Thanthai Periyar E.V.Ramasamy 16. Humanism thy name is Buddhism 10.

00
1. Periyar on Rural Development 5.00 17. A Concerned Humanitarian Appeal to the
2. Periyar on Family Planning 5.00 World Community! 10.00
3. Untouchability 6.00 18. Periyar and Ambekar 90.00
4. Periyar Declaration of war on Brahmanism 6.00 19. Joy of Living 35.00
5. Periyar on God and man 6.00 20. Saint or Sectarian? 60.00
6. Dear Youths 8.00 21. Lets Listen to Dr. K.Veeramani 60.00
7. Periyar EVR Social Reform or Social Revolution 12.00 22. The Necessity of Scientific Temper 75.00
8. Buddhism 15.00 23. Social Justice 75.00
9. The World to come 20.00 24. The History of the Struggle for Social Justice
10. Why I do not believe in God? 25.00 in Tamilnadu 100.00
11. The Ramayana - A true reading 30.00 25. Bhagavad gita myth or Mirage? 200.00
12. Why Were Women Enslaved? 50.00 26. Lovable Life 50.00
13. Thoughts of Periyar 200.00 Others
14. Collected works of Periyar E.V.R 250.00 1. Periyars Relevance - Sitaramkesari 5.00
15. Golden Sayings of Periyar 50.00 2. Dangers of caste - mark 6.00
16. Inscriptions at Periyar Memorial 30.00 3. Congress and Brahmins - Dr.Ambedkar 15.00
K. Veeramani 4. Waiting for a Visa - Dr.Ambedkar 15.00
1. The Role of DK in protecting 69% 2.00 5. Why the rights for Communal Reservation
2. Humanism 2.00 (The Communal G.O.) 15.00
3. Population Problem 4.00 6. RSS Ideology Technique and Propaganda
4. Secularism Facilitating Secular Perspective 4.00 - Shree Govind Sahai 25.00
5. Mandal Commission Report 4.00 7. Periyar a comparitive study - R.Perumal 60.00
6. The Need for Atheist outlook 8. The Five pronged battle of Periyar for an
Periyars Perspective 5.00 egalitarian society - Justice P. Venugopal 80.00
7. The Need to propagate Atheism 5.00 9. Mirror of the Year - Dr. Sir. A. Ramasamy 100.00
8. Why Reservation? 6.00 10. The Modern Rationalist Annual Number -2012 100.00
9. Periyar and his Ideologies 10.00 11. World Atheist Conference 2011 Souvenir 100.00
10. PERIYAR E.V.RAMASAMY 12. Periyar Feminism 150.00
A Biographical sketch 10.00 13. The Justice Movement 1917 200.00
11. Dravidar Kazhagam at a Glance 10.00 14. The Justice Year Book 1929 500.00
12. Reservation not a Charity but for parity 10.00 15. The Modern Rationalist Annual Number -2013 100.00
13. IHEU-Parris Workshop 10.00 16. The Modern Rationalist Annual Number -2014 100.00
14. March of athesim 10.00 17. Periyar Self-Respect - Prof. A.Ayyasamy 30.00
15. G.U.Pope & Periyar E.V.R. 10.00 18. Periyar Self-Respect Movement 100.00
The Modern Rationalist

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 The Modern

Rationalist
Founder
E.V.Ramasamy
Editor-in-Chief
K.Veeramani, M.A.B.L. , D.Litt.
Editorial Board
S. Rajaratnam
Prof. Dr. A. Ramasamy
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Prof. A. Ayyasamy
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Honorary Editors
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Singapore : S. Ratnakumar
USA : Dr. Soma Ilangovan
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Germany : Prof. Dr. Ulrike Niklas
India
Bhubaneswar :

T
Prof. Dhaneswar Sahoo
Mysore : he Reserve Bank of India has released its annual
Prof. K.S. Bhagavan report showing that as much as 98.96 per cent of
New Delhi : the demonetised currency had returned to the
Vidya Bushan Rawat central bank. The estimate of the returnable demonetised
Patna :
currency notes was Rs 15.44 lakh crores of which Rs 15.28
Prof. Dr. Ramendra
lakh crores has returned. This has proved that the country
Published by wide exercise of DeMon has totally failed to curb black
The Periyar Self-Respect money. Further it has hampered the economic growth of
Propaganda Institution
the country, as reflected in the GDP growth at 5.7 per cent
Single Issue Rs. 25
Annual Subscription Rs. 300
between April-June (2017-18) which is at the slowest pace
Annual Subscription for recorded in 13 quarters since the National Democratic
Foreign Countries US$ 30 Alliance government, headed by Bharatiya Janata Party
Designed & Printed at : assumed office in May 2014.
Viduthalai Offset Printers
84/1(50), E V K Sampath Salai, The Finance Minister has accepted and attributed the
Periyar Thidal,Vepery, Chennai - 7. dismal performance on GDP by having gone down of
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manufacturing sector to GST impact.
Fax : (91) 044 - 266 18 866 Manufacturing sector would be promising only if the cash
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Visit our Website at flow is uninterrupted. The shockwaves emanated due to
www.modernrationalist.com the demonetisation exercise has hindered the sector very
The Views expressed in the articles are much. The FM has acknowledged for the first time that
not necessarily ours.
the growth figures are certainly a matter of concern. The
The
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 The present rulers are trying to add one way
to arrest population in the form of Check by
Governance causing suicides of farmers and other
common people owing to their economic policies
and prescription of the Government.

