Self-respect movement seeks to rehumanise the dehumanised, says K. Veeramani

The self-respect movement, which is celebrating its 100^th year of inception, is unique as it seeks to rehumanise the people who have been dehumanised by untouchability, K. Veeramani, Chancellor of Periyar Maniammai Institute of Science and Technology, said in Chennai on Thursday.

Speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day national symposium on ‘A Century of Self-Respect: Periyar and the Legacy of the Dravidian Movement Commemorating 100 Years’ at the University of Madras (UoM), Mr. Veeramani said discriminations such as caste, varnashrama dharma, and Manudharma have dehumanised human beings. “From dehumanisation, our self-respect movement wants to rehumanise the people,” he noted.

The movement was also unique because its principles were laid down even before the movement arrived. Giving an example, Mr. Veeramani said that Periyar, who was an ardent disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, differed with him on the issue of providing separate wells for ‘harijans’ as it perpetuated untouchability. “Nowadays, it is quite ridiculous of people to start [political] parties and not announce their principles,” he observed.

Periyar, he said, had laid down some fundamental points on how a movement could be best run; it required an exemplary leader, unassailable principles, truthful volunteers, and honest propagandists, he added.

Noting that the year 1925 gave birth to two diametrically opposite philosophies in India – the self-respect movement of Periyar and another one enunciated by the RSS – A. Raja, Member of Parliament (DMK), said the purpose of the symposium should be to distinguish between the two philosophies and identify one that would be suited for this country and would uphold the Constitution. He said even during the framing of the Constitution, the philosophical values of rationalism were resisted by some in the Constituent Assembly.

If Constitutional values of liberty, equality and fraternity were to be protected, then the values that were contrary to them – gendered inequality, permission of education, permission of property, and suppression of women, all according to Dr. Ambedkar being hallmarks of Hinduism – would have to go, Mr. Raja added.

Drawing a parallel between the advent of age of reason in Europe and the self-respect movement in Tamil Nadu, S. Armstrong, Member, Vice-Chancellor Convener Committee, said that in Europe, rational inquiry, scientific revolution, individual rights, separation of church and state, and social construct took around 500 years to arrive, curated by philosophers such as Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant, who challenged traditional authority through reason. In Tamil Nadu, Periyar’s vision brought in rational deconstruction, educational reform, women’s liberation, and social equality through the self-respect movement.

Kalaichelvi Sivaraman, Assistant Professor and Head, Anna Centre for Public Affairs, University of Madras, and G. Olivannan, Member, Dravidian Historical Research Centre, spoke.