If Tamil Nadu’s recent history is rich in progressive ideas, it is in large part due to Periyar EV Ramasamy Naicker’s rationalist self-respect movement. Thanks to this social reformer, the Tamil populace has grown up with and imbibed liberal ideals such as the struggle against Brahmin hegemony, social justice for the depressed classes, equality of men and women, self-respect marriages without ‘thali’ or ‘mangalsutra’, which was seen as a symbol of slavery of women, anti-Hindi agitations, atheism and opening the sanctum sanctorum of temples to all castes, to name a few.But now Periyar country is seeing a sudden rise is vitriol as a clash of extremes takes place, vying for a connect with the youth of Tamil Nadu. The trouble began in early March, with a private Tamil television channel airing a promo regarding a recorded debate on whether the ‘Thali’ is a boon or a bane for women. On March 7, fringe pro-Hindu outfit Hindu Munnani protested outside the channel’s headquarters. A day later, the Hindu Makkal Katchi joined the protests and manhandled a crew member of the channel. On March 12, a low intensity ‘tiffin box’ bomb was hurled at the office in Chennai in the wee hours of the morning allegedly by a fringe outfit called the Hindu Youth Sena — this, despite the channel calling off telecast of the show.Showdown Time By this time, the buzz of anger within the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) and like-minded groups was palpable. Ninety years after the Dravidian self-respect movement was launched by Periyar, the DK and its ideology appeared to be facing a test of relevance, however slight. The DK decided to cock a snook at two ticklish issues — by conducting a ‘thali’ removal function, followed by a beef banquet as a symbolic protest against the beef ban in Maharashtra and Haryana.“No one has any right to curb freedom of speech and expression,” says K Veeramani, president of the DK. “We are not a fascist country. That is why we decided to conduct this,” he said.The Chennai police, fearing clashes, refused to give permission to the DK to conduct the planned ceremony. The DK moved the Madras High Court — the hearing went on until 9 pm on April 13. The Court finally passed orders by 9.30 pm that night — the ‘thali’ removal ceremony and beef feast could finally take place.DK members knew that either the government or the Hindutva groups would head right back to the court the next day and try to get a stay on the function. They decided to hold the function much earlier. “We started the ‘thali’ removal ceremony at 6.45 am on the 14th of April, Tamil New Year’s day,” says Veeramani. “By 8 am the whole function was over.”An incensed state government called for a stay on allowing this function to continue. Despite it being a court holiday on account of Tamil New Year’s day, a new bench was called and the matter heard at the residence of one of two judges of the Madras High Court, a move which Veeramani calls “highly unusual”. The advocate general appeared on behalf of the state and strongly pushed for a stay on the event, citing law and order issues. The two-judge bench ordered a stay. But by then, the ‘thali’ removal ceremony was over. The beef lunch was parcelled out to the participants and everyone went home.Hindutva outfits began isolated protests in various parts of the state soon after. A small group of Shiv Sena men attempted to enter Periyar Thidal, headquarters of the DK in Chennai, to protest. A scuffle ensued between the two groups and police resorted to a mild lathicharge to impose order. “People from the red-light area were brought in for the ‘thali’ removal ceremony,” said H Raja, national secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a volatile pro-Hindu voice in the state. This statement added fuel to the fire.Between April 20 and April 21, three Brahmin priests had been attacked in Chennai by a lesser known arm of the DK. The Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam cut the sacred thread of these priests as they were walking along the road. One of them, an 80-year-old priest, sustained injuries to his hand as well.This has once again kicked off a storm within the BJP in the state, with BJP state president Tamilisai Soundararajan condemning the incident saying, “Those who disturb peace should be punished severely by law. These are cowardly acts that deserve strong condemnation.”Union minister of state for road transport & highways and shipping, Pon Radhakrishnan too chipped in with a high-decibel retort. “Instead of taking on ideology with ideology, these cowardly elements have chosen to attack an old helpless man. If such incidents continue, the repercussions will be severe,” he warned.A Storm Brews “The self-respect movement and rationalists are diametrically and ideologically opposed to