CHENNAI: As the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) is all set to launch the year-long statewide birth centenary celebrations of E V R Maniammaiar on March 10 (Sunday) at Vellore, political leaders here recalled her stellar role in consolidating the Dravidian Movement after the demise of its leader Thanthai Periyar E V Ramasamy.
When Periyar died in 1973, many virtually wrote off the 'Rationalist Movement' galvanized by him, initially as the leader of the erstwhile Justice Party and then when he founded the DK at the famous Salem conference in the early 1940s'.
The DK was, for all practical purposes the ideological successor to the Justice Party, carrying forward not only the tenets of rationalism, but also social justice.
Periyar's departure was a testing moment for the DK, for even his marriage to a much younger Maniammaiar years earlier had created a political controversy.
The DK leader K. Veeramani recalled that when Periyar wrote to his 'good old friend' Rajaji in 1949, then Governor General of India, requesting him to be a witness for the registration of his marriage with Maniyammaiar, Rajaji politely declined saying his position in the high office would not permit his to do so.
Given Maniyammai's young age then, Rajaji had also expressed apprehension whether she would "rise up to Periyar's expectations" and even advised Periyar to postpone the marriage, in a confidential communication to him. But Periyar went ahead, defending his marriage with Maniammai, as not for leading a wedded life, "but as an arrangement for the movement." In fact, it was many years later that Mr. Veeramani disclosed the letter to the world, after the demise of all the three leaders "as a piece of historical evidence."
However, the faith that Periyar had reposed in Maniammai was not to be belied. She rose to the occasion as a spirited, dedicated woman leader of the Dravidian Movement after Periyar's death and led the organisation from 1973 till her demise in 1978, pointed out Mr. Veeramani.
It was a period when Maniyammaiar undertook very important social, political and ideological tasks. Continuing Periyar's fight against any form of discrimination of humans based on their birth status, as President of DK, she wrote to the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi to ban 'Ram Lila', a festive occasion in the North witnessed by even the President and the Prime Minister, while a vast section of people in the South felt burning Ravanna's effigy was an insult to Dravidian ethos.
Mr. Veeramani further recalled that Maniyammaiar had even organised a counter-celebration 'Ravana Lila'. Her role was even more "remarkable during the Emergency" when many cadres of the DK including Veeramani were detained in prison under 'MISA'.
While Maniyammaiar took several other initiatives on the social reforms front including establishing several schools and colleges during her tenure, particularly to promote women's education, she later endowed all her properties to the Dravidian Movement.
She thus kept the organisational morale of the DK high, in the footsteps of Periyar. The 'Nagammaiar Home' she established was a boon for many orp-
hans.
The late Chief Minister, M G Ramachandran was so impressed by her work in safeguarding the interests of the movement after Periyar's demise that he took steps not only to celebrate the birth centenary of Periyar in 1978-79, but also to adopt the reformed Tamil script as suggested by the rationalist leader.
All these vindicated the belief that Maniammaiar had consolidated the DK at that stage.