slowdown has happened not all of a sudden
but it has been persisting since the financial
year, 2016-17. During the four quarters of the
year, GDP growth has slowed down from 7.9,
7.5 to 7.0 and further to 6.1 per cent. For the
quarter April-June 2017-18 it has come down
to 5.7 per cent. All these are in monetary
terms. On the other side, how much sufferings
had the public experienced at the time of the
demonetisation exercise to spend their hard
earned money for their timely and urgent
need! The long standing queues in front of
the bank branches to deposit the demonetised
currency notes vindicated the unproductive
exercise of demonetisation, with the rhetoric
of breaking the grip of corruption and black
money. Nothing has happened as predicted by
the rulers at the Centre. It only witnessed the
sacrifice of life of about 100 people, who stood
in the queues to exchange their demonetised
currency notes. The miseries of the common
mass were hard to fathom. The comment of
the former Prime Minister Economist on
demonetisation as monumental disaster
has been proved by the latest functional
parameters of the economy of the country.
The agriculture sector has already been
hampered due to faulty policy formulation
and the follow-up prescriptions of the
government. The suicidal deaths of farmers
owing to indebtedness, caused by the lack of
infrastructure have become a routine affair.
The agitating farmers of Tamil Nadu at New
Delhi at the very nose of Central Governance
are not bestowed with due audience and have
not solved their perennial problems. Now
the growth of the next major sector, of the
economy viz. manufacturing has started to
slow down due to faulty, emotive and rhetoric
announcements of the Union Government
and the adamant implementation.
The present NDA rule, prior to coming to
power, proclaimed that the bringing back of
black money from abroad would be distributed
at the rate of Rs. 15 lakhs per citizen. The
demonetisation measures were implemented
to curb corruption and black money. Farmers
were promised minimum support price for
their produces would be fixed. Not having
kept up the past promises, the rulers have
changed their stand that the farmers income
would be doubled in 2020. The rulers are
shifting the goal posts. The prescriptions are
changing times and now. The disease is devoid
of its diagnosis. The Malthusian theory of
population says that the natural check in the
form of famines and calamities would be one
of the ways to curtail the population growth.
The present rulers are trying to add one way
to arrest population in the form of Check by
Governance causing suicides of farmers and
other common people owing to their economic
policies and prescription of the Government.
Let the Government admit their own wrong
decisions and stop playing the blame game
with the tactic of shifting the goal posts!

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(Periyar s Reaction to the Hanging of Bhagat Singh)

T
here is no one who has not been grieved at the hanging of
Bhagat Singh. There is no one who has not taken to task
the Government for hanging him. Apart from that, we
see many people who call themselves patriots and nationalists
blaming Gandhi for the incident.
If we see what was happening on the other day, we saw the same
people heaping praises on the Viceroy Lord Irwin and eulogizing
Gandhi who had come to an agreement with the Viceroy, without
any condition including the one regarding sparing Bhagat
Singhs life. These people hailed it as a great victory and
were celebrating it. Not only that. Gandhi
had called Lord Irwin a Mahatma and
exhorted his countrymen to designate
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 I have a slight feeling that there was something wrong
in the way in which he tried to carry it on. All the
same I will never dare to say that his principle was
faulty, because it was in keeping with the principle of
world peace.

him likewise. On the other side Lord Irwin
among his own countrymen praised Gandhi
as a great saint with divine qualities. But very
soon, the same people have started shouting
Down with Gandhism Down with Gandhi and totally care-free imbeciles who run after
and Down with Congress and have started
showing black flag to Gandhi wherever he goes
and are creating skirmishes in his meetings.
When we see these happenings, it becomes
impossible to find out the attitude or the policy
of people towards politics, or whether people
have any such things at all. Whatever it may
be, even when Gandhi was about to launch
his Salt Satyagraha, I repeatedly told him that
the struggle would in no way benefit people
of the country, and it was opposed to the
development of the country and the liberation
of the distressed people. Not only me, even
Gandhi himself openly admitted that the very
purpose of his launching the struggle was to
blunt and render inactive the programmes of
Bhagat Singh and people like him.
Further, even the genuine socialists in the
neighboring countries were shouting from
rooftops that Gandhi had let down the poor
people, he was embarking on such tasks only
to destroy the socialistic mindset of the people.
Yet the so called patriots and nationalists of
our country behaved as though they were
intoxicated and were blinded to realities.
Hence, they courted imprisonment and came
out like triumphant heroes. They reaped all the
benefits of their action. And now that Bhagat
Singh has been hanged, they shout Down with
Gandhism, Down with Congress and Down only Bhagat Singhs policies, since as far as I
with Gandhi. I am unable to comprehend what
benefit will come out of all this.
As far as I am concerned, to be realistic, my
feeling is that this is a country of irresponsible
recognition in some way or the other, least
bothering about the consequences of their
action. Instead of living and watching those
things, getting agonized every minute and
being constantly obstructed in his task, it is
a great relief for Bhagat Singh to have passed
away. I am only pained that I have not had such
a blessing.
Because, the real question is whether a person
has discharged his responsibilities or not,
and not about what he accomplishes. I quite
admit that one must discharge ones duties in
accordance with ones own times and country.
Yet I am sure that the times or the place were not
opposed to the policy of Bhagat Singh, though
I have a slight feeling that there was something
wrong in the way in which he tried to carry it
on. All the same I will never dare to say that his
principle was faulty, because it was in keeping
with the principle of world peace.
Yet, in case Bhagat Singh had come to the whole
hearted conviction that all his principles were
right and the way in which he decided to carry
them on were appropriate, then I will hold
that his conduct and methods were certainly
correct. I might have suspected his integrity
if he had behaved in any other manner. When
all is said and done, in my opinion he is a man
of truth. It is my strong conviction India needs

