Periyar’s public life was very hectic and multidimensional. He fought simultaneously on many fronts for the rights of the Tamil people, especially the non-Brahmins, and to arouse a feeling of self-respect in them. He fought against caste-based discrimination and inequality, sociopolitical hegemony, religious hypocrisy, social evils and customs, suppression of women, Devadasi system, child marriage and ban on widow remarriage. There was hardly a concern which was not his concern. There was hardly any tragic situation he didn’t fight against. He was a businessman, leader, social reformer, thinker, linguist, scientist, rationalist, agitator and guide – all rolled into one. There was one more dimension to his multi-faceted personality. He was also a journalist and a writer. Most people don’t know enough about this aspect of his legacy – this, when his contribution to the field of journalism is so significant and so original that he can be called “Periyar” (the great one) even if we forget about all his other contributions. He was associated with newspapers and magazines titled Kudi Arasu (1925), Dravidian (1927), Revolt (1928), Puratchi (1933), Pagutharivu (1934), Viduthalai (1935), Justice (1942), Unmai (1970) and The Modern Rationalist (1971). He launched some of them, edited others. He spent a sizable chunk of his earnings on these newspapers and journals. He lost money in these ventures and was jailed on many occasions for the writings that he published. But he did not allow that to alter his concern. His commitment to human values was unshakeable.
About The Author
Omprakash Kashyap
Omprakash Kashyap has published as many as 33 books in different genres. The litterateur and thinker is well known in the field of children's literature. He has been honoured by the Hindi Academy, Delhi in 2002 and Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan in 2015. Kashyap is a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines
