CHAPTER IV CAUSES FOR THE EMERGENCE OF E.V.R AS A SOCIAL REFORMER. The Contemporary society of E.V. Ramasamy, was divided

Transcription

1 CHAPTER IV CAUSES FOR THE EMERGENCE OF E.V.R AS A SOCIAL REFORMER The Contemporary society of E.V. Ramasamy, was divided into various castes. This cruel system created a social ladder of caste hierarchy, which ordained the Brahmins to lead a life of ease with no physical hardship. The non-brahmin low caste people (Sudras) were destined to undertake physical work of producing all goods and services to cater to the needs of the other three upper caste people. 1 Childhood Experience E.V.R himself was affected by this caste system from his child hood days. While he was studying at school, he warned by his parents and teacher not to drink water from the people of low caste and whenever he was thirsty he should drink water from his teacher s house who belonged to the upper caste. Once the young E.V.R went to his 1 Saraswathi.S., Minorities in Madras State, Delhi, 1974, p.11.

2 125 teacher s house to drink water. The high-caste teacher s daughter who offered him water, directed him to lift the tumbler up and drink without the touch of his lips on the rim and then sprinkled it with water before touching it. At another time when the young E.V.R went to a low-caste house to drink water, the woman who offered water with lot of love and care, took away the tumbler without sprinkling water on it. To his surprise, the lowcaste women asked the boy at first if his parents would not object to his drinking water from her house. He said that the parents would not but evidently he was uttering a lie as he himself narrated this incident in one of his reminiscences. 2 This experience led to compare the behaviour of high and the low-caste people and the young boy realized that all these were due to the prevailing social system which was caste ridden. It was his innocent experience that had in it a grain of provocation to his thinking in a rationalistic way instinctively. His discomfort in the company of high-caste people and his comfortable adjustment with low-castes gradually led him to mix more with lower-caste boys. E.V.R. therefore, violated the rules of caste purity at a very early age and in an extreme way. 3 His free mingling with low-caste boys worried his parents who brought the young E.V.R from his grand-mother s house, thinking that 2 Sami Chidambaranar, Thamizhar Thalaivar, Erode, 1960, p Ibid., p.21.

3 126 the leniency and affection of the grand-mother towards their son was the reason for the boy s uncontrollable behaviour. 4 On a particular occasion the parents tied his legs chained with small wooden logs for about 15 days in order to prevent him from mixing with low-caste friends. This punishment was repulsive and it had an effect contrary to the expectation of his parents. Yet, the father used to ignore the boy s behaviour while the mother felt dis-heartened. The parents should have felt that young E.V.R would change his behaviour and conform to the prevailing social order as he grew old. Indeed, the parents underrated the boy. They were not aware of the repulsive punishment causing apparently an inner-conflict in the mind of the boy. 5 Opportunity to hear the Speeches of Pandits E.V.R s parents were pious and orthodox Hindus who always patronized Brahmin priests. After withdrawing his son from the school, his father Venkatappa Naicker did not set him free. He realized the intellectual ability of his son and wanted to utilize that ability in his profession. So, he inducted his son into his business when he was just 12 years old. 6 His withdrawal from school, benefited young E.V.R in two ways. 4 Sami Chidambaranar, op.cit., p Subramaniam, M.K., Periyar s Self-Respect Philosophy, Erode, 1980, p.p Sami Chidamparanar, op.cit., p.24.

4 127 E.V.R abundantly availed of the opportunities to hear the speeches of Pandits, Sanyasis and people connected with Hindu religion, who were flooding his house frequently to deliver religious discourses. With his instinctive rationalism already activised, with his environment having been more liberal allowing his biological urge to come to surface and with his liberation from the ties of school, E.V.R learnt in a free atmosphere by hearing the Pandits and questioning them, clarifying doubts with them and raising new doubts for them. 7 His contacts with Brahmin priests and religious preachers who came to his house led him to have a close life with them. Through this contact he gained full knowledge about Hindu Religion and Hindu mythology. His debates with them sharpened his intellect on the subjects like Religion, God, Puranas, Ithigasas etc. and made him to have a radical original thinking. 8 He would first attempt to contradict the view point of the pandits by finding loopholes in the opponents arguments. He would corner them in their own statements. He would pick up the self-contradictory trends in their analysis. He would relate their statements of conviction with their personal life showing again the conflict, somewhat less sympathetically, between their principles and practices. And such 7 Kavighar Karunanntham, Thanthai Periyar Mulu Muthal Vazhlkai Varalaru (Tamil), Vol. I, 1974, Trichy, p.8. 8 Idem.

