E.V. Ramaswami Naicker was a prominent social reformer of India in the twentieth century.

He was born
of Balijsa Naidu parents on 28 September, 1879 at Erode in Coimbatore District in Tamil Nadu. He came
from a prosperous business family in that district. But he did not have any formal education. His
childhood days showed rebellious character which continued with his social and political activities. He
defied all caste rules and regulations in his childhood. Periyar dedicated his life to fighting against social
injustice, caste discrimination, and the dominance of Brahminical hierarchy.

Periyar hailed from a wealthy and privileged Brahmin family but was deeply affected by witnessing the
discrimination and inequality prevalent in society. He started questioning the orthodox practices and
oppressive social norms from an early age. In 1925, he formed the Self-Respect Movement, which
aimed to promote self-respect, social justice, and equal rights for all individuals irrespective of caste or
gender.

Self-Respect Movement History

The Self-Respect Movement was founded in Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, with the goal of
creating a society where underprivileged classes would have equal access to opportunities and human
rights. In a caste-based culture where they were seen as the lowest social caste, it also encouraged
backward classes to value themselves.

In Tamil Nadu, India, S Ramanathan spearheaded the self-respect campaign against Brahminism. The
program had a significant impact not only in Tamil Nadu but also in other countries with sizable Tamil
populations, such as Malaysia and Singapore.

Several political organisations, notably the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which
broke away from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (D.M.K.) in 1972, were founded in Tamil Nadu as a
result of the self-respect movement. Both groups are popular and have a social democratic bent.

Self Respect Movement

In 1925, E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker (commonly known as Periyar), a Balija Naidu, started the Self Respect
Movement. Naicker considered the Brahmanical religion and culture as the main means of exploiting
the lower castes, hence the movement’s aim was to reject it. Self-Respect Movement was a dynamic
social movement aimed at destroying the contemporary Hindu social order in its totality and creating a
new, rational society without caste, religion and God. Abolishing Brahminical hegemony, promoting
equality for women and underprivileged groups, and reviving Dravidian languages like Telugu, Tamil,
Kannada, and Malayalam were all part of this egalitarian movement’s demands.

To protest the ban on their admission into temples and other restrictions, depressed castes launched
multiple satyagraha protests throughout India.

Self Respect Movement Objectives

The three main goals of the Self Respect Movement were eliminating Brahminical authority,
employment equity for women and underrepresented groups, and the revival of the Dravidian
languages, including Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and even Tamil. Self Respect Movement’s supporters
laid forth their objectives in the two pamphlets “Namathu Kurikkol” and “Tiravitakkalaka Lateiyam.” The
group’s primary goals were as continues to follow:
  To create a society wherein lower castes enjoy the same fundamental rights as higher castes,
equality is the central part of the society. Discrimination should not be supported or followed.

 Attempting to give each individual the same opportunities for development and growth so that
they can be treated equally by living in the same society.

 The creation of a particular society that is fair enough and peaceful, in addition to the total
elimination of untouchability. So that everybody living in the community should feel free.

 It aspired for a social transformation in which everyone naturally experiences friendship and a
sense of belonging.

 To develop schools and colleges and build homes for the homeless, orphans, and widows.

 It should forbid building new temples, mutts, kings, or Vedic institutions. The movement aimed
to abolish behaviors like using one’s family name as their given name and other similar,
thoughtless customs.

Self Respect Movement in India

The Self Respect Movement was a feminist revolution, a Dalit resistance, and an avant-garde movement
all rolled into one. The Self Esteem Movement was unique in its goals and played a significant role in
Dalit history.

India’s First Fight for Dignity In 1925

E.V. Ramaswamy initiated the movement. This movement was initiated in Tamil Nadu, where it had a
massive effect, by S. Ramanathan in 1925.

 The very changing Self Respect Movement, commonly referred to as the Dravidian Movement,
advocated equal rights for the destitute group and the struggle for women’s rights.
 However, the group’s founders said it was vital to fight for the “self-respect” of members of the
backward caste in India.
 Ramanathan and Periyar Ramaswamy were inspired by the emphasis on self-worth in Tamil
literature, including Tan-Maanam or Suya Mariyadai, as they strove to promote the notion of
developing one of the most critical factors that self-respect in people will eradicate
discriminatory practices.

Periyar, in particular, thought that political freedom advocates like Gandhi and Nehru did not permit
individual liberty. He held that self-freedom is where true freedom is found. India was striving for
political independence, but that freedom did not let widows remarry or for anybody to marry the
partner of their choice without penalties. For these freedoms, the Self-Respect Revolution was fought.

The movement’s main demands were:

- equality for men and women,

- economic parity in society,
- a promise of all Indians’ friendship, and
 - widespread unanimity regardless of caste, religion, or varna.
- Chastity was vehemently opposed because, according to the movement’s women, “chastity is
the way women are confined within the systems of chattel slavery.” A manifesto of this kind in
1925 was many years ahead of its time. The streets were filled with men and women yelling
slogans and demanding what they had always been due. The simple act of the lower caste
reclaiming their identity in public, loud and fearless, was a move in the right direction toward
looking forward to having.
- Very well-known Women activists, Veeramal and Annai Meenanmbal, were two women leaders
of the Self Respect Movement. They kept bugging Periyar to learn more about the rights of Dalit
women. A significant portion of the organization worked to end societal discrimination against
women and seek rights for women. The founders of the Self Respect Movement promoted
permanent birth control for women for a period. The group’s feminist ethos pushed for equal
rights for women to choose their partners, get a divorce, and also get married.
- Against devadasi system - The devadasi system, popular in the country’s eastern and southern
regions, was one of the movement’s main aims. The temple god required women between the
ages of Seven to thirty-six to dedicate their lives to him by engaging in various tasks. At first,
being a devadasi was regarded as a respected position. Still, later, during the colonial period, the
devadasi system was condemned for participating in prostitution by having given birth to
several children for priests and high net-worth individuals.

- The devadasi system also isolated these women from society. The movement subsequently
included women from all backgrounds who actively participated in demonstrations for human
rights.
- The Self Respect Movement’s main objective was to alter society positively. It impacted people
from all walks of life by pushing against gender equality and criticizing the caste at the time.

Significance –

 Following E.V.R.'s never-ending anti-orthodoxy campaign, the Brahmins' monopoly of power and
influence was gradually eroded.
 People were energized with the feeling of self-respect and, above all, self-confidence, as it prepared
to confront societal injustice perpetuated by the Brahmins.
 It resulted in the encouragement of inter-caste and interreligious weddings, as well as the
legalization of marriages performed without the presence of a Brahman priest.
 Tamil Nadu was the first state after independence to approve legislation allowing Hindu marriages
without the use of a Brahmin priest.
 The method of allocating separate seats in Municipal Councils for Harijan members was also
abolished.
 The name boards of the hotels were changed from "Brahmins Hotel" to "Vegetarian Hotel" as a
result of the movement's unwavering support.
 People began to take pride in abandoning their caste name.
 Self-Respect League Establishment: The self-respect league was formed throughout Tamil Nadu
during the movement. After that, many well-known people joined the league to further the Periyar
movement. The team’s inaugural National Conference took place on November 27, 1927. In that
organization, thirty-two resolutions were approved while E.V. Ramaswamy was President of India.