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have learnt, his policies were socialism and communism. In
proof thereof, I present the following sentence from the letter
he wrote to the Governor of Punjab.
Institutional
Our war will continue until Communist Party comes to Discrimination
power and removes all differences in the status of the people.
The war will not be over with killing being killed. It will
in Women
inevitably continue in public as well as underground. Recruitment
Further I understand that he has no belief in god or his deeds. Recently the Delhi High Court
I assert that his policy cannot be called a crime according to has observed against the
any penal code. I am sure that it will cause no harm to people. gender bias in recruitment in
Even if it were to cause some harm, I will not show any hatred Indian Army. Not recruiting
or contempt towards any individual, country or nation. I will married woman in the Judge
try to carry on the policy without causing the least hurt to any Advocate General (JAG) arm
individual person but are willing to suffer the most with total of the Indian army amounts
self abnegation same principle that makes me work for the to hostile and 100 per cent
eradication of poverty prompts me to work for the removal discrimination, the Bench
of untouchability. said.
Eradication of untouchability involves removal of the notion During the hearing of a
of high or low caste. In the same way, removal of poverty public interest litigation (PIL)
involves eradication of capitalism as well as subjugation. petition by a lawyer claiming
Socialism or communism is nothing but such eradication. that these was institutionalized
Since these were the policies of people like Bhagat Singh and discrimination against
people like him, there is no wonder in people considering married women by not
them just and fair shouting Down the Congress and Down inducting them in the JAG
with Gandhism. What surprise me that people who subscribe service. The court also
to these policies also hail Congress and Gandhi.
questioned the government
The moment Gandhi started saying that he was guided by about its logic behind ousting
God, Varnasrama was good for the conduct of the society and married woman from the
every act is the act of God, I realised that there is no difference JAG, the legal branch of the
between Brahminism and Gandhism and concluded that Indian Army.
nothing good would come to the country unless Congress
is eradicated. Only now, at least a few people have come to Today women are fighter
the realization and have become wise and bold enough to say pilots and you (Government)
Down with Gandhism. It is a success for our policies. say they (married women)
If Bhagat Singh had not been hanged to death, our policies are not fit for the JAG. What
would not have acquired so much of success. If the hanging is the logic behind ousting
had not taken place, the myth of Gandhism would have married women? the Bench
continued. questioned the Government.
Instead of living and dying of some illness, Bhagat Singh When equality of women
got the opportunity for giving up his life in such a way as with men remains as the
to show the way India why, to the entire world the path policy of the Government and
to real equality and peace. This is a blessing no one would the violators are subject to
have thought of. I admire him with all my heart without any enquiry and punishment, how
reservation. can Government Institution
Source: Kudi Arasu-29th March 1931 discriminate against women
as well as among the women?
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1. Who created the world is a common question.
That the world was created by God is also a
very common answer.
2. In the Brahmanic scheme this God is called
by a variety of names Prajapathi, Ishwar,
Brahma or Maha Brahma.
3. To the question who this God is and how He
came into being there is no answer.
4. Those who believe in God describe Him as a
being who is Omnipotent, i.e., all-powerful,
Omni-present, i.e., he fills the whole universe,
and Omniscient, i.e., he knows everything.
5. There are also certain moral qualities which
are attributed to God. God is said to be good,
God is said to be just and God is said to be all-
loving.
6. The question is did the Blessed Lord accept
God as the creator of the universe.
7. The answer is, No. He did not.
8. There are various grounds why he rejected the
doctrine of the Existence of God.
9. Nobody has seen God. People only speak of
God.
10. God is unknown and unseen.
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11. Nobody can prove that God has created the
world. The world has evolved and is not
created.
12. What advantage can there be in believing in
God? It is unprofitable.
13. The Buddha said that a religion based on God
is based on speculation.
14. A religion based on God is, therefore, not
worth having.
15. It only ends in creating superstition.
16. The Buddha did not leave the question there.
He discussed the question in its various
aspects.
17. The grounds on which he rejected the
doctrine were various.
18. He argued that the doctrine of the Existence
of God is not based on truth.
19. This he made clear in his dialogue with the
two Brahmins, Vasettha and Bhardvaja.
20. Now a dispute arose between them as to
which was the true path of salvation and
which was false.
21. About the time, the Blessed One was
 journeying through Kosala with a great
company of the brethren he happened to halt
at the Brahmin village called Manaskata and
stayed in the mango grove on the bank of the
river Akiravati.
22. Manaskata was the town in which Vasettha
and Bhardvaja lived. Having heard that the
Blessed Lord was staying in their town, they
went to him and each one put forth his point
of view.
23. Bhardvaja said: The path of Tarukkha is the
straight path, this is the direct way which
makes for salvation, and leads him, who
acts according to it, into a state of union with
Brahma.
24. Vasettha said : Various Brahmins, O Gotama,
teach various paths. The Addhariya Brahmins,
the Tittiriya Brahmins, the Kanchoka
Brahmins, the Bheehuvargiya Brahmins.
They all lead those who act according to
them, into a state of union with Brahma.
25. Just as near a village or a town there are many
and various paths yet they all meet together
in the village just in the same way all the
various paths taught by the various Brahmins
lead to union with Brahma.
26. Do you say that they all lead aright, Vasettha?
asked the Buddha. I say so, Gautama, replied
Vasettha.
27. But, Vasettha, is there a single one of the
Brahmins versed in the three Vedas who has
ever seen Brahma face to face.
28. No, indeed, Gautama.
29. Is there a single one of the teachers of the