5 128 contradictions he would spell out from the very scriptures which the priests had kept as an authority with them. 9 Contradiction was a powerful tool of analysis which E.V.R used with dexterity in the early years of his life. Thus, being in the midst of Brahmin religious priests, E.V.R became a master of the Puranas and the Vedic literature of the priestly class and this helped him to criticize God and religion even in his teens. His family surroundings made him a free thinker and a bold rationalist and he got the urge to reform the Hindu Society. 10 From what Periyar has written autobiographically, the inference is that this teenager has not been a believer in God and Caste. To quote him: From my early days I had no respect for caste or religion Likewise I never had any fear of God or faith in Him. I am still trying to recollect whether I had during my lifetime ever been on any day lived with faith in God or religion. I had thought about it several times before. I had been repeatedly thinking over and over. Again as to from whence, from which time had I been without faith in the God, I couldn t fix it. 11 E.V.R s instinctive rationalism covers his boy hood years 9 Subramaniam, M.K., op.cit., p Kavighar Karunanntham, op.cit., p Thandavanan, R., The Dravidian Movement, Chennai, 2001, p.4.

6 129 from 1885 to The adulthood period from 1890 to 1904 may possibly be a period when his instinctive rationalism matured into positive rationalism based on facts and scientific analysis. During this period he should have been questioning everything, ridiculing tradition, scriptures, Caste, God and religion. 12 Kasi Pilgrimage Incident E.V. Ramasamy s renunciation of the world was only a momentary decision and a short lived one but the experience he gained during this period was a worthy less to him to know more about the Brahmins and religion. In 1904 he undertook renunciation of family because of the harsh reprimand by his father. He went first to Vijayawada in Andhra State. Then he proceeded to Hyderabad and Kolkatta. 13 At last E.V. Ramasamy went on a pilgrimage to Kasi to worship in the revered Siva temple of Kasi Vishwanath. Though it regarded as one of the holiest sites of Hinduism, he witnessed immoral activities, begging and floating dead bodies. His frustrations extended to functional Hinduism in general when he experienced what he called Brahmanic exploitation Sami Chidamparanar, op.cit., p Anita Diehl., Periyar E.V. Ramasami, Madras, 1978, p Anita Dehil, op.cit., p.32.

7 130 However, one particular incident in Kasi had a profound impact on Periyar s ideology and future work. At worship site there were free meals offered to guests. To Periyar s shock, he was refused meals at Choultries which exclusively fed Brahmins. Due to extreme hunger, Periyar felt compelled to enter one of the Choultries disguised as a Brahmin with a sacred thread on his bare chest, but was betrayed by his moustache. The gate keeper concluded that Periyar was not a Brahmin as Brahmins were not permitted by the Hindu Shastras to have moustaches. 15 He not only prevented Periyar s entry but also pushed him rudely to the street. As his hunger became intolerable, Periyar was forced to feed on left overs from the streets. Around this time, he realized that the Choultry which had refused him entry was built by a wealthy Non- Brahmin from South India. This discriminatory attitude dealt a blow to Periyar s regard for Hinduism, for the events he had witnessed at Kasi he had in mind, as a holy place which welcomed all. 16 E.V.R returned to Erode, disillusioned with both Brahminical society and the ascetic mode of life. Those who practised the priest-hood, failed to live upto his ideals. 17 After his trip to holy places, he gradually abandoned all faith in religion. 15 Anita Dehil, op.cit., p Kavighar Karunantham, op.cit., p Barnett, Margenete Ross, The politics of Cultural Nationalism in South India, Princeton, 1976, p.36.

8 131 Generous Character of Periyar When he rejoined his father s business at Erode, he actively engaged himself in the public life of that town. At Erode, whatever good or bad happened in any house E.V.R invariably participated in all ceremonies, be it a marriage or death, without any distinction of caste prejudices. He himself would voluntarily conduct such things with all responsibility as if they were his own. 18 Due to this natural character, he became very popular at Erode. He had an abiding interest in public welfare. For instance, when the disease of plague struck Erode, he did yeoman service to public without any caste prejudice. While the well-to-do deserted Erode for fear of the scourge of plague, he undertook courageously along with his band of friends and followers, the selfless humanist service of treating the plague afflicted poor population with tender care and even of lending his shoulders in removing the dead bodies to the cremation ground. He was a source of succour and strength to the poor families at Erode. 19 His Natural Gift of Reason When the experience and the sense of responsibility dawned on him, he was found equal to any task. By his natural gift of reason he gained a powerful position in Erode public life and soon he was connected 18 Sami Chidamparanar, op.cit., p Subramaniam, M.K., op.cit., p.61.

