Periyar, An Acolyte To Antagonist
Outlook|October 07, 2019
Nobody criticised Gandhi as fervently and unjustly as the Tamil leader did
P.A. Krishnan
Periyar, An Acolyte To Antagonist

Periyar E.V. Ramasamy must easily be one of the most controversial political personalities of 20th­ century India. a people’s man, he spent the last 50 years of his long life practically on the move, haranguing at street corners, frequently getting abused and having stones thrown at him. The Tamils are rightly proud of him because he was one of his kind. Periyar was a proud person, but never selfish. His love for the Tamil people and the underprivileged was unquestionable. He did not know how to mince words and often went overboard. He truly detested religion, God, caste, social discrimination, Brahmins, the ideas of Gandhi and the very idea of India.

Of the three major leaders who stoutly opposed Gandhi, two, Jinnah and Ambedkar, are well-known and their works are available in English. The third, Periyar, is familiar to non-Tamils only through a minuscule, translated portion of his enormous output and some adulatory accounts of his life by his admirers. There is not a single biography of him in either Tamil or English, which satisfactorily covers his extraordinary journey. Not that contemporary historians, especially non-Tamil ones, are complaining. As far I know, none of them has made any serious effort to a get a complete picture of Periyar.

The lacuna is cleverly being exploited by Periyarist intellectuals who, without any compunction, attribute to Periyar views which they think he would have been better off possessing. Periyar was stark black and white—the person you get today is a highly colourised and heavily touched-up version of his real self. There is no doubt that his real self itself had much to commend. He was, by a long chalk, the greatest social reformer of Tamil Nadu who kept asking uncomfortable questions. The problem was he almost always thought he had all the right answers himself and came down heavily on those who said they too had a few alternative answers.

THE GANDHI DEVOTEE

This story is from the October 07, 2019 edition of Outlook.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October 07, 2019 edition of Outlook.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM OUTLOOKView All
The Man Who Shot Deewaar
Outlook

The Man Who Shot Deewaar

Most of Yash Chopra's iconic films, including Deewaar, Kabhi Kabhie and Silsila were shot by the prolific Kay Gee

time-read
5 mins  |
April 01, 2024
Acting Away Oppression
Outlook

Acting Away Oppression

Virendra Ganvir uses theatre as a medium to confront the societal inequalities associated with manual scavenging

time-read
5 mins  |
April 01, 2024
Bonding with the Bonds
Outlook

Bonding with the Bonds

The revelation of donor-recipient connections in electoral bonds may cause discomfort to the BJP-the biggest beneficiary. But many others are looking for cover, too

time-read
6 mins  |
April 01, 2024
"We need ideas, patience, and hope"
Outlook

"We need ideas, patience, and hope"

Over the last few years, several human rights organisations have been demanding the release of former Delhi University professor Gokarakonda Naga (G N) Saibaba. On March 5, 2024, the Bombay High Court acquitted Saibaba along with Hem Mishra, Mahesh Tirki, Vijay Tirki, Prashant Rahi, and Pandu Narote.

time-read
5 mins  |
April 01, 2024
The Iron Harvest
Outlook

The Iron Harvest

The farming community has always been given great significance when it comes to poll promises and manifestoes. But many of their issues have never been resolved

time-read
5 mins  |
April 01, 2024
The Young and the Restless
Outlook

The Young and the Restless

Nearly two crore young voters will cast ballots for their next government this year. One of their major issues - unemployment

time-read
5 mins  |
April 01, 2024
The Female Factor
Outlook

The Female Factor

Female voters are set to outnumber male voters by the 2029 Lok Sabha elections in India. Yet, the number of women in the political domain remains woefully low

time-read
6 mins  |
April 01, 2024
The Politics of New Castes
Outlook

The Politics of New Castes

With the Prime Minister announcing the poor, women, farmers, and the youths as new caste categories, it would be interesting to see its impact on the upcoming General Elections

time-read
9 mins  |
April 01, 2024
The Runaway Groom
Outlook

The Runaway Groom

Tribal communities in the country have had interesting and unique wedding customs, but most have gone extinct with time

time-read
4 mins  |
April 01, 2024
Truly Traditional
Outlook

Truly Traditional

As the trend of lavish five-day weddings becomes the norm, many are going back to the roots to revive lapsed traditions

time-read
6 mins  |
April 01, 2024