Periyar And Modernity

Social Degradation (SamoogaIzhivu) of the mass of People. With the Colonially abetted valorization, consolidation, subsequent nationalist legitimization and the gradual dovetailing within the emerging state structures, of selectively retrieved Brahminical way and view of life, the arrogance, aggression and aggrandizement of the various newly consolidated Brahminical groups in the social-public and political life of the country became pervasive, engulfing and was experienced as almost insufferable. Periyar’s own and specific response to the engulfing social degradation he experienced and observed as being imposed on the Tamil society by the colonially valorized Brahminism was formulated as lack of and calling for a struggle towards, ‘self-respect.’