Dravidar Kazhagam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dravidar Kazhagam
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| Leader | K.Veeramani |
| Founder | Reverend John Ratnam, started a movement called the Dravidar Kazhagam in 1882 |
| Founded | 27 August 1882 |
| Preceded by | Justice Party |
| Succeeded by | DMK |
| Headquarters | Chennai |
| Newspaper | Viduthalai |
| Ideology | Humanism Social justice Dravidian nationalism Anti-Brahminism Atheism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| Party flag | |
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| Website | |
| https://dravidarkazhagam.in/ | |
The Dravidar Kazhagam is a social movement started by a leader named 'Periyar' E. V. Ramasamy. It was created to fight against unfair social systems, like the caste system, and to make sure everyone was treated equally. The movement also aimed to create a separate "Dravida Nadu" (Dravidian Nation) in South India. Over time, the Dravidar Kazhagam inspired many other political groups, including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
Contents
How the Dravidar Kazhagam Started
The Dravidar Kazhagam was founded by E. V. Ramasamy, also known as Periyar. Its beginnings are found in two earlier movements: the Self-Respect Movement and the Justice Party. Periyar started the Self-Respect Movement in 1925 after leaving the Indian National Congress party. The Justice Party, formed in 1917, also worked for similar goals.
In 1938, these two groups joined together under Periyar's leadership. The combined movement was officially renamed Dravidar Kazhagam in 1944.
What the Dravidar Kazhagam Believes In
The main goal of the Dravidar Kazhagam was to achieve full independence for a "Dravidian Republic" (Dravida Nadu). The group strongly opposed the social and political power held by some groups in South India.
The Dravidar Kazhagam shared many ideas with the Justice Party and Periyar's Self-Respect Movement. Some of their key goals included:
- Ending differences based on caste, class, and religion to create a fair society.
- Working to remove all kinds of inequality.
- Making sure men and women have equal chances in all parts of life.
- Encouraging people to stop believing in old superstitions linked to religion.
Challenges and New Parties
As the Dravidar Kazhagam grew, some members, like C. N. Annadurai, wanted to take part in elections. However, Periyar believed that getting involved in politics would make them forget their main ideas.
There were also some disagreements within the group. When Periyar married Maniyammai, who was much younger than him, some members decided to leave. They then formed a new party called the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
Later, M. G. Ramachandran, a well-known actor and treasurer of the DMK, had disagreements with M. Karunanidhi. M.G.R. then left the DMK to start his own party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, in 1972. Periyar did not agree with this split.
After Periyar passed away, his wife Maniammai led the organization. Later, K.Veeramani took over as the leader.
Leaders of the Dravidar Kazhagam
The Dravidar Kazhagam has had several important leaders since it was formed.
| S.No. | Portrait | Name | From | To | Days in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
E. V. Ramasami (1879–1973) |
27 August 1944 | 24 December 1973 | (29 years, 119 days) |
| 2 |  |
E. V. R. Maniammai (1917–1978) |
25 December 1973 | 16 March 1978 | (4 years, 81 days) |
| 3 |
 |
K. Veeramani (1933–) |
16 March 1978 | Incumbent | (47 years, 159 days) |
Dravidar Kazhagam Flag
The flag of the Dravidar Kazhagam has a history going back to 1937. At that time, the Hindi language was made a required subject in South India. In response, E.V. Ramaswamy organized protests against this. During these protests, a simple black flag was used.
Periyar became very popular because of these protests. A year later, he was elected president of the Justice Party. When the Justice Party changed its name to Dravidar Kazhagam in 1944, they adopted their official flag. The flag has a red circle on a black background.
- The black color stands for the difficulties and unfair treatment that Dravidian people faced under strict social rules.
- The red color represents the hard work done to remove ignorance and blind faith among people, and to free them from any kind of unfair treatment.
What the Dravidar Kazhagam Does
The Dravidar Kazhagam often took strong actions to try and change the system. For example, they tried to allow people from all backgrounds into temples and encouraged priests to use the Tamil language instead of Sanskrit for prayers.
When India gained independence in 1947, the Dravidar Kazhagam did not celebrate it. Periyar believed that independence was just a transfer of power from the British to other powerful groups who held important positions.
The movement strongly believed that reserving places in education and jobs for under-represented groups was the only way to help them. They supported these "reservations" from as early as 1919. Periyar played a big part in introducing reservations for non-Brahmins in Tamil Nadu even before India became independent in 1947.
Lasting Impact
The Dravidar Kazhagam helped lay the groundwork for more Tamil people to get involved in politics. It created a new sense of Tamil pride. This later led to the formation of many parties that challenged the power of the Indian National Congress.
Even though the Dravidar Kazhagam did not achieve its big goal of an independent Dravidian nation, it helped create a feeling of unity among Dravidian people. This was especially true in their efforts to oppose Hindi from becoming India's only official language in the 1960s.
The Dravida Kazhagam strongly pushed for the recommendations of the Mandal Commission report to be put into action. This report was later adopted by the government led by V.P. Singh in 1990.
See also
- List of political parties in India