organisations like the RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh],” explains Veeramani of the DK. “They are provoking people in the state for no reason. Not just the DK, all like-minded organisations will oppose them,” he adds.Sources within the BJP though say that this is not merely a clash of ideology — after all the presence of pro-Hindu groups like the RSS and Hindu Munnani in the state is very small and their activity can only be seen in pockets in Kanyakumari and some western districts. The strategy is a much larger one, based on the perception of the youth of the state, they say. The key to this strategy is to question the core of Dravidianism itself and to attack the rationalism and atheism of the leader of the Dravidian movement, Periyar himself.“Periyar has spread lies and canards,” says H Raja of the BJP. “Lord Macaulay used him. Periyar was against Indians getting freedom. In a Salem conference in 1944, Periyar said Gandhi has gone insane by asking for freedom. He wanted the British to rule Madras Presidency from London and attacked Hindus. Periyar was anti-national, a stooge of the British,” he says.“This definitely is going to happen more going forward,” says Gnani Sankaran, a political analyst based in Chennai. “These two opposing ideologies are bound to clash and we will see more such incidents, as the battle for Tamil Nadu culminates in elections in 2016.”The BJP’s rhetoric too is similar — there appears to be a conscious move to deconstruct the aura of Periyar. “This is the land of Nayanmars and Alwars,” says H Raja. “EVR [Periyar] and [CN] Annadurai are incidental. The Aryan-Dravidian theory was propagated by British Bishop Caldwell. Today’s youth knows the truth,” he says.“The BJP has a very clear cut strategy,” says C Lakshmanan, assistant professor at Madras Institute of Development Studies. “[If ] one person will go aggressive, the other person will soft pedal. They will try to appropriate Periyar if possible. But this is all to remain in the limelight, create a controversy so as to remain a talking point.”The urgent need to destroy or at least wound the Dravidian ideology in some fashion is likely due to the fact that Dravidianism, rationalism and the self-respect movement havein fact waned over time. Political hawks say for the first time voters today have little connect with Periyar and are more god-fearing and capitalist in nature than the Dravidian leaders would like them to be. Caste politics played by Dravidian leaders from the DMK and the AIADMK have gone against the grain of the movement launched by Periyar in the mid-1920s.“Day by day the Dravidian movement has exposed itself in many ways,” says Lakshmanan. “They are getting beaten from all corners — whether it is the case of women’s issues or caste or social justice.The Dravidian movement is a clear debacle. There is a desperation on their part to renew their movement — to show that it is alive. It is purely a futile exercise.They do not have any sincerity in terms of ideology. There is a complete vacuum in the state which the BJP is trying to fill with rhetoric of this sort.”It is perhaps a reflection of this situation that the crafty politician, DMK chief M Karunanidhi, treads with care on the issue of ‘thali’ removal. In a statement at the time hitting out at pro-Hindu groups that attacked DK men, Karunanidhi pointedly said that wearing a ‘thali’ or not was an individual’s preference. “When I participated in a similar event in the past, DK president K Veeramani asked me to remove ‘thalis’. But I openly resisted the idea. Also, I have never compelled anyone to take part in any event of the Dravidar Kazhagam,” he added for good measure.Some experts feel that Karunanidhi is being practical. “Tamil Nadu’s issues are not along ideological lines,” says Manushyaputhiran, author and political watcher. “People are facing economic issues and battling alcoholism. The DK has taken up these issues of ‘thali’ and beef ban. The DMK has not taken it up. They are a mainstream political party and they will not get into this. There will be no such ideological clashes,” he says. Today, however, the state is at a juncture where Periyar is being questioned and his ideology challenged.“Periyar was anti-Dalit, his ideology needs to be buried,” says H Raja of the BJP. “I will definitely endeavour to finish off Dravidian ideology,” he says. Periyarists too refuse to back down. “Tamil soil is always Periyar’s soil,” says Veeramani of the DK. “They [Hindutva groups] will never be able to grow here. Personal vituperation will be the fertiliser by which we will grow better in the state,” he says. As 2016 approaches, Tamil Nadu is likely to be the battleground yet again for conflicting, contradictory ideologies.(The writer is a freelance journalist based in Chennai)