Ramasamy and his followers continued to give support to

1904-611: The basis of 'reason'. There is not much difference between 'freedom' and 'self-respect'. Ramasamy's foremost appeal to people was to develop self-respect. He preached that the Brahmins had monopolised and cheated other communities for decades and deprived them of self-respect. He stated that most Brahmins claimed to belong to a "superior" community with the reserved privilege of being in charge of temples and performing archanas . He felt that they were trying to reassert their control over religion by using their superior caste status to claim

1972-552: The bride's parents wealth, and in certain circumstances, led to dowry deaths . There have been hundreds of thousands of cases where wives have been murdered, mutilated, and burned alive because the father of the bride was unable to make the dowry payment to the husband. Ramasamy fiercely stood up against this abuse meted out against women. Women in India also did not have rights to their families' or husbands' property. Ramasamy fought fiercely for this and also advocated for women to have

2040-591: The concept of "outcast" among social groups. Ramasamy advocated for a location where neither the name nor the situation or its conditions imply differences among people. He further advocated for the modernisation of villages by providing public facilities such as schools, libraries, radio stations, roads, bus transport, and police stations. Ramasamy felt that a small number of cunning people created caste distinctions to dominate Indian society, so he emphasised that individuals must first develop self-respect and learn to analyse propositions rationally. According to Ramasamy,

2108-579: The country. Thus, on socio-economic issues Ramasamy was Marxist , but he did not advocate for abolishing private ownership . Immediately after his return, Ramasamy, in alliance with the enthusiastic communist, M. Singaravelar, began to work out a socio-political scheme incorporating socialist and self-respect ideals. This marked a crucial stage of development in the Self-Respect Movement which got politicised and found its compatibility in Tamil Nadu. In 1937, when Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari became

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2176-408: The cruelty of time. Ramasamy had written in his books and magazines dozens of times of various occasions that British rule is better than self-rule. Ramasamy also blamed the capitalists for their control of machinery, creating difficulties for the workers. According to his philosophy, rationalism, which ought to lead the way to a peaceful life for all, had resulted in causing poverty and anxiety among

2244-521: The deletion of his caste title Naicker from his name at the First Provincial Self-Respect Conference of Chengalpattu . He could speak three Dravidian languages : Kannada , Telugu and Tamil. Ramasamy attended school for five years after which he joined his father's trade at the age of 12. He used to listen to Tamil Vaishnavite gurus who gave discourses in his house enjoying his father's hospitality. At

2312-480: The economic and political power of the Brahmin groups. The party's goal was to render social justice to the non-Brahmin groups. To gain the support of the masses, non-Brahmin politicians began propagating an ideology of equality among non-Brahmin castes. Brahmanical priesthood and Sanskritic social class-value hierarchy were blamed for the existence of inequalities among non-Brahmin caste groups. In 1937, when

2380-481: The editor of Ramasamy's Thoughts states that Brahmins purposely suppressed news about Ramasamy's participation. A leading Congress magazine, Young India , in its extensive reports on Vaikom never mentions Ramasamy. After the intervention of Mahatma Gandhi , the agitation was given up and a compromise was reached with the Regent Sethu Lakshmi Bayi , who released all those arrested and opened

2448-437: The eradication of the caste system. In his last meeting at Thiagaraya Nagar , Chennai on 19 December 1973, Ramasamy declared a call for action to gain social equality and a dignified way of life. On 24 December 1973, Ramasamy died at the age of 94. Ramasamy spent over fifty years giving speeches, propagating the realisation that everyone is an equal citizen and the differences on the basis of caste and creed were man-made to keep

2516-410: The exclusive privilege to touch idols or enter the sanctum sanctorum. As a rationalist and ardent social reformer, Ramasamy advocated forcefully throughout his life that women should be given their legitimate position in society as the equals of men, that they should be provided good education and have the right to property . He thought that age and social customs were not a bar to marrying women. He

