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The 'Self-Respect Movement' (Suyamariyathai Iyakkam), launched in Tamil Nadu in 1925 against caste discrimination and Brahmin dominance, was started by:
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Answer: Option A — E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker (Periyar)
Detailed Solution
- Ramaswamy Naicker (Periyar). The Self-Respect Movement was started in 1925 in Tamil Nadu by E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker, popularly known as "Periyar" ("the great one").
About the Self-Respect Movement:
- It aimed to create a society in which backward castes and Dalits would have equal human rights, and to encourage them to have self-respect.
- It opposed the caste system, the dominance of Brahmins in society, religion and government, and religious superstitions and rituals.
- It promoted rationalism and atheism, and criticised Hindu scriptures such as the Manusmriti, which it saw as the basis of caste.
- It supported the rights of women, including widow remarriage, divorce, property rights and birth control.
- It popularised "self-respect marriages", which were conducted without Brahmin priests or religious rituals; these were later given legal recognition in Tamil Nadu (1967).
About Periyar:
- He was born on 17 September 1879 at Erode, in Tamil Nadu.
- He was a member of the Congress in the early 1920s, and took part in the Non-Cooperation Movement and the Vaikom Satyagraha (1924), for which he was called "Vaikom Veerar" (hero of Vaikom).
- He left the Congress in 1925, because he felt that it was dominated by Brahmins and did not do enough for social justice.
- He later led the Justice Party, and in 1944 transformed it into the "Dravidar Kazhagam" (DK).
- He opposed the imposition of Hindi in Tamil Nadu, and led agitations against it (1937-1939).
- He started newspapers and journals to spread his ideas.
- He died on 24 December 1973.
His influence:
His ideas influenced the Dravidian movement and the parties that grew out of it, such as the DMK (founded by C. N. Annadurai in 1949) and the AIADMK.
UNESCO is said to have described him as "the prophet of the new age, the Socrates of South East Asia" (1970).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Annadurai was a follower who later founded the DMK; Sree Narayana Guru was a reformer of Kerala; Kamaraj was a Congress leader.
Quick tip
Remember: Self-Respect Movement (1925) = E. V. Ramaswamy "Periyar" (Erode; "Vaikom Veerar"; Dravidar Kazhagam 1944; self-respect marriages).
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Socio-Religious Reform Movements — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Socio-Religious Reform Movements, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
In the 19th century, reformers worked to remove social evils and revive Indian society. This topic covers organisations such as the Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, Theosophical Society, Satyashodhak Samaj and the Aligarh Movement, along with their founders and the social reforms they achieved. Questions usually ask who founded an organisation and when, or which reformer is linked to a reform. For example, Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj and campaigned against sati, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar championed widow remarriage, and Jyotiba Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj. A table of organisation, founder, year and place covers most questions. Practise the socio-religious reform movements questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.