Dravidar Kazhagam or Dravida Kazhagam (Dravidian Organization) was the first fully Dravidian party in India. It was a radical party formed by E.V.Ramaswamy Naicker also called Periyar (the Big one) of erstwhile Madras Presidency. Its original goals were to eradicate the ills of the society that existed at that time including untouchability and on a grander scale to obtain a "Dravida Nadu" or Dravidian nation mainly from the Madras Presidency. The founders were motivated by theories that the Brahmins of the north and Aryans were wreaking havoc on the local Dravidian populace. The DK thus became the first fully Dravidian party and would in turn give birth to many other dravidian parties like the DMK and AIADMK over the course of time. Dravidian people, Dravidian race or Dravidians are terms that are some times given to people of India (mainly Southern India), Northern Sri Lanka, and parts of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal who currently speak Dravidian languages or are historically assumed to have spoken Dravidian languages but no longer are. ... Periyar is a common name and can be used in many ways Periyar is the popular name of E.V.Ramasami a political leader and rationalist from Tamil Nadu Periyar River is a river in the Indian state of Kerala This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists... In South Asias caste system, an untouchable, dalit, or achuta is a person outside of the four castes, and considered below them. ... Madras Presidency, also known as Madras Province and known officially as Presidency of Fort St. ... A Brahmin (anglicised from the Sanskrit word IAST ; Devanagari ), also known as Vipra, Dvija, Dvijottama (best of the Dvijas), (god on Earth) is a member of an upper caste within Hindu society. ... // Aryan () is an English language word derived from the Iranian and Sanskrit terms ari-, arya-, ārya-, and/or the extended form aryāna-. Beyond its use as the ethnic self-designation of the Proto-Indo-Iranians, the meaning noble/spiritual has been attached to it in Persian and Sanskrit. ... Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is a regional political party in the Tamil Nadu state of India. ... All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is a regional political party in India. ...

Origins

The roots of the DK lie in the Self Respect Association, dominated by its charismatic leader, E.V. Ramaswami Naicker (popularly known as Periar). Periar formed the Self Respect Association in the mid-1920s, breaking in the process from the Congress party of which he had been a member until then. The Self Respect Association represented "non-Brahmins". The non-Brahmin community was defined in different ways - sometimes to include all South Indians other than Brahmins, but sometimes mainly the middle castes (which came to be called the `other backward classes' after India became independent). The South Indian Liberal Federation (also called the Justice Party) was an elite organization, formed in 1916, which also claimed to promote non-Brahmin interests. The Self Respect Association and the Justice Party were merged in 1938 under Periar's leadership. The name of this party was changed to the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) in 1944, at the same time that the party was more formally organised. The DK opposed Brahmin social, political and ritual dominance, and aimed to form a separate country of Dravida Nadu, to include either all of South India or the predominantly Tamil-speaking regions. Its sharp opposition to religion, especially Brahminical Hinduism, was not widely popular. Dravidian ideology is based on rabid anti-Brahminism, anti-Sanskrit, anti- North India. However, it never became a full fledged political party by choice; instead, it prefers to be a cultural movement and a pressure group leaving active politics to its progeny, DMK and AIADMK This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The 1920s was a decade sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ...

Work

The work of the DK largely centered around removing untouchability, opposing the Brahmins and Aryans often through violent methods, denouncing Hindu Gods and Goddesses, seeking to educate people on superstitions and ignorance as well as women's liberation. The workers of DK were often quite visible as they wore black shirts and white dhotis. The party was very much opposed to Hindi as well as all Northern traditions seen as maligning the south and its unique culture.It continues to remove doubts in astrology. Hinduism (Sanskrit: , , also known as , ) is a religion that originated on the Indian subcontinent. ... The Veshti or Panche is the male clothing of south India. ... Hindi (हिन्दी or हिंदी in Devanagari; pronunciation: ), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in northern and central India, is the official language of the Union government of India [1][2]. It is part of a dialect continuum of the Indic family, bounded on the northwest and west by Punjabi, Sindhi, Urdu, and...