2584-473: The government required that Hindi be taught in the school system, Ramasamy organised opposition to this policy through the Justice Party . After 1937, the Dravidian movement derived considerable support from the student community. In later years, opposition to Hindi played a big role in the politics of Tamil Nadu . The fear of the Hindi language had its origin in the conflict between Brahmins and non-Brahmins. To

2652-457: The government, the political parties and social workers to identify the evils in society and boldly adopt measures to remove them. Ramasamy's philosophy did not differentiate social and political service. According to him, the first duty of a government is to run the social organisation efficiently, and the philosophy of religion was to organise the social system. Ramasamy stated that while Christian and Islamic religions were fulfilling this role,

2720-615: The guardians of such symbols, came under verbal attack. From 1949 onwards, the Dravidar Kazhagam intensified social reformist work and put forward the fact that superstitions were the cause for the degeneration of Dravidians. The Dravidar Kazhagam vehemently fought for the abolition of untouchability amongst the Dalits . It also focused its attention on the liberation of women , women's education , willing marriage, widow marriage, orphanages and mercy homes. In 1949, Ramasamy's chief lieutenant, Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai , established

2788-583: The head of the Justice Party , and in 1944, he changed its name to Dravidar Kazhagam . The party later split with one group led by C. N. Annadurai forming the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 1949. While continuing the Self-Respect Movement, he advocated for an independent Dravida Nadu (land of the Dravidians). Ramasamy promoted the principles of rationalism , self-respect , women's rights and eradication of caste . He opposed

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2856-481: The holiest sites of Hinduism , he witnessed immoral activities such as begging and floating dead bodies. His frustrations extended to functional Hinduism in general, when he experienced what he called " Brahmanic exploitation". However, one particular alleged incident in Kasi had a profound impact on Ramasamy's ideology and future work. At the worship site, there were free meals offered to guests. To Ramasamy's shock, he

2924-562: The home town of Ramasamy. The object was not just to introduce social reform but to bring about a social revolution to foster a new spirit and build a new society. Between 1929 and 1935, under the strain of the Great Depression , political thinking worldwide received a jolt from the spread of international communism. Indian political parties, movements and considerable sections of leadership were also affected by inter-continental ideologies. The Self-Respect Movement also came under

2992-430: The influence of the leftist philosophies and institutions. Ramasamy, after establishing the Self-Respect Movement as an independent institution, began to look for ways to strengthen it politically and socially. To accomplish this, he studied the history and politics of different countries, and personally observed these systems at work. Ramasamy toured Malaya for a month, from December 1929 to January 1930, to propagate

3060-535: The innocent and ignorant as underdogs in the society. Although Ramasamy's speeches were targeted towards the illiterate and more mundane masses, scores of educated people were also swayed. Ramasamy viewed reasoning as a special tool. According to him, all were blessed with this tool, but very few used it. Thus Ramasamy used reasoning with respect to subjects of social interest in his presentations to his audiences. Communal differences in Tamil society were considered by many to be deep-rooted features until Ramasamy came to

3128-727: The leader of the Justice Party, declared that the party would henceforth be known as the Dravidar Kazhagam , or "Dravidian Association". However, a few who disagreed with Ramasamy started a splinter group, claiming to be the original Justice Party. This party was led by veteran Justice Party leader P. T. Rajan and survived until 1957. The Dravidar Kazhagam came to be well known among the urban communities and students. Villages were influenced by its message. Hindi, and ceremonies that had become associated with Brahmanical priesthood, were identified as alien symbols that should be eliminated from Tamil culture. Brahmins, who were regarded as

3196-527: The marriages registered under the Civil Law ; and to establish and maintain homes for orphans and widows and to run educational institutions. Propagation of the philosophy of self-respect became the full-time activity of Ramasamy since 1925. A Tamil weekly Kudi Arasu started in 1925, while the English journal Revolt started in 1928 carried on the propaganda among the English educated people. The Self-Respect Movement began to grow fast and received

