In 1946, when the Dravidar Kazhagam was unveiling its red-in-black flag, a 23-year-old man made a cut on his hand and smeared a blackcloth with his blood. "This is our flag. We will give our blood and lives for this," proclaimed the descendents of the Self RespectMovement. Three years later, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam took birth.The youngster who gave his blood is today 84 years old and answers tothe name Muthuvel Karunanidhi.
The Tamil Nadu chief minister's recent remarks on Ram are but an effort at returning to his rebellious past and revalidate his claim of being the rightful heir of EV PeriyarRamaswamy, the iconoclast of Dravidian rebellion. The hatred for Ram – and hence the love for Ravana – has been Periyar's consistent ammo to hit at 'upper castes' from the 1920s to his end in 1973.
Though Ram was depicted as a Kshatriya, his actions in Ramayana (especially the killing of Sambuka, a Sudra) made him a pro-Brahmin villain in the eyes of Periyar and his disciples. As early as in 1942, Periyar called for the burning of 'KambaRamayana' and penned several scripts reversing the hero-villain roles of Ram and Ravana. The first DMK government paid tributes to Periyar by lifting the ban on a book eulogising Ravana by Pulavar Kulandai, titled 'Ravana Kavyam,' which was banned by the previous Congress government.
Karunanidhi got the first political validation of the anti-Ram posture in the 1972 simultaneous elections. During the run-up to the polls,Periyar organised a rationalists' conference in Salem and burnt Ram inthe effigy. Kamaraj's Old Congress, C Rajagopalachari's SwatantraParty, Jan Sangh and a host of Hindu outfits joined hands and askedpeople to vote against the anti-Hindu DMK. But the DMK bagged 184 ofthe 234 seats and Kamaraj was the only Old Congress candidate to win aLok Sabha seat in the state.
Alliances with the Congress and the BJP have diluted DMK's Dravidian fundamentals and Karunanidhi is badly trying to rediscover his master's voice. Times have changed, but Karunanidhi wants to test if they really have. An insider tells me that Karunanidhi feels he is at the peak of his popularity and, in the event of snap polls to the Lok Sabha, wants to test the waters baring his rebellious self. Vaasanthi, my friend, Tamil writer and author of Cut-Outs, Caste and Cine Stars: The World of Tamil Politics, says Karunanidhi, towards theend of his career, wants to be remembered as another Periyar. But he should know that Periyar lived in different times.
1 comment:
Agree with you, but I think MK wants much more than discover HMV. Periyar is remembered because he began a movement whcih th epeople of the times needed, MK merely carried it forward like a good general. Even MGR has a place in history because his noon meal scheme improved attendence records in schools. MK is yet to achieve that one single entity which will put him on the same shelf as Periyar, Anna and even MGR. You told me MK has taken a regional party to a national level--no mean achievement. Granted. But it was in small measure to the loyalty of DMK cadres. Like Napoleon, ``if you have an army...'' etc etc
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