Dravidian Movement

Nature of Backward Class Movements The activities of the Christian missionaries to win converts among lower castes and the various socio-religious reform movement among the Hindus further contributed to the growth of awareness among the lower caste against Brahmin’s domination and the oppressive nature of the caste system. This led to the emergence of various backward class movements in early 20th century. The British Government also lent support to these movements in order to weaken the freedom struggle. Some of the important backward class movement which grew in early 20th century were: 1. Dravidian Movement 2. SNDP Movement 3. Mahar Movement According to MSA Rao these backward class movement were transformative in nature.

Circumstances for the creation of Dravidian Movement With the spread of Christianity and the western education, the non Brahmin in the Madras presidency region developed a new awareness as a result of which resentment started growing among them against the domination by Brahmin and other higher castes in profession as well as in politics, especially the Congress Party. They believed that, if they had to make successful careers, the domination of Brahmins in professional and political life had to be first overthrown.

Cont… By 1914 this conflict between the emerging non-Brahmin urban middle class and the establishment of mostly Brahmin middle class and upper class took a sharp turn. The non-Brahmin caste uniting themselves and the Non-Brahmin Manifesto published in 1916 was followed by the formation of South Indian Association in 1917. After the Montague Chelmsford Reforms ‘South-Indian Association’ was converted into Justice Party to counter the political influence of the Congress.

Arrival of Periyar However the Justice Party was a party of urban educated professional middle class elite in nature and therefore failed to build a mass base. Soon after, the self-respect movement was founded in 1925 by E.V. Ramaswami, popularly known as Thanthai Periyar.

Dravidian Ideology The self-respect movement was based on the Dravidian ideology to save the non-Brahmin from the tyranny of Brahmin who were considered Aryans. The self-respect movement aimed at removing the control of Brahmin from the social and political level and sought to wean the people away from the puranic ritualistic Hinduism necessitating the presence of Brahmin priest.

Merger of two organisation and creation of Dravida Kazhaham It considered the Brahmin as the symbol of all exploitation. This movement was successful in appealing to the masses and acquired a mass following. Finally the self-respect movement and Justice Party were merged in 1944 to from Dravida Kazhaham headed by Periyar. It adopted a militant mass agitational strategy and advocated an egalitarian ideology condemning the caste system.

Formation of Dravida Munnetra Kazhaham Later on in 1949, due to difference between the Periyar and C. N. Annadurai who led the younger section in the Dravida Kazhaham, there was a split leading to the formation of Dravida Munnetra Kazhaham. The majority of the rank and file of D.K. joined the DMK. Initially the support base of DMK consisted of the lower middle class, students, lower castes like Nadars, Marwars and Adi Dravidians and unemployed youth, etc. Cinema was one of the effective media which was used by DMK to propagate its ideology and win a mass base.

Transformation A consequences of the DMK was the decline in the domination of Brahmins in Tamil Nadu, a new sense of release and freedom among the lower castes. However, later on as DMK tried to capture power, it gradually abandoned its reformist zeal and even the demand for creation of a separate Dravidian Nadu and acquired a character of one of the mainstream political parties with a rational support base.