3264-547: The movement until it was withdrawn during which he was arrested again. The way in which the Vaikom Satyagraha events have been recorded provides a clue to the image of the respective organisers. In an article entitle Gandhi and Ambedkar, A Study in Leadership , Eleanor Zelliot relates the 'Vaikom Satyagraha', including Gandhi's negotiations with the temple authorities in relation to the event. Furthermore,

3332-417: The name of god, religion, and sastras you have duped us. We were the ruling people. Stop this life of cheating us from this year. Give room for rationalism and humanism". He added that "any opposition not based on rationalism, science, or experience will one day or another, reveal the fraud, selfishness, lies and conspiracies". Ramasamy's philosophy of self-respect was based on his image of an ideal world and

3400-603: The north, south, and west public roads leading to Vaikom Mahadeva Temple to all castes. However, she refused to open the eastern road. The compromise was criticized by Ramasamy. Only in 1936, after the Temple Entry Proclamation , was access to the eastern road and entry into the temple allowed to the lower castes. In 1925 the Madras Presidency Congress passed an unanimous resolution hailing Ramasamy as Vaikom Veerar or Hero of Vaikom in

3468-458: The people due to dominating forces. He stated that there is no use to simply acquiring titles or amassing wealth if one lacks self-respect or scientific knowledge . An example he gave was the West sending messages to the planets, while the Tamil society in India were sending rice and cereals to their dead forefathers through the Brahmins. In a message to the Brahmin community, Ramasamy stated, "in

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3536-578: The present social system in which caste , religion, community and traditional occupations based on the accident of birth, have chained the mass of the people and created "superior" and "inferior" classes ... and to give people equal rights; to completely eradicate untouchability and to establish a united society based on brother / sisterhood ; to give equal rights to women; to prevent child marriages and marriages based on law favourable to one sect, to conduct and encourage love marriages, widow marriages, inter caste and inter-religious marriages and to have

3604-519: The progressive ideas that had been successfully inculcated through Tamil in the recent decades. Cutting across party lines, South Indian politicians rallied together in their opposition to Hindi. There were recurrent anti-Hindi agitations in 1948, 1952 and 1965. A political party known as the South Indian Libertarian Federation (commonly referred to as Justice Party ) was founded in 1916, principally to oppose

3672-581: The rest, that birth did not and should not endow superiority over others and that they must awaken themselves and do everything possible to improve their own lot. Likewise, Ramasamy explained that wisdom lies in thinking and that the spear-head of thinking is rationalism. On caste , he stated that no other living being harms or degrades its own class. But man, said to be a rational living being, does these evils. The differences, hatred, enmity, degradation, poverty and wickedness now prevalent in society are due to lack of wisdom and rationalism and not due to God or

3740-459: The right to separate or divorce their husbands under reasonable circumstances. While birth control remained taboo in society of Ramasamy's time, he advocated for it not only for the health of women and population control, but for liberation of women . He criticised the hypocrisy of chastity for women and argued that it should either apply also to men, or not at all for both genders. While fighting against this, Ramasamy advocated getting rid of

3808-476: The scene. The bedrock of Ramasamy's principles and the movements that he started was rationalism. He thought that an insignificant minority in society was exploiting the majority and trying to keep it in a subordinate position forever. He wanted the exploited to sit up and think about their position, and use their reason to realise that they were being exploited by a handful of people. If they started thinking, they would realise that they were human beings like

3876-426: The street. As his hunger became intolerable, Ramasamy was forced to feed on leftovers from the streets. Around this time, he realised that the eatery which had refused him entry was built by a wealthy non-Brahmin from South India . This discriminatory attitude dealt a blow to Ramasamy's regard for Hinduism, for the events he had witnessed at Kasi were completely different from the picture of Kasi he had in mind, as

3944-402: The sympathy of the heads of the Justice Party from the beginning. In May 1929, a conference of Self-Respect Volunteers was held at Pattukkotai under the presidency of S. Guruswami. K. V. Alagiriswami took charge as the head of the volunteer band. Conferences followed in succession throughout the Tamil districts of the former Madras Presidency. A Self-Respect training school was opened at Erode,

