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The year 2025 marks the centenary of the Self-Respect Movement, a landmark social reform initiative launched by E.V. Ramasamy “Periyar” in Tamil Nadu. Emerging in 1925 through the Tamil weekly KudiArasu(Republic), the movement fundamentally reshaped Tamil society by questioning caste hierarchies, patriarchy, and religious orthodoxy, and by laying the foundations of modern Dravidian politics.

Origins and Context

• The Justice Party (South Indian Liberal Federation, 1916) had earlier challenged Brahmin dominance but remained largely confined to elite non-Brahmin interests.
• Periyar, after leaving the Indian National Congress in 1925, criticised the Justice Party for lacking a people-centric agenda and warned against creating a new non-Brahmin elite as oppressive as Brahmin oligarchy.
• Through KudiArasu,Periyar articulated a more radical vision — shifting reform efforts towards the common masses and framing an agenda of rationalism, equality, and self-respect.

Core Ideas and Aims

The Self-Respect Movement stood for:

• Abolition of caste hierarchy and Brahmanical dominance.
• Promotion of rationalism over religious superstition and ritualism.
• Assertion of dignity and equality for all individuals, irrespective of caste or gender.
• Social reform over political independence — unlike the Congress-led freedom struggle, which the movement saw as tied to Hindu orthodoxy.

Key Features and Reforms

• Self-Respect Marriages – Conducted without priests or rituals, challenging caste and religious authority.
• Women’s Rights – Advocacy of widow remarriage, right to divorce, property rights, reproductive choice (including abortion), and women’s education.
• Inter-caste Unity – Promotion of inter-caste marriages and solidarity across oppressed groups.
• Critique of Religion and Nationalism – Rejection of Gandhi’s “religion-tinted nationalism” and the Congress as a bastion of caste Hindu interests.
• Dravidian Identity – Assertion of Tamil/Dravidian identity and resistance to Sanskritichomogenisation.

Impact and Legacy

• Mass Awakening: Instilled pride and self-respect among non-Brahmin masses, transforming them from passive subjects of reform to active participants.
• Foundation for Dravidian Politics: Evolved into the DravidarKazhagam (DK) and inspired political parties like DMK and AIADMK, shaping Tamil Nadu’s welfare-driven governance model.
• Gender and Social Justice: Pioneered radical reforms in marriage, family, and gender relations, decades ahead of mainstream Indian discourse.
• Intellectual Tradition: Drew inspiration from earlier reformers such as IyotheeThass, Jyotirao Phule, and B.R. Ambedkar, situating Tamil Nadu in a wider anti-caste, rationalist movement.

Contemporary Relevance

As the movement enters its centenary in 2025, it resonates amid debates over Hindutva, cultural homogenisation, and caste discrimination. Its emphasis on rationalism, social equality, and grassroots empowerment continues to provide a counter-narrative to exclusivist identities and remains vital for advancing social justice and constitutional morality in India.