If rationalist leader Periyar E.V.
Ramasamy's wife Nagammal and his younger sister Kannammal lived today
and picketed the TASMAC outlets, as how they had done at the toddy
shops after an order from Mahatma Gandhi, they too might have been
slapped by a senior police officer for their 'irreverent' act against
the 'divine' drink.
“ While Periyar was in the
Congress movement, he involved his wife Nagammal and his younger
sister Kannammal in Gandhiji's non-cooperative movement to bring a
total ban on alcohol. And this incident in the history of freedom
struggle portrays the atheist cum feminist's wish to bring women to
public life “ says Parimala Manalan Arokiyasamy, who has edited the
book 'Periyar – Indrum, Endrum (
Periyar, today and forever) an omnibus edition of the
rationalist leader's selected writings.
However, Arokiyasamy says:
“ Nagammal and Kannammal played a
key role in the anti-liquor stir of those days, and there have been
no reports of the two women got beaten up by police. What's more,
even in the salt satyagraha, the
British cops did not exercise violence on women. But a police officer
slapped a woman protestor in the recent anti-liquor stir at
Samalapuram in Tirupur district. The barbaric act reflects only a
society, which is devoid of culture ”
A well-read man
in the moral pieces of Tamil literature, Arokiyasamy says:
“ Despite
great developments in science and technology, the present day
society lacks in moral values. With Tamil being rich in didactic
pieces of literature, edifying works like Thirukural and
Naladiyar need to be taught to the modern day cops in order
to make them understand what humanity is”
A retired post
master from the Central Post Office and a staunch follower of Periyar
EVR's ideology on feminism, Arokiyasamy tagged his wife's name
'Parimalam' with his, and has been called ' Parimala Manalan
Arokiyasamy' ever since the day when he took to writing.
'Parimalam', as
he is shortly mentioned by the intellectuals of Coimbatore, points
out:
“ Periyar EVR
is incorrectly understood as a mere atheist and materialist. And most
of us have failed to know him a great humanist, whose atheism is
based on humanism.”
As a student in
the Government Arts College, Coimbatore in the early 1970s,
Parimalam, with his college mates, met Periyar when the leader came
to meet his friend and popular scientist G.D.Naidu in the city.
“ As
we entered the G.D Naidu Hall, Periyar stood up in respect and
welcomed us. In course of his conversation, he advised us to
concentrate only on our academic studies and not get deviated from
the path of progress ” reminisces Parimalam
However, in the
following year, Parimalam experienced a rare coincidence in his life:
“ After my
graduation, I felt the compulsion of taking up a job. And I received
the appointment order from the Department of Posts on December 24,
1973 - the very day Periyar breathed his last !. And the agony caused
by the great man's demise, did not allow me to share my joy of
getting the government job with anyone“
Periyar – Indrum, Endrum – In
a nutshell
The
voluminous book has been published by the city-based ' Vidiyal
Pathipagam'. The work
acknowledges V.Anaimuthu, a veteran researcher on Periyar's
literature, Dravidar Kazhagam leader K.Veeramani and Kolathur Mani,
founder of Dravidar Viduthali Kazhagam, from whose publications the
articles were taken. Pulavar Senthalai. Na. Gowthaman, the first
social historian of Coimbatore, and Tholkappiyan, another ardent
collector of Periyar's works, provided the source materials to the
editor for making this comprehensive book. The work brings out the
necessity of Periyar's ideas, from whose perspective one can view
the social and political affairs of any time. A convenient material
for quick reference,the work has been compiled in the discipline of
EVR's articles under respective titles as society,
religion, god, caste, philosophy, education, culture, women's
emancipation and so on.
Link to the article in The New Indian Express : http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/c/18408825
No comments:
Post a Comment