Brahmanas versed in the three Vedas who has
seen Brahma face to face ?
30. No, indeed, Gautama.
31. Nobody has seen Brahma. There is no
perceptual knowledge about Brahma. So
it is, said Vasettha. How then can you
believe that the assertion of the Brahmins that
Brahma exists is based on truth ?
32. Just, Vasettha, as when a string of blind men
are clinging one to the other, neither can the
foremost see nor can the middle one see not
can the hindmost see just even so, methinks,
Vasettha, is the talk of the Brahmins nothing
but blind talk. The first sees not, the middle
one sees not, not can the latest one. The talk
of these Brahmins turns out to be ridiculous,
mere words, a vain and empty thing.
33. Is this not a case, Vasettha, of a man falling in
love with a woman whom he has not seen ?
Yes, it is, replied Vasettha.
34. Now what think you Vasettha? If people
should ask you. Well ! Good friend ! This
most beautiful woman in the land, whom
you thus love and long for, who is she ? Is she
a noble lady, or a Brahmin woman, or of the
trader class, or a Sudra ?
35. With regard to the origin of Maha Brahma,
the so-called creator, the Blessed Lord said,
addressing Bhardvaja and Vasettha, Friends,
that being who was first born thinks thus : I am
Brahma, the Great Brahma, the Vanquisher,
the Unvanquished, the All-seeing, the
Disposer, the Lord, the Maker, the Creator,
the Chief, the Assignor, the Master of Myself,
the father of all that are and are to be. By me
are these beings created.
36. This means that Brahma is the father of those
that are and are to be.
37. You say that the worshipful Brahma, the
Vanquisher, the Unvanquished, Father of all
that are and are to be, he by whom we were
created, he is permanent, constant, eternal,
unchanging, and he will remain so forever and
ever. Then why are we who are created by that
Brahma, have come hither, all impermanent,
transient, unstable, short-lived, destined to
pass away ?
38. To this Vasettha has no answer.
39. His third argument has reference to the
Omnipotence of God. If God is Omnipotent
and is also the efficient cause of creation, then
because of this man cannot have any desire to
do anything, nor can there be any necessity
to do anything, not can he have the will to do
anything or to put forth any effort. Man must
remain a passive creature with no part to play
in the affairs of the world. If this is so, why did
Brahma create man at all ?
40. To this also Vasettha had no answer.
41. His fourth argument was that if God is good
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 then why do men become murderers, thieves,
unchaste, liars, slanderers, abusive babblers,
covetous, malicious and perverse? The cause
of this must be Ishwara. Is this possible with
the existence of God who is good?
42. His fifth argument was related to God being
Omniscient, just and merciful.
43. If there is a supreme creator who is just and
merciful, why then does so much injustice
prevail in the world? asked the Blessed Lord.
He who has eyes can see the sickening sight;
why does not Brahma set his creatures right?
If his power is so wide that no limits can
restrain, why is his hand so rarely spread to
bless? Why are his creatures all condemned
to suffering? Why does he not give happiness
to all? Why do fraud, lies and ignorance
prevail? Why does falsehood triumph over
truth? Why does truth and justice fail? I
count your Brahma as one of the most unjust,
who made a world only to shelter wrong.
44. If there exists some Lord all-powerful to
fulfill in every creature, bliss or woe, and
action, good or ill, then that Lord is stained
with sim. Either man does not work his will
or God is not just and good or God is blind.
45. His next argument against the doctrine of
God was that the discussion of this question
about the existence of God was unprofitable.
46. According to him the centre of religion lay not
in the relation of man to God. It lay in the
relation between man and man. The purpose
of religion is to teach man how he should
behave towards other men so that all may be
happy.
47. There was also another reason why the Blessed
Lord was against belief in the existence of
God.
48. He was against religious rites, ceremonies,
and observances. He was against them
because they were the home of superstition
and superstition was the enemy of Samma
Ditthi, the most important element in his
Ashtangmarg.
49. To the Blessed Lord belief in God was the most
dangerous thing. For belief in God gave rise to
belief in the efficacy of worship and prayer and
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the efficacy of worship and prayer gave rise to
the office of the priest and the priest was the evil
genius who created all superstition and thereby
destroyed the growth of Samma Ditthi.
50. Of these arguments against belief in the
existence of God some were practical but the
majority of them theological. The Blessed
Lord knew that they were not fatal to the belief
in the existence of God.
51. It must not, however, be supposed that he had
no argument which was fatal. There was one
which he advanced which is beyond doubt
fatal to belief in God. This is contained in his
doctrine of Patit Samutpad which is described
as the doctrine of Dependent Origination.
52. According to this doctrine, the question
whether God exists or does not exist is not the
main question. Nor is the question whether
God created the universe the real question.
The real question is how did the creator create
the world. The justification for the belief in
God is a conclusion which follows from our
answer to the question how was the world
created.
53. The important question is: Did God create
something out of nothing or did he create
something out of something?
54. It is impossible to believe that something
could have been created out of nothing.
55. If the so-called God has created something
out of something, then that something out of
which something new was created has been
in existence before he created anything. God
cannot therefore be called the Creator of that
something which has existed before him
56. If something has been created by somebody
out of something before God created anything
then God cannot be said to be the Creator or
the first Cause.
57. Such was his last but incontrovertible
argument against belief in the existence of
God.
58. Being false in premises, belief in God as the
creator of the universe in Not Dhamma. It
is only belief in falsehood.
Source : THE BUDDHA AND HIS DHAMMA
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Writings and Speeches
 It is paradoxical that in populations supportive of science and democracy scientific issues
have become politicized to the degree that objective evidence is ignored or rejected in
favor of alternative opinions.

