The ninety-four shades of E.V. Ramasamy "Periyar" Naidu
You have to know me as a person before you read this article. This is not history, but a perspective and it is absolutely necessary to know the relevant details about the writer before reading their perspectives. I'm not a Brahmin. I was born into the Nadar caste, which was suppressed by the then upper castes in the colonial era and liberated later. However, I do not consider myself a part of that caste anymore. Under the cover of building an identity and a sense of community, organised castes have developed only hatred towards other castes and I do not belong there. Though I'm an atheist and though I do not practice/preach religious rituals, my spiritual(not religious) beliefs are rooted in the philosophy of Tamils, most of which modern-day Hinduism has encapsulated. So, I'm part atheist, part Hindu (rather a strange combination). I love Tamil immensely. I will do anything to promote her, but I will not impose her on a non-Tamil speaker. I believe in freedom, equality a...