Controversies

The Party was well known for its hardline approach to fight for the Dravidian rights and was often involved in mass attempts to change the system outright. One such incidence involved bringing in dalits into the sanctum sanctorum and asking brahmin priests to preach in Tamil instead of Sanskrit. During Indian Independence in 1947, the party became infamous for hoisting its black and red flag instead of the indian flag symbolising the "age of darkness" as Periyar viewed Independence as further subjugation by the Brahmin-Bania combine.In spite of DK's alleged efforts to root out untouchability and casteism, Tamilnadu has one of the highest incidence of extreme caste discrimination, caste riots and the resultant loss of lives and property in India. This the critics say is due to DK's excusive reliance on whipping up brahmin hatred and encouraging caste feelings by supporting caste based reservations in education and employment. By connecting all the ills of Tamil society to the presense of brahmins, it has not developed any intelligent analysis of society and consequently, it's ideas and actions are dysfunctional and sterile. In South Asias caste system, a Dalit; often called an untouchable; is a person of shudra; the lowest of the four castes. ... The sanctum sanctorum is the area inside a Hindu temple complex where the main deity is installed. ... Tamil (தமிழ் ) is a classical language and one of the major languages of the Dravidian language family. ... The Sanskrit language ( , ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. ... The Indian independence movement was a series of steps taken in the Indian subcontinent for independence from British colonial rule, beginning with the Rebellion of 1857. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Indian National Flag Flag ratio: 2:3 The National Flag of India was adopted in its present form during an ad hoc meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on the 22 July 1947, a few days before Indias independence from the British on the 15 August, 1947. ... A Brahmin (anglicised from the Sanskrit word IAST ; Devanagari ), also known as Vipra, Dvija, Dvijottama (best of the Dvijas), (god on Earth) is a member of an upper caste within Hindu society. ... A sauna, the wet version also called steam bath, is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet/dry heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities, or the act of using a sauna. ...

Decline and split

As the party gained prominence, many in the party wanted to contest in the elections and gain power through democratic means. Among these were Annadurai and Karunanidhi. However, E.V.R. refused to think on those lines as he felt that power could achieve little and that a hands-on approach would always be more direct. Moreover, many felt that a greater Dravida Nadu was impossible and even Periyar resigned to the fact that even an independent Tamil Nadu would be a remarkable achievement. With a straining relationship in the organization, E.V.R., supreme leader of the party, committed what many viewed as a blunder. Despite his ideals of women's liberation, at the old age of 70, he married a girl in twenties, his junior. Furthermore, he began to give more power and control to her and is even reported to have said that she would be his successor. This enraged the veterans of the party who broke up and formed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, later winning the elections in Tamil Nadu. Since then the party slid into decline though it was later headed by Veeramani and continues its existence today as a ghost of the past. Feminism is a body of social theory and political movement primarily based on and motivated by the experiences of women. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Legacy

The organization despite its ultimate demise laid the foundation for further Dravidian involvement into politics. It singularly enthused a new Dravidian spirit that later on led to the formation of many parties in the southern states that would eventually challenge the Indian National Congress stranglehold. Though it failed to achieve its grandiose idea of an independent Dravidian nation, it fostered a spirit of unity amongst the Dravidians, especially in Tamilians who continue to oppose Hindi to this day. Its influence is especially felt in Tamil Nadu where since 1967, only the Dravidian parties have won the assembly elections. Indian National Congress (also known as the Congress Party or Congress (I), abbreviated INC) is a major political party in India. ... Hindi (हिन्दी or हिंदी in Devanagari; pronunciation: ), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in northern and central India, is the official language of the Union government of India [1][2]. It is part of a dialect continuum of the Indic family, bounded on the northwest and west by Punjabi, Sindhi, Urdu, and... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...

While it can be said that DK was instrumental in lessening the importance of Brahmins on Tamil society escpecially in politics and administration, ultimately that was due to the ideas of equality and equal oppurtunity adopted by the Indian Constitution and the entire educated and political classes which wield influence. DK was only a reflection of the larger social ideas and forces which ploughed upside down the traditional Hindu and Indian attitudes.