September 17 marked the birthday of two powerful figures in India – Narendra Modi and Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy. The latter is better known as Periyar – an honorific similar to Mahatma, meaning ‘Great Man’.
Periyar is a legend in the realm of Tamil politics and Dalit-Feminist identity in the south. His statements would land him in trouble even today (considering the recent attacks on rationalists) – never mind that he made them in the 1900s!
There is no God.
There is no God.
There is no God at all.
He who invented God is a fool.
He who propagates God is a scoundrel.
He who worships God is a barbarian. (Source)
or:
If you see a snake and a Brahmin, beat the Brahmin first! (Source).
Periyar may seem harsh – even intolerant – but to understand him, one must understand the times he lived in. Pre-independence Madras was a place where caste-based segregation was blatantly visible. Even coffee shops would have a separate section serving Brahmins, and signs barring Shudras, Panchamas, lepers and dogs from entering. A growing movement, identifying as Dravida, was emerging. They saw themselves as the original inhabitants of India, chased out on the basis of caste by foreign Aryans (i.e Brahmins).
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