Jeanne Goldberg, MD,

Retired Radiologist and Science Writer, Former Chair, Florida Division of the American
Cancer Society Breast Cancer Task Force.
My dear Kepler, what would you say of the respected and was in fact rejected as being
learned here, who, replete with the pertinacity of heretical, in direct opposition of biblical
the asp, have steadfastly refused to case a glance scripture. Galileo was hopeful that if
through the telescope? What shall we make of people who believed in the ancient
this? Shall we laugh, or shall we cry? theory of geocentrism would,
These words of Galileo, written in a letter to paraphrase him, just
to his friend Johannes Kepler, expressed his look through the
frustration related to the fact that evidence lens of his
clearly supportive of heliocentrism was not

The Modern Rationalist

September 2017 11
telescope, they would see evidence to support
the theory of heliocentrism (in which the Earth
and its planets revolve around the Sun), first
contemplated in Hellenistic times and then
later supported by Polish astronomer Nicolaus
Copernicuss work On the Revolutions of the
Celestial Orbs, published in 1543.
Aristotles work in physics and astronomy was
largely respected among astronomers at the
time Copernicuss book was published, and
they had difficulty accepting Copernicuss
work. In addition, biblical views were prevalent
among the population. Galileo was well aware
of this fact but stated that the Bible is written
in the language of the common person who is
not an expert in astronomy. He argued that
Scripture teaches us how to go to heaven, not
how the heavens go (Van Helden 1995). His
discoveries, published in 1632 in Dialogue
Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, and
those of Kepler further supported the scientific
foundation of Copernicuss work, ensuring that
most serious astronomers subsequently were
Copernicans.
Galileos book, however, was incendiary by
espousing a world view that contradicted one
long accepted. There are striking similarities of
Galileos world with ours today in the twenty-
first century. Since his time, however, scientific
research has furthered our understanding of the
world and led to advances that have transformed
the lives of billions of global citizens.
Why, then, have partisan politics permeated
the discussions and decisions related to
science-based issues such as climate change,
evolution, vaccination, GMO technology,
stem cell research, and other topics not only
here in the United States but globally? Is a lack
of understanding, disinterest, or ignorance of
scientific facts to blame? Is scientific literacy and
research not prioritized in our nation? What
threats to peoples lives are posed by accepting
or at least considering scientific evidence?
If citizens would just look through (Galileos)
telescope rather than the proverbial looking
12 The Modern Rationalist
September 2017
glass, would they understand the importance of
science for themselves and be more accepting
of the findings of scientific experts?
It is illuminating to step back in history again
and consider the important role that philosophy
played in the ancient world. Philosophy, the
study of the fundamental nature of knowledge,
reality, and existence, is regarded as a distinct
academic subject today. Philosophy in the
ancient world, however, represented the
discipline of studying the natural world in a
rational way, as a variety of scientific disciplines
do today. Science and philosophy, considered
to be such distinctly different disciplines today,
were in effect one branch of knowledge in the
ancient world...
A respect for science continued into the
Revolutionary Era as the American Founding
Fathers demonstrated their support of science
and reason. Although Christianity was an
important cultural feature of U.S. history, they
embraced the secular values of Christianity in
preference to its dogma. There is a plethora of
quotations to support this fact. In Poor Richards
Almanack, Benjamin Franklin stated that The
way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.
Thomas Paine wrote, To argue with a man
who has renounced the use and authority
of reason, and whose philosophy consists
in holding humanity in contempt, is like
administering medicine to the dead (Paine
1778). (Interestingly, George Washington,
John Adams, James Madison, and Thomas
Jefferson were citizen scientists who found, to
quote Thomas Jefferson, supreme delight in
pursuing scientific topics by conducting their
own experiments.)
As science became more complex and
differentiated, the common man began to feel
dependent upon experts, many of whom
were located in coastal eastern urban areas.
Individuals treasured feelings of self-sufficiency
and independence were compromised, leading
to resentment. Americans respected intelligence
but not intellectuals, and they complained that
 Anti-Science views have been
amplified by the political
wave of populism that is
sweeping not only America
but also Europe.
the value of an idea was governed by its utility
it had no value in itself. This belief pervaded
the business world as well, creating Americans
strong admiration for a self-made man, one
whose path led to economic and social success
without much education, often in spite of it.
Anti-science views have been amplified by the
political wave populism that is sweeping not
only America but also Europe. Key elements of
populism are anti-elitism and nativism, which
can translate into anti-immigrant views (Toker
2016). The role of globalization in the creation
of not only economic but also knowledge
inequality has amplified these feelings of
resentment...
Unfortunately, the publics respect for scientific
developments can be modulated by fear.
Progressive Democrats have traditionally been
strong supporters of scientific research and
have endorsed the validity of evolution and
climate change; nevertheless, some regard GM
foods, vaccination, fluoridation of drinking
water, and a variety of chemicals as threatening
developments. Even many scientifically
literate progressive are skeptical about the
safety of GM foods and are concerned that the
food industrys vested interests may outweigh
safety issues. Conservative Republicans, on
the other hand, may or may not personally
approve of GM foods, and business interests
could override their safety concerns (Funk and
Kennedy 2016)....
The issue of vaccination is complex, involving
strange bedfellows. This debate arose in
recent times as a result of a Lancet medical
journal article that contained fraudulent
information indicating that autism could
result from vaccination (General Medical
Council 2010). Some progressive Democrats,
usually supportive of regulations that they see
as contributing to public welfare, object to
vaccination on the (faulty) grounds that it may
result in autism. Some conservatives, mainly
Republicans, object to it because they feel that
their personal freedom is threatened by school
requirements for vaccination....
In conclusion, there is no doubt that a threat to
our democracy exists when there is scientific
illiteracy, complacency, or extreme polarization
regarding scientific issues among the general
public. This is fertile ground for powerful
vested interests to use baseless information
(i.e., fake news) to lobby for their positions
on issues that threaten or support their views.
This constitutes a form of authoritarianism
that can be used to impede scientific progress
and, in the long run, cause a government to fail.
We have only to look at examples where that
has occurred (e.g., China during the Cultural
Revolution, Nazi Germany, and the Ottoman
and Roman Empires) to see the catastrophic
results. We must look through Galileos lens
rather than through an imaginary looking glass
and respect the power of science to preserve our
democracy in the Unites States and globally.
Courtesy: Skeptical Inquirer,
Vol.41, No.5
The Modern Rationalist
September 2017 13
 Dr. K. Veeramani