9 132 with 29 public institutions such as the District Board, Taluk Board, Devasthanams, War Fund, Urban Bank, Magistracy, Merchant Association, Music Academy, Agriculturalist Association, Naidu Sangam, Reading oom, Mahajana High School, Peace Committee and Committee for Recruiting Jawans for War in varied capacities. 20 He was Honorary Magistrate for 12 years, President of the Erode Taluk Devasthanam Committee for a number of years, vicepresident of the Taluk Board and Chairman of the Erode Municipality. 21 Though he administered temples in his capacity as President of the Temple Committee, he never regained faith in religion. Often his critics pointed out that his trusteeship was inconsistent with his views on religion and God. But, E.V.R answered that he held such position only for proper administration of temple and temple funds. 22 His opposition to religious worship and caste regulation brought condemnation from all high - castes. He was an outcaste to his own relatives because he defied his orthodox kinsmen by encouraging his young niece to remarry after she had lost her husband. Yet, he gained importance and influence Subramaniam, M.K., op.cit., p Subramaniam, M.K., op.cit., p Chidamparanar, op.cit., pp Ibid., p.62.

10 133 Attitude of the Congress Leaders The birth of Justice Party frightened the Congress leaders. Fearing towards the non-brahmin party, the Congress leaders thought that they should do something urgently to retain the confidence of the non- Brahmin in the Congress. The induction of E.V.R in to the Congress party was probably a step to allay the fear of the non-brahmins that the congress was the monopoly of the Brahmins as accused by the Justice Party. 24 E.V.R was the chairman of Erode Municipality and C. Rajagopalachari was the chairman of Salem Municipality at the same period. Dr. Naidu and C. Rajagopalachari both belonged to the congress party and they often met E.V.R at his residence. E.V.R resigned his chairmanship of Municipality along with C.R in protest against the Jallian Wala Bagh tragedy in April E.V.R s association with C.R and Dr. Naidu was responsible for dragging him into the congress fold. They assured him that his ideals of communal justice could be realized if he became a congress man. 26 The ideals of the congress such as amelioration of the condition of the masses, removal of untouchability and prohibition were similar to his own principles on social reform which attracted E.V.R and 24 The Hindu, 20, December, 1918, p Chidambaranar, op.cit., pp Ibid., p.68.

11 134 above all the charismatic personality of Mahatma Gandhi towards the congress. 27 Hence E.V.R joined the congress party in When E.V.R joined the Congress, the Congress in Tamilnadu was entirely monopolized by Brahmins. C. Rajagopalachari, S. Sathyamurthy, Kasturi Ranga Iyer, Varadachariar, T. Vijayaragavachariar were the popular leaders of the Congress. They were all enemies of Justice Party which strove for the non-brahmins interests. Yet, at the instance of C.R., E.V.R entered public life as a Congress man. He believed that his ideals could be achieved only through Gandhi and the congress. E.V.R sincerely believed the words of Brahmin leaders and joined the congress. 29 His devotion to Gandhiji and the congress was total and he discharged his duties with characteristic zest and zeal. He wore khader and even his entire family. 30 He resigned all the honourary posts he held and left a business he had run for 15 years. He headed a Dharna in front of toddy shops at Erode and was jailed for a month in He lost 50,000 rupees when he cut down 500 coconut trees used in preparing alcoholic toddy Chidambaranar, op.cit., p Kavighar Karunantham, op.cit, p Viduthalai, 14 April 1951, p Chidambaranar, op.cit., p The Modern Rationalist, Vol.II, January 1974, p Chidambaranar, op.cit., p.76.

