Life Note of E.V.RAMASAMY

E.V. Ramasamy also hailed as the Socrates of South India. Some points of E.V. Ramasamy.

E.V.R is fondly called by all. Ramasamy was born on September 17, 1879 in Erode.

He was a great rationalist who fought for social reform, elimination of caste discrimination, elimination of superstitions from people, women's liberation, caste and gender equality.

Father E V Ramasamy was born on 17th September 1879 in Erode district of Tamil Nadu . His original name was Erode Venkata Ramasamy Nayak. He had a brother named Krishna swamy and two sisters are present . His family has a very prosperous business background.

Father E.V. Ramasamy stopped his studies with fifth standard. Married at the age of 19. She gave birth to a baby girl but the baby died in five months.

He conducted mixed marriages in 1902. He ate food equally with all castes. Because of this, he and his father became embittered and his father E.V.R went to Kashi as a renunciation. The events that happened to him at Kashi turned him into an apostate.

In the early years, he was involved in Gandhian principles and joined the Congress Party in 1919. He went to jail after participating in many protests led by Gandhi. In 1922, Father E.V.R was elected as the President of Madras Provincial Congress Party.

Father E.V.R left the Congress party in 1925 as the Congress party refused to accept the demand of reservation in government jobs and education.

In a town in Kerala Dalits were banned from entering the temple and walking on the temple road. In participated in the protest against the ban and went to jail.

In 1925, he started the 'Self-Respect Movement' to remove the superstitious practices in the society. In the same year, Father E V R started the newspaper. Through this journal, E V R spread his ideas and thoughts. It got huge support from the people. They held conferences and meetings and created awareness among the people.

n 1937, Chakraborty Rajaji became the Chief Minister of Madras Province. During his rule, Hindi was introduced as a compulsory language in schools. An anti-Hindi movement erupted. In 1938, Periyar was arrested and imprisoned for protesting against the Hindi language on behalf of the Justice Party.

In 1939, when Ramasamy was released from jail due to the anti-Hindi movement, he assumed the responsibility of the leader of the Justice Party. Later E V R changed the name of to Dravidian association in 1944. The ideals of the Dravidian League soon caught on with the people.

Since 1949, the Dravidian association have been working to identify themselves in society as anti-social and social reformers. The Dravidian association was active in opposing and eradicating the use of untouchability against Dalits. They were involved in activities like women's rights, women's education, women's voluntary marriage, concubine marriage, destitute and charity homes.

Annadurai broke away from his mentor father E.V.R in 1949 and started a new party called (DMK).

In 1952, not only did god break idols, but he also staged a protest to burn effigies of Lord Rama, considered to be the Hindu God, claiming that Hindu gods were fostering superstitions among the people.

In 1962, he became the general secretary of Dravidian association. He gave him the responsibility of looking after the party responsibility full time.

Father E.V.R was awarded the 'UNESCO Award' on 27th June 1973 by the then Indian Education Minister Sen.

He concluded his last speech by chanting that all Dravidians should work together to eradicate the caste system and stigma in the meeting held in T. Nagar Chennai on 19th December 1973. This is his last meeting.

Father E.V.R is one of the world's greatest thinker and immortal scholar of history, passed away on December 24, 1973, at the age of 94.

The Tamil Nadu government has made the Erode house where Father E.V.R lived as E.V.R-Anna Memorial House.

Despite being born in a wealthy, backward caste society, Nayak, he raised his voice against caste cruelty, untouchability, superstition, parochialism, and inferiority of women.

Even today, if Dravidians are living with equality and rationality, the work of Father E.V.R is huge. A great thinker is not an exaggeration when he says E.V.R