H
umans are of superior order, with
special traits, different from other
living beings. One among such special
traits, genetically evolved is Self-Respect.
Humanism must flourish for the betterment
and progress of humankind. But throughout
the world, humanism is inadequate among
the humans in varied degrees. This has created
divisions and hierarchies in the society. Even
social segregations and divisions created by
the birth based discrimination prevail in
many countries. In India, such birth based
discriminations have been created in the
name of god and religion. When the issue of
social discrimination, thereby inequalities of
permanent nature are promoted by god and
religion, the discrimination and inequalities
are strengthened deriving unquestionable
anchorage. The deep rooted discrimination
exists in India for many centuries. The social
slavery, caused by birth based discrimination is
inhuman where the enslaved people, coming in
contact with the physical touch, in the vicinity
and these persons accessing the public pathway
used by the privileged masses were not allowed.
To eliminate the inhuman practices and to
enable the enslaved people to enjoy the human
right of getting education, which was denied to
them due to social discrimination, some sort of
awakening was required.
Periyar chose the weapon - Self-Respect,
launched a movement in the name of Self-
Respect Movement in 1926. Periyar, in public
life achieved very much to inculcate a sense of
humanism in those people and to bring equality
and equal opportunities to all. For the success
of the movement, reminding the Self-Respect
among the people and to make it meaningful
very much, Periyar adopted only the mode of
propaganda. The social revolution took place
very silently, devoid any form of violence in the
propaganda activities. The social and political
fabric of people in Tamil Nadu got changed
with distinct features, different from the rest of
the States in the country. The impact of Self-
Respect Movement extends beyond Tamil
Nadu creating many progressive changes in
the form of legislations for the practice of the

Human Freedom, Dignity and Self-Respect are the

components of the philosophy of Self-Respective
Humanism which is gaining momentum transcending
the boundaries of religion, language, politics, under
the mission of globaling Periyar.

14 The Modern Rationalist

September 2017
advocacy to establish egalitarian
society.
The raison-detre of establishing
Self-Respect Movement may
be warranted due to the social
conditions prevailing in India and
the impact it created in the social
life of Tamil Nadu, where the
functioning of the movement was
intense in practical terms. But the
principle of Self-Respect to inculcate
humanism viz. Self-Respective
Humanism among the humans is not
confined to any particular territory.
Self-Respective Humanism has got
universal relevance and application.
The half of human population viz.
women folk does not get equal
status with men. Periyar induced
reasoning faculty of women on the
ground of Self-Respect, which is
relevant practically throughout the
world. Only the application part of
it has to be modulated according to
the social requirements prevailing in
the respective territory.
Periyar was revolutionary with
a difference.Periyar would not
call himself a philosopher or an Periyar, while explaining the Genesis of Self-respect
ideologue. He considered himself a Movement says, the philosophy of Self-Respect
social worker, social revolutionary. Movement is known to the world. The cause and effect
He claimed himself a revolutionary theory is accepted by the wise world. The human being
and not a reformer, because a social seeks the reasons for everything. He has begun to conduct
reformer is one who reopairs and research of nature. A life with ignorance is considered as a
renovates the existing tradition. slaves life. This is the doctrine of Self Respect Movement.
Periyar, on the other hand, a Before doing anything, one should think whether it is right
revolutionary bulldozed and or wrong, see the causes, analyse things, do research, and
falttened the existing cidadel and respect the truths. This is what the Self-Respect means.
built a new one in its place. Freedom and Self-Respect are closely related.
Let us listen to Periyar, Because Humans must be free to think and act. All the obstacles in
I am alive my life must have some the society against humans have to be removed. Human
purpose. There is no life without Freedom, Dignity and Self-Respect are the components
purpose. My mission was decided by of the philosophy of Self-Respective Humanism which
me. I resolved to eradicate the evils is gaining momentum transcending the boundaries of
of caste system. I decided to crusade religion, language, politics, under the mission of globaling
against god and superstition...... Periyar.

15
The Modern RationalistThe Modern Rationalist
September 2017 September 2017 15
 Arignar Anna
(The following is the text of the Message of Greetings by Anna for
the 89th Birthday of Periyar.)