4012-404: The task of eradicating the social evils in the Indian sub-continent have to pursue the goal with devotion and dedication without deviating from the path and with uncompromising zeal. Thus, if they contest elections aiming to assume political power, they would lose vigour and a sense of purpose. But among his followers, there were those who had a different view, wanting to enter into politics and have

4080-610: The thesis that the Tamil language was much richer than Sanskrit and Hindi in content, and thus was a key which opened the door to subjects to be learned. The Dravidar Kazhagam continued to counter Brahminism, Indo-Aryan propaganda, and uphold the Dravidians' right of self-determination . In 1956, despite warnings from P. Kakkan , the President of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, Ramasamy organised

4148-412: The time. It was believed that it would be a sin to marry after puberty. Another practice, which is prevalent today, is the dowry system where the bride's family is supposed to give the husband a huge payment for the bride. The purpose of this was to assist the newly wedded couple financially, but in many instances dowries were misused by bridegrooms. The outcome of this abuse turned to the exploitation of

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4216-609: Was Chinnathyee Muthammal. He had one elder brother named Krishnaswamy and two sisters named Kannamma and Ponnuthoy. He later came to be known as "Periyar", meaning 'respected one' or 'elder' in Tamil. Ramasamy married when he was 19, and had a daughter who lived for only 5 months. His first wife, Nagammai , died in 1933. Ramasamy married for a second time in July 1948. His second wife, Maniammai , continued Ramasamy's social work after his death in 1973, and his ideas then were advocated by Dravidar Kazhagam. In 1929, Ramasamy announced

4284-500: Was born in 1961. Some of the well known members of the party included Kannadasan , M. P. Subramaiam, Pazha Nedumaran and Sivaji Ganesan . The policies of the party were: Soon after the departure from DMK Tamil National Party members closely associated with that of the Congress party . At that time Periyar and his Dravidar Kazhagam was close with Kamaraj the leader of the Congress party. Thus when Kamaraj invited Sampath to join

4352-586: Was first used by Ramasamy in protest against the introduction of Hindi in schools. He claimed that the introduction of Hindi was a dangerous mechanism used by the Aryans to infiltrate Dravidian culture. He reasoned that the adoption of Hindi would make Tamils subordinate to the Hindi-speaking North Indians . Ramasamy claimed that Hindi would not only halt the progress of Tamil people, but would also completely destroy their culture and nullify

4420-424: Was heading. E. V. K. Sampath along with C. N. Annadurai broke away from Dravidar Kazhagam and formed their own party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam . Tamil cinema has been used extensively for propaganda for Dravidian politics. Although the Indian National Congress in the region did use movies and stars for propaganda, it was shunned upon by major Congress leaders. DMK to the contrary used the Tamil film industry as

4488-439: Was keen that women should realise their rights and be worthy citizens of their country. Ramasamy fought against the orthodox traditions of marriage as suppression of women in Tamil Nadu and throughout the Indian sub-continent. Though arranged marriages were meant to enable a couple to live together throughout life, it was manipulated to enslave women. Much worse was the practice of child marriages practised throughout India at

4556-462: Was refused meals at choultries, which exclusively fed Brahmins . Due to extreme hunger, Ramasamy felt compelled to enter one of the eateries disguised as a Brahmin with a sacred thread on his bare chest, but was betrayed by his moustache. The gatekeeper at the temple concluded that Ramasamy was not a Brahmin, as Brahmins were not permitted by the Hindu shastras to have moustaches. He not only prevented Ramasamy's entry but also pushed him rudely into

4624-464: Was the subjugation of non-Brahmin Dravidians as Brahmins enjoyed gifts and donations from non-Brahmins but opposed and discriminated against non-Brahmins in cultural and religious matters. He declared his stance to be "no god, no religion, no Gandhi, no Congress, and no Brahmins". He founded Self-Respect Movement in 1926. From 1929 to 1932 Ramasamy made a tour of British Malaya , Europe, and Soviet Union which influenced him. In 1939, Ramasamy became

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