Remembering Periyar E.V.Ramasamy on his birth anniversary

"Periyar" E.V. Ramasamy, a social reformer from Tamil Nadu is known for his unyielding propaganda against caste inequalities and gender based discrimination. Though some of his speeches and writings are misinterpreted today for misleading the masses and his principles are convieninetly misquoted "anti-hindu" as against "anti-casteist", he still remains as the icon of social justice in Tamil Nadu. Confining Periyar as an atheist has been an ongoing conscious attempt at diluting his ideology which encompasses annihilation of caste, gender equality, women empowerment, questioning of superstitious beliefs, rationalism and self-respect. Periyar, being an extremist, questioned the fallacy of age-old beliefs and enlightened the masses to be rational and believed that reason is the guiding light.

Periyar's voice against untouchability and caste discrimination reverberates till date. His simplistic writings on the injustice of caste-based system that garners attention of any common man makes it difficult for casteists to convert him into a harmless icon, the only other option is to tarnish his image which is what is happening now.

Periyar’s book “Why were women enslaved?” is an insightful perspective into the unfair and unequal treatment women receive in our society. Periyar lists down the aspects and ideologies that curtail the freedom of women and in turn lead to a woman’s life always being dependent on the male counterpart.

The fallacious inveterate beliefs that confine women are dealt with uncompromisingly forthright counter arguments, no matter which religion or ideology preaches them. The book gives a fitting end by stating the enslavement of women can end only when unnecessary pride in the masculinity of the opposite gender withers away or gets abolished.

There are some extreme views put forth in this book, which are debatable, but one cannot ignore  or brush aside the facts emphasized here. Periyar's ideology on women empowerment needs to be spread to the masses. 

Remember that these thoughts were put together in words 100 years back during a time when they would have been received with the most savage malice.

"I do not say you should believe what I have said because it alone is certain. Accept such ideas as can be accepted, with the help of your reason, after a sound inquiry. Reject the rest" - Periyar

Let us read him, understand him and subject his thoughts to inquiry. We can criticise him on the ones which we deem unacceptable and accept only those which feel right in the light of reason!

Indian Ads & Pseudo-Feminism

Of late, there are Indian advertisements that target women with their pseudo empowerment tactics - they superficially appear to propagate feminist principles but end up being exactly the opposite. 

Women in India have been confined to the households for many hundred years now, citing age old traditions and fallacious inveterate beliefs that the society imposes. Only in the past hundred years, there have been reformists who voiced out for the freedom of women. With women still fighting to free themselves from the clutches of the household, Indian advertisements have started targeting them with themes of women empowerment only to sell household articles. 

An ad that promotes a dish washing bar starts off with a kid filling one of his school forms. He writes down his father’s occupation as a bank manager. When he reads out the next field as mother’s occupation, he quips “Nothing?”. With visible disappointment in her face, his mother continues to wash dishes. The husband approaches her with sympathy and tells her that he knows about her ambition to start a bakery. The woman responds that she can create an identity for herself only when she is relieved from all the household chores. 

She wipes a stainless steel plate with the dish washing bar and it shines like a mirror only to show her reflection. On seeing her reflection in the plate, she says to herself “Identity” as if realising something. She realises that she has finished washing all dishes. Her husband adds “so soon?”. The woman has got ample time to think about her startup now - a bakery at her doorstep. The final scene portrays her in a new makeover working at her bakery and her son brimming with pride. 

Does this ad stay grounded to a genuine belief in gender equality? 

The answer is No. 

Why does the woman need to finish off her household chores and only then start off with her ambition? Why does she have to hold on to the household chores as her primary responsibility?

Why does her choice of profession be related to cooking? Why can’t the ad show her as a politician or a wrestler or a pilot? Why can’t the ad portray her to do something that is nowhere related to a household chore?

The ad endorses a dish washing bar and tactically attracts women with this pseudo-feminist agenda. There are women who fall for it. Some women accept this as their way of life as society influences them with age old beliefs. The ad cannot have a man holding a dish washing bar, that defeats the purpose of their campaign with the current regressive state of Indian societies. 

There are men who post on Women’s day and Mother’s Day about the sacrifices of women in their home to bring up a child, to manage the household work, to cook for them on time and help them find misplaced items at home. Let us not glorify the self sacrificing women, instead let us celebrate the women who broke free out of their households chasing their dreams. 

Happy women’s day to all such women !!!

Why were women enslaved? (பெண் ஏன் அடிமையானாள்?)

Periyar’s “Why were women enslaved?” is a insightful perspective into the unfair and unequal treatment women receive in our society. Periyar lists down the aspects and ideologies that curtail the freedom of women and in turn lead to a woman’s life always being dependent on the male counterpart.

 

The word "கற்பு" (Karpu) in Tamil has been used to attach a purity tag to a woman in terms of virginity and chastity. The same tag doesn’t apply to a man and is free to have any number of extramarital affairs. Periyar voices out for gender equality in this context with arguments that break down how Indian society has used this purity to ensure women remain as slaves to the chauvinistic males. 

Periyar talks about financial independence for women in this book. To bring this to action, he had promoted the campaign for amendment of legal acts to grant women the right to inherit ancestral property which was confined to male heirs at that point of time. This would ensure a woman’s freedom from the clutches of the household and her dependence on her husband. 

The book also emphasises on divorce, remarriage and widow remarriage to counter the enslavement of women that stems out of the institution of marriage and its moral obligations. There had been practices in Hindu religion to confine widows inside the houses and forcefully suppress their desires and feelings - in fact there have been castes who go to the extent of shaving a widow’s head for the rest of their life. This would occur no matter how old is the widow, considering child marriages were abundant during that time. The stats and figures outlined in this book about the number of widows in 1920s (some were 1 year-old babies) are shocking and present to us the pitiful state of our society 100 years back. 

Periyar puts forth his view on legalisation of prostitution and recognising sex workers with dignity instead of showing contempt towards them and branding them as immoral. He draws parallel between prostitution and other professions which involve dishonesty but considered with high regard. His blunt and honest approach towards injustice that women suffer at the hands of men and the society they live in is what makes this an impactful read. 

The fallacious inveterate beliefs that confine women are dealt with uncompromisingly forthright counter arguments, no matter which religion or ideology preaches them. The book gives a fitting end by stating the enslavement of women can end only when unnecessary pride in the masculinity of the opposite gender withers away or gets abolished.

There are some extreme views put forth in this book, which are debatable, but one cannot ignore  or brush aside the facts emphasized here. Periyar's ideology on women empowerment needs to be spread to the masses. 

Remember that these thoughts were put together in words 100 years back during a time when they would have been received with the most savage malice.

There is a reason why Periyar can never be converted into a harmless icon - his simplified writings and the undeniable truth in them have the power to reach the masses and enlighten them for a better future.

I read this book in Tamil, but wanted to write about it in English so that it reaches readers outside TN as well.