The Role of Self-Respect Movement in the War for Social Justice and Caste Annihilation in India

Discrimination is rooted in the history of many countries of the world, but in India it is quite different, more acute, divinely sanctioned and hence deeply intertwined in the social fabric via the Caste System. Applying Root Cause Analysis, the Social Scientist Periyar advocated Self-Respect in the individual, as an antidote to eradicate this discrimination. Caste tyranny robbed the dignity of the individuals via religious systems, beliefs & practices, and the only way to restore dignity, is by enlightening the spirit of self-respect, which is in turn possible if one turns into a rationalist critically examining the above discriminatory systems.

The Dravidian Model aims to remove discrimination at every level and deliver Social Justice at every level. This paper explains the methodology of Periyar and the Dravidian Movement and succinctly summarizes the operational mode of the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) in fighting for our rights - education, cultural, scientific temper & development.

Dr. Veeramani (or Aasiriyar as he is fondly addressed, meaning ‘The Teacher’) is the President of the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK), the Parent Organization of all Social Reformation in Tamil Nadu. Great social & humanist reformers of the century like EVR Periyar & CN Annadurai have adorned this seat at the DK. He is also the Secretary of the Periyar Self-Respect Propaganda Institution (PSRPI) and serves as the Hon. Chancellor of the Periyar Maniammai Institute of Science and Technology (PMIST), deemed to be University.

Veeramani is a Social Worker and has pioneered various efforts in the cause of Social Justice, Rationality, Self-Respect, Tamil Language and the Dravidian Movement. He is always active in social campaigns and agitations in support of the socially discriminated people. He is a relentless fighter for social justice, reservations in educational and job opportunities for people belonging to the backward and downtrodden sections of the society, espousing the cause of Women's Rights and Women Empowerment, and democracy in the political sphere.

Dr. Veeramani is a Recipient of the CIDA - Award of Excellence (Canada International Development Agency), awarded in contribution towards Environmental, Health, Poverty alleviation and Women Empowerment activities in joint collaboration with College of the North Atlantic, Newfoundland, Canada. He is also the first recipient of the Periyar Award for Social Justice from the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Veeramani has widely travelled as a globe trotter delivering lectures on various topics in humanism at many conferences and seminars held in USA, Canada, EU, UK, Russia, Japan, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and other countries. He delivered the G.U. Pope Memorial Lecture at the House of Lords, Westminster Palace, London in Jan 2004 and participated in the International Peace Congress Convention in Copenhagen – Denmark. Dr. Veeramani is an Honorary Associate of the Rationalist International and a member of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, and also the British Humanist Society, England, UK. Periyar International USA has instituted an annual award, named in his honor and its first recipient was the former Prime Minister of India, Mr. VP Singh.

The Role of Self-Respect Movement in the War for Social Justice and Caste Annihilation in India

Dr. K. Veeramani

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