CHENNAI: Unveiling the portrait of Periyar EV Ramasamy at Oxford University's St.Antony's College on September 4, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Self-Respect Movement, an 'emotionally moved' Chief Minister MK Stalin said, "Periyar is becoming global."
The portrait was painted by Thotta Tharani, an Indian art director, painter and production designer.
Speaking at the two-day conference hosted by the St Antony’s and Balliol colleges at Oxford University, Stalin said, "Tamil Nadu is advancing in every sphere - In education, the economy, industrial growth, standard of living, and infrastructure, we have made significant advancements.” He added, "We are nurturing Tamil Nadu into a prosperous land. We have risen into a state admired with wonder by other states. This is the achievement of the Dravidian movement. The growth envisioned by Periyar – we are showing it in action in Tamil Nadu."
He further said, "I will not say that we have fulfilled all the dreams envisioned by Periyar. The growth that we as a society have achieved in these hundred years is like a child learning to walk. We still have a long way to go. In this journey, we must discard the stagnations, the unnecessary hurdles, and the old confusions. We should not get trapped in false pride and move backwards again. Various tricks will be used to drag us backwards. If we are deceived even slightly, all our hard work will be called into question.”
Highlighting Periyar's advocacy for widow remarriage, Stalin recalled how a young Periyar arranged for the remarriage of his 10-year-old niece, who lost her 13-year-old husband on the 16th day of their marriage.
He said, "Though everyone in the family opposed the remarriage, defying them all, Periyar conducted a second marriage for her. Similarly, he conducted inter-caste love marriages in defiance of opposition from the villagers."
He added, "Though he joined the Indian freedom struggle, Periyar was eager to spread reformist ideas. At the Cheranmadevi Gurukulam, he fought for equal food for all, and at Vaikom, he fought for the right of everyone to walk through the temple streets.”
Emphasising on DMK government’s initiatives in "giving life to the thoughts of Periyar," he said, "To transcend caste, in a step not taken by any other state in India, CN Annadurai enacted the self-respect marriage act and M Karunanidhi brought the Samathuvapuram schemes and also a law that allow the people of all castes to become temple priests."
He underscored that all the achievements of Periyar were revolutions without weapons and bloodshed.
"While establishing the self-respect movement, Periyar travelled all over the world, including Malaysia, Singapore, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Spain, France, England, Portugal, and the Soviet Union," he noted.
Stalin said, "Just as Thiruvalluvar’s Thirukkural became universal despite being written in Tamil, Periyar’s thoughts were necessary for the entire world." He added, "Periyar was born in Tamil Nadu and spoke in Tamil, but his ideas transcended boundaries. His philosophy was not confined to land, a language, or a people."
Referring to the book titled The Cambridge Companion to Periyar, compiled jointly by AR Venkatachalapathy and Karthick Ram Manoharan, and published by Cambridge University Press, he said, “Even after so many years of his passing, Oxford University continues to discuss him. The Tamil Nadu government is translating and publishing Periyar’s ideas in various languages of the world. As Cambridge University has done today, I request that other universities also publish."
With inputs from PTI