Q1. Who was E.V. Ramaswami Naicker?

Describe the contribution made by

him for social justice and freedom struggle.

Frame :
- Introduction
- About E.V Ramaswami Naicker
- His contribution for social justice
- His contribution in freedom struggle
- Criticism
- Present day relevance
- Conclusion

Introduction :
E.V Ramaswami Naicker also revered as ‘Periyar’ was a social reformer, freedom fighter who
championed cause of socially downtrodden. He left long lasting legacy of anti-caste struggle and
social egalitarianism which had profound impact on Indian and Tamil society.

About E.V Ramaswami Naicker :

- He was born in prosperous business family of Tamilnadu. But he grew up to be voice and face
of downtrodden
- Ideology : He was influenced from philosophy of Thiruvalluvar. Soviet socialism also had
profound impact on him. Rationalism, Feminism, egalitarianism, self respect and scientific
temper formed core of his ideology.
- Political life : He served as president of of Madras Presidency Association. He was member
of Congress (1919- 1925). He went onto become president of Justice Party (1938-1944)
and later founded Dravidar Kazhagam in 1944
- He played pivotal role in organising Vaikom satyagraha and Self respect movement in
southern India.

Contribution for Social Justice :

- Vaikom Satyagraha (1924): He participated in Vaikom movement for throwing open temples
and roads for untouchables in Travancore of Kerala
- Self Respect Movement : He organised self respect movement which was aimed at
abolishing social inequality, untouchability and instilling sense of pride among non-brahmins
based on their Dravidian past.
- Women Emancipation : He advocated strongly for freedom and autonomy of women in
every field. He called for abolishment of Devdasi System and child marriage. Wide-scale
association of women was distinct feature of movements organised by him similar to
Gandhian movements
- Workers and Agricultural Labourers : Naicker along with Singravelu Chetti formulated New
Programme of improving condition of Industrial and Agricultural labourers.
- Social Awareness : He spread ideas of social justice and equality among masses through his
paper “Kudi Arasu”

Contribution to Freedom Movement :

- He participated in a protest meeting in 1916 organised against the government's action
against Home Rule organ, New India
- He participated in Non Cooperation movement and organised campaigns for prohibition,
boycott of foreign goods etc.
 - Political Independence remained one of foremost aim of self respect movement organised
by him
- He popularised Gandhian methods of Non-violent struggle which helped in preparing mass
social base for freedom movement.

Criticism:
- He was criticised heavily for burning of Hindu Scriptures and Idols and extremely radical
attack on Hinduism
- His support for communal representation for non-brahmins and two nation theory of Muslim
League received criticism from nationalist ranks.

Present Day Relevance :

- Present day reservation policies and demand for equal representation conform with
Naicker’s ideals of equal social representation in every field
- Recent Women Reservation Act is reflection of his vision of women equality, freedom and
autonomy
- Multilingualism in NEP,2020 has influence of his movements against forceful imposition of
one’s own language on others.
Conclusion :
E.V Ramaswami Naicker became inspiration for struggle for social equality and justice. His legacy is
reflected from fact that his birth anniversary is celebrated as ‘Social Justice Day’ in TamilNadu.