1929 Self-Respect Conference
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The 1929 Self-Respect (Suyamariyathai) Conference was held in Chengalpattu on February 17 and 18 under the chairmanship of Periyar.[1] This is the first self-respect conference organised by Self-Respect Movement. Resolutions were passed against caste oppression, religion / superstition, in favor of self-respecting marriage and widow remarriage. This conference is important in the development of the self-respect movement, the dravidian movement and in the history of Tamil Nadu. The Chief Minister of Chennai Province P.Subbarayan opened it and made a special speech.
Resolutions[edit]
Among the resolutions taken at the conference the prominent ones were:
- Equal rights to property and inheritance for women as men.
- Age of marriage to be fixed at 16 years; prohibition of child marriage.
- Allowing marriages to be terminated at the will of each party and abolition of restrictions on remarriage.
- Freedom to parties in a marriage to choose partners irrespective of caste, creed, and race.
- Equal rights for women to practice any profession.
E.V. Ramasamy Nayakkar renounced the caste title of "Nayakkar'' in his name and changed his name to Ramasamy.
Speech of P.Subbarayan[edit]
Dr. P. Subbarayan (t839-1962), The first minister of Madras Province — British India headed the conference. This is a brief of his speech in the conference.
'I would like to first thank the organizers of the First Provincial Self-respect Conference for asking me to open this Conference. I feel they have done me a great honour. It is indeed a pleasure to me to come here and meet so many of my country men who are interested in the movement of social regeneration. The problem of national regeneration is a wide one and I am glad to note that the Self-respect League is concerned primarily with the social and not the political aspect of the problem as concentration of effort is essential for success. 1 am also glad to see that this movement, started by friend Mr. E.V. Ramaswami Naicker, is taking firm root and is getting an increasing number of adherents. I have every hope that this movement will rapidly gain in strength and influence.
Before I proceed further, I wish to say a few words about our departed country men who were interested in what this movement stands for. This Conference brings back to my mind all the work that the great social worker, Swami Ishwarananda did in the field of social regeneration. His work was the same that the Self-respect movement now advocates. It is just a year to-day since the soul passed away from amidst us. I therefore feel I must on this occasion refer to his revered memory. Personally too, I have had much inspiration from his life and work and character. I desire also to pay my tribute to the memory of Lala Lajpat Rai, S.R. Das and Rajah of Panagal, men who in their different spheres tried to do all that lay in their power to better the lot of the humble and the lowly. It is for us to cherish their memory and continue their labours.
The growing feeling of Self-respect is among other factors largely responsible for the new political and social aspiration; but it is curious to note that there is among us a greater consciousness of the claims of-Self-respect in the political than in the social sphere. I know that there is widely prevalent a feeling that we, as a Self-respecting people, should no longer accept political servitude, autocratic control and government bureaucracy. As you are aware, there is among all educated people a demand for freedom and for a complete overhauling of our traditional and ancient political machinery. All our political organizations are agreed in urging this demand and our history is being examined to see whether we cannot discover in the past the seeds of free institutions. There is therefore a certain amount of unanimity among our people in the political sphere. The picture, however, is a very different one when we turn to the social sphere. There is, at the most, only a theoretical acceptance of the necessity for removing all the numerous limitations, that ignorance, priestcraft, religious traditions and social customs have imposed on individuals and groups. For every thousand and more persons who passionately declaim against political autocracy we can hardly count one, who is prepared to work actively for social regeneration. I therefore feel, this movement has not come a day too early. It is time we realized that we cannot be a self-respecting people politically unless we are self-respecting socially. The truth must be admitted that customs and beliefs which restrict freedom of people in social sphere cannot prop up a free nation. As long as such customs and beliefs continue, it is not possible to erect a free and democratic state in a society hopelessly given over to all that is antiquated, superstitious and unprogressive. A people who are dominated by priests in their social life cannot escape subjection to a bureaucracy and it is not surprising that the priest is the person who most easily transforms himself into the bureaucrat. All he has to do is to employ, in the political sphere, the talents he has perfected and the knowledge of our weaknesses that he has acquired in the social sphere, and his success is assured. A community given over to superstition in the sphere of religion is bound to be at the mercy of every rumour of false agitation in the political sphere. Those who are incapable of affirming right social judgements, will in the end be equally incapable of affirming right political judgments. A social system that tolerates innumerable castes can never produce a unified people required for the working of the Democracy. A society that denies to its members social justice will not produce leaders capable of fighting for economic and political equality.[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ "ஈ.வெ.கி. சம்பத்தும்... திராவிட இயக்கமும்..." Dinamani (in தமிழ்). Retrieved 2021-08-26.
- ↑ "The Modern Rationalist - July 2017 Digital Magazine from Magzter - World's Largest Digital Newsstand". Magzter. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
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