T
here was a spring for me. Today, after
a long time, I summon the smile not
possible in my present worry-filled
days-by recollecting that spring time.
Periyar is aware of that spring time; he would
well understand the worry connected with my
responsibility (as chief minister).
I mentioned a spring time; during that time
after graduating from college, I had walked
along with Periyar in the woods and the
mountains. When I served along with him, I
saw a riot of colourful flowers blossom happily
in those woods and the mountains. I saw their
fragrance spread all over.
Then, if a meeting could be conducted without
any disturbance-it would be deemed a success
and a sense of pride would rise.
Before we would start, we had to read missives
that threatened to heave off the head, the beard,
the staff (Periyar carried a staff and wore a
beard) and life (itself). Annadurai! Did you
see this (?) Periyar would shove a letter in
my direction (and) I would respond with a
meaningless yes Ayya (sir). He wouldnt ask

16 The Modern Rationalist

September 2017
 There were many who had served along with
Periyar. More than the others, I had the
opportunity to serve with him continuously.
Those days are very sweet for me. Even now
when I remember them, I sense sweetness.

me if I would join him as he was well aware
that I would! We would join him as he was
well aware that I would! We would set out
and Periyars speech would be made. If the
originator of the threat or the fear inflicting
letter was part of the crowd he would definitely
attend the next meeting with a garland in his
hand for Ayya. The speech would contain such
clarity and argumentative eloquence.
It is not just that many among the Tamils
reformed after such explanation but
Tamizhagam (Tamil Nadu) itself has seen a
change.
Nowhere else except here has history been made
thus where one began and labored tirelessly,
spoke his heart freely, worked fearlessly and
succeeded in getting a society awakened and
enthused.
I was a little boy when that history began.
When chapters of fame were added to that
history in those days I joined him at one part
to serve along with him. I had mentioned
those days as my spring.
There were many who had served along
with Periyar. More than the others,
I had the opportunity to serve
with him continuously.
Those days are very sweet
for me. Even now when I
remember them, I sense
sweetness.
Many an idea flowed
from him during (our)
conversations.
He also gave me the opportunity to learn
that one should have a heart that endures
everything.
He saw to it that one had enthusiasm and
derived happiness and fulfillment in public
service.
I have seen him speak angrily at many, to scold
them; I have heard him saying I know you! in
a raised voice to people. He hadnt even a single
day behaved that way with me. He always had
an exclusive affection for me. He considered
me a child of his family born without.
I had seen and accepted that leader alone.
He was my present age now when I joined him
thirty years ago.
He had served for thirty years
prior to that.
Those years are very important
in the history of the Tamils.
He shocks! It is surprising!
He annoys! He mentions
all sorts of things they
opined. We should not let
him (get away). Need to
finish him. I will finish
The Modern Rationalist
September 2017 17
him myself many a person in Tamizhagam
spoke thus. They abused him, opposed,
ridiculed and demurred. But they kept listening
to his speeches in hiding or from a corner. That
speech continued for more than fifty years.
Those who opposed, ridiculed were indifferent,
found their positions automatically change.
Those who were agitated calmed down, those
who threatened submitted and those who were
indifferent began to show interest. His speech
continued without (any) interruptions
and speed piercing the mountains, rolling
the stones, turning woods into fields with its
elegance of sound and style! He is speaking
there! He is speaking here! He is talking about
that, he talking about this Tamizhagam has for
fifty years said so (about his ceaseless activity).
Let me tell you what comes to my mind. (In)
the struggle for rights whatever happens
during his entire lifetime the success that he
reaped (is phenomenal) that is why I usually
describe Periyars great work as not one mans
history but an era, a period, a watershed.
Arignar Anna (C.N.Annadurai), an ardent
disciple to Thanthai Periyar was elected the Chief
Minister of Tamil Nadu in 1967 general election,
as D.M.K. won 134 seats, unseating the congress.
He was a popular Chief Minister. Hence, his
responsibility to the public was enormous. He
could not spare time to write special article
on Periyar owing to the heavy administrative
burden.
Our Viduthalai Editor K.Veeramani requested
him to contribute an article to be published
in Viduthalai Special Souvenir to mark 89th
birthday of his mentor leader, Thanthai Periyar.
In the meanwhile whenever C.M. saw Editor
K.Veeramani, he used to assure him to send the
article in time
As a C.M., he was to visit Madurai. When his
convoy was going to circuit house, he broke the
protocol to be away for some time.
S.B.Aditanar who was the speaker of the State
Assembly had a house at Thirunagar (Madurai).
18 The Modern Rationalist
September 2017
When confronted by evil most people would
consider prevention, protecting themselves
from its attack and steering clear. The intent to
challenge does not arise easily.
Periyar wherever he saw evil, whatever its
magnitude, its shape, its support had never
hesitated to fight it.
He saw many a battlefront, had many a success.
The struggle that he had begun continues. He is
eighty-nine but still in the battlefield.
In that war, the opportunity to be with him at
one stage is what I have termed as spring.
He should live many more years with us, for
us, for the betterment of the life of the Tamils.
There is no doubt that to eradicate the age-old
evils his service would continue to be available.
Translation Courtesy:
Anna - His Life and Times by R. Kannan ,
Published by : Penguin UK
The English translation of Tamil article of
Arignar Anna is published commemorating
109th Birthday of Anna 15th September 2017.
He went and stayed for one hour, wrote the above
special article and sent it to the editor through a
personal messenger from Madurai to Chennai to
our Editor K.Veeramani.
He thanked the C.M. Anna. Thanthai Periyar was
out of Chennai on that day. Editor K.Veeramani
read Annas special article to his mentor Periyar.
Periyar was immensely happy to hear it and
appreciated Anna for his love and affection.
That Spring mj trj in Tamil conveys many
lessons to public workers:
Sticking on to political power is not the spring
for a person with a real service motto of a
public worker.
The adage, uneasy lies on the head that
wears the crown is the in Annas case.
Real enjoyment and pleasure is being derived
out a voluntary service encountering stiff
opposition and winning the hearts of the
people.
 Prof. A. Ayyasamy

