The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is an Indian political party based in the state of Tamil Nadu,where it is currently the ruling party,and the union territory of Puducherry,where it is currently the main opposition.
The Justice Party,officially the South Indian Liberal Federation,was a political party in the Madras Presidency of British India. It was established on 20 November 1916 in Victoria Public Hall in Madras by Dr C. Natesa Mudaliar and co-founded by T. M. Nair,P. Theagaraya Chetty and Alamelu Mangai Thayarammal as a result of a series of non-Brahmin conferences and meetings in the presidency. Communal division between Brahmins and non-Brahmins began in the presidency during the late-19th and early-20th century,mainly due to caste prejudices and disproportionate Brahminical representation in government jobs. The Justice Party's foundation marked the culmination of several efforts to establish an organisation to represent the non-Brahmins in Madras and is seen as the start of the Dravidian Movement.
Dravidar Kazhagam is a social movement founded by E. V. Ramasami,also called Thanthai Periyar. Its original goals were to eradicate the ills of the existing caste system including untouchability and on a grander scale to obtain a "Dravida Nadu" from the Madras Presidency. Dravidar Kazhagam would in turn give birth to many other political parties,including Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and later the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai,popularly known as Anna,also known as Perarignar Anna,was an Indian politician who served as the fourth and last Chief Minister of Madras State from 1967 until 1969 and first Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for 20 days before his death. He was the first member of a Dravidian party to hold either post.
Erode Venkatappa Krishnasamy Sampath,usually referred to as E. V. K. Sampath was a prominent politician from Tamil Nadu,India. He was an advocate of the Dravidian Movement of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy and was considered by some as his political heir. He later split from Periyar's Dravidar Kazhagam to form Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) along with C. N. Annadurai. In spite of being one of the founders of DMK he later left and formed his own party,by the name,Tamil National Party. Nevertheless,he later merged his party with the Indian National Congress. He is a former Member of Parliament from the constituency of Namakkal.
S. Kumarasamy generally referred as Kumarasamy Pillai,or Komachi,is a well-known politician and social worker in the Kumbakonam town. From his student life he actively engaged in several social works. He is an ardent follower of E. V. Ramasami and K. Kamaraj.
Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy,revered by his followers as Periyar or Thanthai Periyar,was an Indian social activist and politician who started the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. He is known as the 'Father of the Dravidian movement'. He rebelled against Brahmin dominance and gender and caste inequality in Tamil Nadu. Since 2021,the Indian state of Tamil Nadu celebrates his birth anniversary as 'Social Justice Day'.
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy,also known as Ramaswami,EVR,Thanthai Periyar,or Periyar,was a Dravidian social reformer and politician from India,who founded the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. He advocated for the rights of women and was considered ahead of his time as well as controversial. Throughout the Indian sub-continent today,women continue to be marginalized in various ethnic and religious groups. During the early part of the twentieth century there have been many agitations against British rule (external) and injustices committed amongst the people of the sub-continent (internal). With all this,women's rights have been left in the dark. Periyar stated that,"political reformers are agitating that the privilege of administering "India" should go to "Indians". Social reformers are agitating that communal divisions and differences should be done away with. But nobody takes notice of the great hardship suffered by one section of women. Intelligent people will agree that the creator has not endowed men and women with different faculties. There are,in both men and women,intellectuals,courageous people,as well as stupid and cowardly people. While this is the case,it is unfair and wicked on the part of the haughty male population to continue to denigrate and enslave the female population.
Periyar is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language biographical film,made about the life of the social reformer and rationalist Periyar E. V. Ramasamy with Sathyaraj who himself is a rationalist in the lead role. This movie was partly funded by the then Tamil Nadu government headed by Karunanidhi. The film was dubbed in Telugu and released as Periyar Ramaswamy Naicker.
Tamil National Party was a short-lived political party formed in 1961 in Tamil Nadu,India. The party finds its roots with the split in Dravidar Kazhagam after which Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was formed. E. V. K. Sampath,a founding member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam,left the party following differences with the party leadership. The differences arose due to the DMK's stance on achieving an independent nation called Dravida Nadu. Nevertheless,within years the Tamil National Party was merged with Indian National Congress.
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy was a Dravidian social reformer and politician from India,who founded the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. Periyar placed great importance on the Tamil language for its benefit and upliftment to the Tamil people and advocated for its preservation. In the wake of the imposition of Hindi throughout the Indian sub-continent and in Tamil Nadu,Periyar stated that "the love of one's tongue is the foremost of all loves that are required of the people born in our land. He said that has no love for his tongue has no love for his land. A nation functions on the basis for the love of one's language. So it is my prayer that Tamils love for their tongue should grow. I affirm again and again that love of the mother-tongue is a must for those born in Tamil Nadu. The Bengalis love Bengali. The Maharashtrians love for the Marathi language. The Andhras love the Telugu language. But the Tamils have no love for the Tamil-tongue. The Tamils will never progress unless they bestow love on their mother-tongue. If I love Tamil,it is not merely because it is the mother-tongue or the language of the Tamil Nadu State. Nor am I attached to Tamil by reason of its uniqueness or its antiquity. If I love Tamil,it is because I am aware of the advantages I expect through it and the measure of loss that will occur by the absence of it".
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy,also known as Ramaswami,EVR,Thanthai Periyar,or Periyar,was a Dravidian social reformer and politician from India,who founded the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. He wanted thinking people to realize that their society was far from perfect and that it is in urgent need of reform. Periyar wanted the Government,the political parties and social workers to identify the evils in society and boldly adopt measures to remove them.
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy,also known as Ramaswami,EVR,Thanthai Periyar was a Dravidian social reformer and politician from India,who founded the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. On the caste system in India,Periyar dealt harshly with the practice of discrimination and its subordination of the different levels it created in society. He attacked those who used the system to take advantage of the masses through exploitation and subjugation.
Jagadguru Sri Shankara Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal is the 70th Jagadguru Peethadipathi of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham,Kanchipuram. He became the senior Pontiff of the Kanchi Mutt following the death of Jayendra Saraswati,the 69th Pontiff,on 28 February 2018.
S. Natarajan Udayar was an Indian politician and 3 time DMK MLA from Thanjavur Constituency. A close friend and supporter of Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy,he was an early member of Dravidar Kazhagam. His association with Aringar C N Annadurai made him part ways with E.V.R. politically and join Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) as one of the earliest and founding members of DMK.
Duraisamy Rajamanickam,better known by his pen name Perunchithiranar or popularly as "Pavalareru"Perunchithiranar, was a Pure Tamil scholar,poet,journalist,and political activist from Tamil Nadu,India. In a writing career that spanned over five decades,he composed more than 40 works,including Koyyaakkani (1956) and Kanichaaru (1979). From 1959 onwards,he ran a magazine Theṉmoḻi in collaboration with his mentor G. Devaneya Pavanar (1902-81).
K. Rajendran,popularly known as Viduthalai Rajendran is a periyarist,currently the General Secretary of Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam,formerly Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam. He is well known for propagating the principles of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy through his literary works. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of the weekly Puratchi Periyar Muzhakkam.
Erode Venkatappa Ramasami Maniammai,was an Indian social activist and politician. She was the second wife(at the age of 32) of E. V. Ramasami(at the age of 70). She succeeded him as the president of the Dravidar Kazhagam upon his death in 1973.
Viduthalai (transl. Liberation) is a Tamil newspaper published from Chennai,Tamil Nadu,India.
Karaikudi Rama Subbaiah was an Indian politician and a forerunner of the Dravidian movement. He served as a member of the erstwhile Tamil Nadu Legislative Council from 1972 to 1978.
