COLLECTED WORKS OF PERIYAR E.V.R

by Periyar, K. Veeramani

Periyar Erode Venkata Ramasamy (Tamil: பெரியார், 17 September 1879 - 24 December 1973), also known as Ramaswami, EVR, Thanthai Periyar, or Periyar, was a Dravidian social activist and former politician from India, who founded the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. He propagated the principles of rationalism, self-respect, women's rights and eradication of caste. He opposed the exploitation and marginalisation of the non-Brahmin indigenous Dravidian peoples of South India and the imposition of, what he considered, Indo-Aryan India. While continuing the Self-Respect Movement, he advocated for an independent Dravida Nadu (Dravidistan).

Genres: Politics, Philosophy, Nonfiction, India

680 pages, Hardcover

First published January 30, 2014

About the author

Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (E.V. Ramasamy), commonly known as Periyar (பெரியார்), also referred to as Thandhai Periyar, was an Indian social activist and politician who started the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam.

Periyar spent over fifty years giving speeches, propagating the realisation that everyone is an equal citizen and the differences on the basis of caste and creed were man-made to keep the innocent and ignorant as underdogs in the society. Although Periyar's speeches were targeted towards the illiterate and more mundane masses, scores of educated people were also swayed. Periyar viewed reasoning as a special tool. According to him, all were blessed with this tool, but very few used it. Thus Periyar used reasoning with respect to subjects of social interest in his presentations to his audiences. Communal differences in Tamil society were considered by many to be deep-rooted features until Periyar came to the scene.

The bedrock of E.V. Ramasamy’s principles and the movements that he started was rationalism. He thought that an insignificant minority in society was exploiting the majority and trying to keep it in a subordinate position forever. He wanted the exploited to sit up and think about their position, and use their reason to realise that they were being exploited by a handful of people. In a message to the Brahmin community, Periyar stated, "in the name of god, religion, and sastras you have duped us. We were the ruling people. Stop this life of cheating us from this year. Give room for rationalism and humanism". He added that "any opposition not based on rationalism, science, or experience will one day or another, reveal the fraud, selfishness, lies and conspiracies".

Periyar's philosophy of self-respect was based on his image of an ideal world and a universally accepted one. His philosophy preaches that human actions should be based on rational thinking. Further, the outcome of the natural instinct of human beings is to examine every object and every action and even nature with a spirit of inquiry, and to refuse to submit to anything irrational as equivalent to slavery. Thus, the philosophy of self-respect taught that human actions should be guided by reason, right and wrong should follow from rational thinking and conclusions drawn from reason should be respected under all circumstances. Freedom means respect to thoughts and actions considered right by human beings on the basis of reason. There is not much difference between freedom and self-respect.

Reviews

[Surjeeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Far better than Ambedkar's works mainly because you can use Periyar to roast Hindutva idiots by citing their own Vedas. Still maybe a decent enough conception of Dravidian identity that helps us gain some Tagore-like sense of universal humanism but still too many appeals to morality (which often reflects in a bad way even in contemporary Dravidianism when they try to act superior to Hindus because they're more "morally pure". Kind of non sensical.)

So overall, 8/10 not revolutionary and scientific enough but will still read again and again to roast hindutva fanatics.

[Gautam M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book collected works of Periyar intermittently when ever I got time.I read it in kindle version for about 8 months . I was surprised by this book and about the author, an old man with progressive thoughts who existed in last century,even after his demise 40 yrs ago, still his name generates Fear among the “Religious Fanatics” Yes you heard me Right his name is PERIYAR . “I was agnostic when I started this book ended as an Atheist while I finished it”.

[hisham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read book for every indian. Periyar is definitely the prophet of 20th century.

[ur didact · Rating 5 out of 5]

at long last i've completed this, after reading portions slowly over a year inbetween my other readings. what a fantastic collection of his speeches and articles. my only complaint about this put together is that it gets a bit repetitive somewhere around the middle, but even then i can't fault it that much as periyar himself mentions he says the same things across various stages and specifically highlights how their beliefs do not change according to any party or motive. it makes sense. there's a bit of new atheist vibe to some of his thoughts where he attempts at disproving faith with ''logic'' which ofc is not the best way since the point of faith is faith in itself. however, he's still highly commendable considering what he says, when he says, and where he says it, given india's backwards slide into religious caste heavy hindutva mania in the past decade. there is a lot of value in his explanations of brahminism and their status in society and systems that prop them up, which mean a lot more than anyone trying to explain religion with science and logic. it's far more important to see how systematically one has changed their material society for the worse of everyone else, than it is to mock a private faith kept behind doors.

also very pleasantly surprised to read all the other things he touches upon; on gender and marriage, labour and property, communism and rationalism, or hindi imposition. despite being decades old, most of his ideas and beliefs hold up to today, barring just a few statements. which, again, a man of his words yet constantly tells everyone not to take everything he says as truth, but to think on it ourselves over blind belief. i daresay he'd be delighted at having anyone disagree with him on a few minor things, as he appears to be a largely progressive man of his times with a zest for discovering new ideas in cultural modernity. i'm entirely better for reading it in full rather than getting his main points from a scattered internet.

[Hein Htet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great. Inspiring. A communist who is hostile to authoritarian opportunistic communists. A rationalist who is against exploiters. An egalitarian who is against all form of oppressions. A revolutionary by all possible ways of interpretations.

[m · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can i read it on this sites

[Akshay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crystal clear ideals. Love it