12 135 The successful attempt of Justice Party in securing communal representation through the Meston Award induced the non-brahmins of the Congress party to extend a similar demand for position within their party organization as well as in public services. 33 E.V.R also realized that the non-brahmin needed adequate protection and encouragement in order to bring them on par with Brahmins who had monopolized the public services and public affairs. So, he attempted to evolve a plan for communal justice. He championed the cause of non-brahminism inside the congress from the year 1919 to He requested a resolution on communal representation which was disallowed in the congress sessions of 1919 at Trichy, 1920 at Tirunelveli, 1921 at Tanjore, 1922 at Tirupur, 1923 at Madurai and 1924 at Thiruvannamalai. 34 Being sincere and deeply devoted to the cause of social reform, E.V.R could not easily realize the inner motives of the Brahmin leaders. Unknowingly, he sincerely believed congress and Gandhiji. Brahmins cleverly insisted on political reform to fortify their hierarchy. A series of events in the congress made E.V.R to realize his mistake in association himself with the congress. On September 20, 1917 a meeting of Congress non-brahmins was held and decided to meet Montague, the Secretary of State for India 33 Nambi Arroran, K., Tamil Renaissance and Dravidian Nationalism, Madurai, 1980, p Anaimuth, V., Periyar E.Ve.Ra. Chindanaigal (Tamil), Trichy, 1974, p.xxii.

13 136 and place before him a scheme of reforms designed to give non-brahmins full communal representation. 35 It resulted in the birth of Madras Presidency Association. It was considered as the child of the Brahmin leaders of the Congress. The Justice Party accused the MPA because it was a tool of Madrasi Brahmins who had set up it purposely to try and reduce the popularity of the Justice Party. 36 Kesava Pillai was elected as President and E.V.R as one of its vice-presidents. MPA was pleading for separate representation for non-brahmins. It published journals, Indian Patriot in English and Desabakthan in Tamil. 37 So all the Brahmin leaders in the congress left from the M.P.A Kesava Pillai realized the motives of the Brahmins and resigned his Presidentship. E.V.R continued his association with M.P.A. till its end in Bitter Experiences of E.V.R On this occasion some of the social customs of the Brahmin leaders hurt the feeling of the E.V.R. When a conference was held at Tirunelveli for the removal of untouchability, a non-brahmin member, Govindasamy Nadar of Virudhunagar was asked to go and eat in a separate 35 The Hindu, 21 September 1917, p Eugene Irschick. F., Politics and Social Conflict in South India, Bombay, 1969, p Barnett, op.cit, p Eugene Irschick, F., op.cit., p.166.

14 137 enclosure other than those of the Brahmins. Immediately he left the conference and set fire to the Khaddar clothes in the street. 39 Such a discrimination in a National Organisation could never be tolerated by persons like E.V.R. Not only in the case of Govindasamy Nadar but also in the case of other non-brahmins, similar treatment was meted out in the conferences in the name of religion and traditions. Though the Brahmins spoke on the same platforms, at the time of dining they had a separate dining halls for them. 40 A copy of the letter addressed by the people to Lord Pentland in 1892 and 1893 presented by E.V.R. pointed out how in the political and social fields Brahmins were oppressing non-brahmins. This sort of hatred for Brahmins was thus the result of a slow evolution in E.V.R. E.V.R himself narrated an event to show how far his Self Respect was wounded in this question. Once when E.V.R went with Srinivasa Iyengar to a Brahmin s house for dining, he was supplied food in a separate place and when he went again for lunch to the same place, the leaves used for serving morning tiffin were not even removed and in the same place he was again served meals. The leaves in which he ate both in the morning and afternoon were there till night meals was served. As he 39 Mangalamurugesan, Self Respect Movement (Tamilnad ), 1980, Madurai, p Mangalamurugesan, op.cit., p.53.

15 138 was a Sudra according to them, the mere touch of the leaves would lead to pollution. 41 Similar incidents happened to him at various places. When E.V.R and Venkatasamy Pillai went to a Brahmin s house at Tanjore, they had the same experience. 42 Naturally it wounded his feelings and hence a strong opposition for Brahminism developed in him later. This was not the case outside only but even inside the Jail the same treatment was meted out to Non-Brahmins. E.V.R. narrated an incident in which he proved that in the Cuddalore Jail, a separate cook was arranged for Brahmin prisoners. But for others it was alleged that no such differences were maintained. This also wounded his heart much. 43 Disappointed by the activities of congress party and Brahmin leaders he decided to lend his support to the Non Brahmin party such as Justice party which was started by the effort of some educated non Brahmins. These experiences of E.V.R gained much wisdom which proved useful to him in later life. They moulded him as a social reformer and he himself came forward to fight for the welfare of the Non - Brahmin community. At first he struggled hard for the entry of low caste Hindus in 41 Kudi Arasu, 12 July, 1931, p Kudi Arasu, 12 July, 1931, p Ibid., 26 June, 1926, p.1.

16 139 to the temples of high caste Brahmins. Consequently he got victory in it. The following chapter clearly explains about it.