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| Tamil Nadu Dravidar Kazhagam | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tamil Nadu Dravidar Kazhagam |
| Native name | தமிழ் நாடு திராவிடர் கழகம் |
| Founded | 1944 |
| Founder | Periyar E. V. Ramasamy |
| Headquarters | Chennai |
| Ideology | Dravidianism, Social reform, Rationalism |
Tamil Nadu Dravidar Kazhagam is a social movement and non-electoral organization founded in 1944 as a successor to the Self-Respect Movement, advocating social reform, anti-caste policies, and rationalist thought in South India. It operates primarily in Tamil Nadu and among Tamil communities in Puducherry and Kerala, engaging with institutions, activists, and civil society linked to broader Dravidian currents. The organization has influenced political parties, cultural institutions, and legal debates through campaigns, public demonstrations, and educational programs.
Founded by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy in 1944 after reconstituting the Self-Respect Movement, the organization emerged amid interactions with figures and movements such as B. R. Ambedkar, the Justice Party (India), and anti-colonial currents including the Indian National Congress and Indian independence movement. Its early period overlapped with leaders like C. N. Annadurai and movements in Madras Presidency, connecting to events such as the Simon Commission protests and debates over the Communal Award. Post-independence, the organization navigated relations with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and later with splinters like the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, influencing legislation in the Madras State and later Tamil Nadu. International links emerged with Tamil diaspora groups in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, and Mauritius, and interactions with cultural figures like Subramania Bharati's legacy and institutions such as the Sangam literature revival movements.
The organization's ideology roots in Periyar's critiques of Manu Smriti, Brahminical order, and caste hierarchies articulated alongside contemporaries like E. V. Ramasamy himself and informed by comparative thinkers such as Karl Marx (influence debates) and reformers like B. R. Ambedkar and Jyotirao Phule. Objectives include eradication of caste privilege, promotion of rationalism similar to platforms of the Rationalist Association and Indian Rationalist Association, gender equality initiatives resonant with activists linked to Annie Besant's reformist genealogy, and secularist positions engaged in public law disputes involving the Supreme Court of India and state legislation such as the Hindu Marriage Act. The organization aligns with Dravidianism as articulated in debates with proponents of Pan-Indian nationalism and conservativism represented by figures like K. M. Munshi.
Leadership historically centered on Periyar and subsequent figures who interacted with leaders from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam like C. N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, and critics such as E. V. K. Sampath. Organizational structure comprises district committees in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, and Salem, and coordinates with NGOs, trade unions like those in the All India Trade Union Congress, and cultural bodies such as the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation debates. Prominent personalities associated with the organization have engaged in policy dialogues with institutions like the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and judiciary forums including the Madras High Court.
Activities include public agitations, temple entry campaigns akin to movements led by Ayyankali in Kerala, anti-caste mobilizations resonant with Dalit Panthers tactics, and campaigns for reservation policy similar to debates over the Mandal Commission. The organization has organized conferences in venues like the Madras University campus, supported Tamil language movements connected to Tamil Eelam sympathies, and participated in literacy drives alongside NGOs inspired by Gandhian village uplift models. It has mobilized around issues such as uniform civil code debates, abolition of untouchability echoing B. R. Ambedkar's activism, and cultural protests addressing works of poets such as Kambar and controversies involving Thiruvalluvar interpretations.
Though non-electoral, the organization maintains complex relations with political parties including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, with historical overlap involving leaders like C. N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi who moved into electoral politics. It has influenced party platforms on social justice measures, interacted with regional allies like the Puthiya Tamizhagam and national formations such as the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress in state alliances, and weighed in on policy debates involving the State Reorganisation Commission and language policy disputes such as the Three Language Formula. The organization has at times contested cultural policies promoted by institutions like the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Critics cite tensions with proponents of Hindu nationalism represented by organizations such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and legal challenges implicating public order statutes adjudicated by the Supreme Court of India. Controversies include disputes over iconoclasm and statue removals paralleling incidents involving monuments of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and debates over historical interpretation involving scholars like R. Nagaswamy. Internal criticisms include splits reminiscent of factionalism seen in the history of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and allegations from some quarters similar to critiques leveled at identity politics movements.
The organization sponsors lectures, publishing efforts engaging with classical works like Tolkāppiyam and modern Tamil literature including poets such as Subramania Bharati and Bharathidasan, and supports curricula debates in bodies like the National Council of Educational Research and Training. It promotes secular festivals, rationalist programs comparable to initiatives by the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations, and grassroots literacy campaigns drawing on models used by Nalanda-inspired educational projects. Cultural programs include staging plays from the Tamil theatre tradition and collaborating with institutions such as the Tamil University to preserve and reinterpret Tamil heritage.
Category:Political organisations based in India