Self-Respect Movement – 100 Years Retrospective

08 Sep 2025 GS 1 Social Issues

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Background & Origins

Founded: 1925 by Periyar E.V. Ramasamy after leaving the Indian National Congress.
Context:
- Early 20th century South India – dominance of Brahmins in politics, education, and media.
- (South Indian Liberal Federation) Justice Party (1916) – first attempt at non-Brahmin assertion, but confined largely to elite non-Brahmins.
- Periyar’s ideological break: believed English education and government jobs alone would not dismantle caste oppression.
Trigger: Launch of Tamil weekly Kudi Arasu (Republic) – became the voice and vehicle of the Self-Respect Movement.

Ideological Core

Rejection of caste hierarchy and Brahmin dominance.
Rationalist critique of religion, superstition, and patriarchy.
Vision of egalitarian society based on reason, equality, and self-respect.
movement was not a single event but a “process” of rebellion and defiance, questioning sacred traditions and empowering ignored communities.

Role of Kudi Arasu

Radical strand of the Dravidian movement.
Advocacy journalism challenging upper-caste dominance in media.
Mobilised masses through Tamil language, simple communication, and sharp social critique.
Provided an alternative to Congress nationalism, portraying the Congress as tied to Hinduism and caste hierarchy.

Radical Social Reforms

Self-Respect Marriages – no Brahmin priests, rejection of religious rituals, emphasis on equality.
Women’s Liberation – supported widow remarriage, right to divorce, right to property, and even abortion rights.
Caste Reforms – promoted inter-caste marriages, temple-entry, rejection of caste names.
Education & Rationalism – stressed on scientific temper and eradication of superstitions.

Contribution & Legacy

Justice Party → Self-Respect Movement → Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) → DMK/AIADMK – laid the foundation of Tamil Nadu’s Dravidian political discourse.
Shifted politics from elite negotiation to mass mobilisation.
Created cultural icons, slogans, and practices that persist in Tamil Nadu’s socio-political landscape.
Periyar instilled self-pride among non-Brahmin masses, uniting them beyond caste into a rationalist social reform movement.

Ramasamy was an advocate of anti-Brahminism. Ramasamy's ideology of anti-Brahminism was radical to such an extent that a non-Brahmin who upheld the integrity of the caste system was seen as a supporter of Brahminism. Ramasamy called on both Brahmins and non-Brahmins to cast out brahmanism.

Self-respect movement promoters argue that there was no reference to Thaali in the Sangam literatures like Tirukkuṛaḷ or Akanaṉūṟu, which describe the Tamils' lifestyle during the Sangam era.

The first self-respect marriage that was totally devoid of any Hindu ceremony was the marriage of the prominent self-respect movement writer Kuthoosi Gurusamy with another prominent leader, Kunjidham, under the presiding of Periyaar on 8 December 1929.

Tamil Nadu became the first state (followed by U.T. of Puducherry in 1971) to legalize Hindu marriages conducted without a Brahmin priest.

Principles of the Self-Respect Movement (1929 Conference)

At the First Self-Respect Conference (1929), Periyar speaking with

M.K.Reddy articulated the foundational principles:

Equality of Human Beings
- No kind of inequality among people.
- Rejection of caste hierarchy, untouchability, and hereditary privilege.
Economic Justice
- No difference such as rich and poor in economic life.
- Aim of equitable distribution of resources, though not strictly socialist at the time.
Gender Equality
- Men and women to be treated as equals in every respect.
- No differences in education, marriage, property rights, or social freedom.
Eradication of Social Divisions
- Attachments to caste, religion, varna, and even narrow nationalism to be eliminated.
- Movement envisioned a universal fraternity transcending sectarian identities.
Rationalism and Freedom of Thought
- Every human being should act according to reason, understanding, desire, and perspective.
- Complete rejection of superstition, priestly dominance, and blind faith.
Freedom from Slavery of Any Kind
- No individual should be subject to social, political, religious, or economic slavery.
- True self-respect = autonomy in thought and action.

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