How did Periyar view Tamil and Tamil society?

E.V. Ramasamy
Naicker, popularly hailed as Periyar by his followers, is known for founding
the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. He is considered as the father
of Dravidian movement and a harbinger of social justice who advocated atheism
and rationalism. However, his atheism and rationalism was directed towards
Hinduism only and not towards other religions. The rationality in that kind of
atheism still puzzles many thinking individuals. Over the years, a saintly
image has been constructed around EV Ramasamy Naicker portraying that he was
the crusader of Tamils and Tamil society. But history records show otherwise.

The first person
to start politics of hatred and violence even before Mohammad Ali Jinnah was
Periyar. While Jinnah divided Indians on the basis of religion, Periyar incited
hatred by exploiting the linguistic differences. He proposed a separate Dravidistan
along the lines of Pakistan. But many in Tamil Nadu, celebrate him as the
protector of Tamil rights and Tamilians. If one reads the speeches and
editorials of Periyar in his mouthpieces Viduthalai and Kudiarasu, it would be
evident as to what his views on Tamil and Tamilians were. Following are some
historical records about Periyar that many do not know or consciously hide from
the mainstream.

#1: Periyar
considered Tamil to be a barbarian language.

In an editorial
article of Viduthalai dated October 11, 1967, Periyar called Tamil as a “kaatumiraandi
mozhi”, meaning barbarian language. He mentions Tamil as a barbarian
language not once but several times during the course of his lifetime. He
wanted Tamil to be discarded at home and advocated the use of English as the
medium of communication. He went to the extent of saying that ‘Tamil is a
language that is not even useful for begging’.

#2: Periyar
ridiculed Silappadikaram.

Silappadikaram, the
great Tamil epic written by Ilango Adigal and belonging to the ancient Sangam
literature, was called by Periyar as an Aryan propaganda tool. In a speech made
on March 30, 1951, he shuns Silappadikaram as a text filled with Aryan
concepts. One of the finest and richest literature ever produced by mankind, he
considered it to be a treasure of superstitions and slavery of women.

#3: Periyar
brutally criticized Kamba Ramayanam.

Kamba Ramayanam,
the Tamil version of Ramayana that is revered in Tamil Nadu was denounced by
Periyar as a ‘storehouse of falsehood’. He opined that literature like Kamba
Ramayanam betrayed the Tamil race. He said that the popularity of literature
like Kamba Ramayanam and Silappadikaram showed that Tamil people had no
intelligence and self-respect.

#4: Periyar
called Tamil society as backward and irrational.

During October and
November 1967, Periyar wrote several articles describing that Tamils were
backward and irrational. He said that Tamils invented only backward elements
like grinding stone, cotton wicks, oil lamps, bullock cart, palm leaf, mantras,
yogic power etc which had no practical utility. He even mentioned that Tamils
had no concept of time and that it was adopted from the English society. To
him, Tamils were a bunch of people, who had no racial feeling, no self-respect,
no nationalism and no humaneness.

#5: Periyar was
a harsh critic of Tamil scholars.

In the edition of
Viduthalai dating March 16, 1967, he observed that Tamil scholars and pundits
deserved to be imprisoned for life and hanged as they did not create anything
that led to society’s progress. He described the World Tamil Conference as a
“census to enumerate fools”.

#6: Periyar
referred to the ancient Saivite and Vaishnavite Tamil literature as rubbish.

Tamil Saivite
literature like Tevaram, Tiruvasagam and Tirumandiram which are part of the
Thirumurai, a collection of songs in praise of Lord Shiva was called as rubbish
by Periyar. Divyaprabandham, which is considered as the Tamil Veda and
Periyapuranam written by the renowned saint Sekkizhar that elaborated the lives
of 63 Nayanmars were called by Periyar as instruments that harmed the Tamil
society.

#7: Periyar
equated Thirukkural to excreta.

Though he praised
Thirukkural in the beginning, he started condemning it in his later years. The
issue of Viduthalai dated June 1, 1950, had a writing of Periyar that condemned
Thirukkural for carrying ideas opposed to rationalism. When a few people asked
him if Thirukkural too would be gone, what literature the Tamils would be left
with, he responded saying:

“I am saying remove the excreta emanating
bad smell from the room… and you are asking me if we remove this excreta what
should we place in its place?”

#8: Periyar
maligned freedom fighter and Tamil poet Subramania Bharathi.

In the journal
Ticutar, he besmirched Bharathiyar for describing Mother Tamil as a sister of
Sanskrit in his poems. He indirectly referred to Bharathiyar as a rat living in
agraharam. He said that:

“They say Bharati is an
immortal poet.…Even if a rat dies in an agraharam, they would declare it to be
immortal. Why should this be so? Supposedly because he sang fulsome praises of
Tamil and Tamil Nadu. What else could he sing? His own mother tongue, Sanskrit,
has been dead for years. What other language did he know? He cannot sing in
Sanskrit.”

All these comments
and views of Periyar on Tamil and Tamil society makes one really wonder whether
Periyar was a champion of Tamils or was he an anti-Tamil bigot and rabble
rouser? Though his comments may have had certain historical and sociological
context, to revere him as a demigod whose views and integrity are beyond
questionable realm is humbug.

References:

1. Viduthalai,
   Madras, October 11, 1967
2. Viduthalai,
   Madras, March 16, 1967
3. Viduthalai,
   Madras, June 1, 1950
4. https://swarajyamag.com/politics/ten-things-about-periyar-dravidian-parties-dont-want-you-to-know
5. https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/61790/14/14_chapter 7.pdf