P eriyar has picturised a new world in an interesting article

written by him in 1944. On the face of it, it looks unusual
that Periyar should have a vision, what with his down to
earth thinking and stark realism of approach. But his vision is
based on the very realism of his approach, derived from the
march of time as witnessed in his days.
Periyars prediction is based on two factors: one is the
triumph of reason and the other is the development of
technology, the progress of both of which are visible all
around. He need not dream. He need not have a vision.
The making of a world is there, for everyone to see.
Hitherto unknown principles like liberty, fraternity,
equality, human rights and socialism have caught
the imagination of the people and are being put into
practice everywhere. Kingdoms have been falling
and monarchies have been given the go by. The
people of Russia have boldly risen against every
value that has been cherished for ages and
have established a world of equals, a world
without any division between the ruler
and the ruled.
Just as human thinking has been
widening, touching new horizons,
science has been throwing open a
new vista everyday. Technology, the
The Modern Rationalist
September 2017 19
 Periyar concludes that only those who are not
conditioned by preconceived notions about God, religion,
social mores, or political theories are good enough to do
free thinking and find ways and means for establishing a
world not fettered by traditions and conventions.

wonder working offshoot of science, has been
making tremendous progress, making real what
has been possible only in the world of Aladdin.
Seeing all this, Periyar comes to the inescapable
conclusion that the future world is for the
intellectuals alone. The veils that are presently
covering human intelligence will be torn as under
and all the beliefs and values which have been
products of ignorance will disappear in the dawn
of reason.
A rationalist can easily perceive this fact which will
be all but obvious to those steeped in ignorance
and superstition fostered by religion with all its
written and unwritten codes. At present, says
Periyar, Tamil scholars on one side (Periyar calls
them pandits) and religious preachers on the
other, continue to hold tremendous sway over
the thinking of the public. The pandits, who have
fallen into the mire of myths and legends, are
unable to come out of it and enjoy the breeze of
reason, as they are rendered helpless, surrounded
by the poisonous serpents of religion. They still
live in the past and admire everything about it.
Driven by an unnatural nostalgia, the pandits
want to go back by many centuries. The priests
and the preachers, on the other hand, want to go
back by a few eons. These groups are certainly not
to be trusted with the founding of the new world.
To further clarify his contention, Periyar gives
an account of things as they exist at present, with
selfishness and mindless exploitation reigning
everywhere. Even after toiling ceaselessly, working
people get very little returns, not sufficient to
keep their body and soul together. Whereas food
and all the comforts are available in plenty, few
people can afford them, resulting in widespread
hunger and poverty. Even with abundance of
raw materials and the know-how to utilize them,
20 The Modern Rationalist
September 2017
there are a good many people who are steeped in
misery without even their bare needs being met.
After listing out the woe and the misery seen
everywhere around him, Periyar poses some vital,
and relevant, questions.
Are these conditions in any way connected
with God? Are they in any way connected with
religion? Are those who believe in any God or
any religion free from wants? Can it be said with
any certainty that those who do not care about
religion or God are not intellectually equipped to
free themselves from this misery?
Pondering in these lines, Periyar concludes
that only those who are not conditioned by
preconceived notions about God, religion, social
mores, or political theories are good enough to
do free thinking and find ways and means for
establishing a world not fettered by traditions
and conventions. There are many in the Western
world, assures Periyar, who devote their time
and energy for this purpose. Their quest will
certainly lead to a revolutionary change, which
will create a world without property and money,
governments, social hierarchy, slavery and
menial jobs, dependence of anyone on someone
else or the need to offer special protection to the
womenfolk.
How can this happen? What will be responsible for
this transformation? Technology, assures Periyar.
With the giant leaps being made by technology,
man will be able to satisfy all his needs with
working for just as an hour or two per day. This
freedom from wants will lead to co-operation
and harmony, evoking a feeling of brotherhood
of man. The entire mankind will get united in
mitigating the distress of a single individual, as if
all of them are affected by it, and find the remedy
as quickly as possible.
to be continued in the next issue.....
 Dr. Priyadharshini Rajendran
Periodontist, Chennai.

(International Essay Competition for youngsters was conducted by Periyar

International, USA, commemorating the 91st anniversary of Self-Respect
Movement, founded by Periyar in 1926. The winners of the competition
were announced on 29th July 2017 at the International Conference of Periyar
Self-Respect Movement held at University of Cologne, Germany. The excerpts
from the essay, which secured the First Prize, are published.)

P
eriyar EVRs staunch conviction in
humanism led him to join Indian
National Congress in 1919. This stand
was the outcome of Jallianwala Bagh massacre
carried out by the bullets of Gen. Dyer of then
Imperial army. During his tenure as Chairman
of the Erode Municipality, he had fearlessly
handled the disastrous plague epidemics in and
around the district. When municipal workers
were unwilling to dispose of human carcases
during that epidemic, he himself had carried
the dead bodies to the burial sites. It thus reveals
his own characteristic style of functioning in
a critical situation and his unflinching faith in
humanism.
As an ardent follower of Gandhi in the Indian
National Congress, he had ordered to fell
500 coconut trees in his own farm to uphold
the prohibition policy despite incurring huge
financial losses.
In 1924, Kerala State Congress Committee for
Untouchability had organized an agitation for
the entry of backward castes and untouchables
into the public roads surrounding the
Vaikcom Mahadevar temple. Accepting the
call from the organizers of the agitation, he
spearheaded the agitation in Vaikom along
with his wife Nagammal, sister Kannammal
and two of his colleagues. In spite of rigorous
imprisonment and hardships to Periyar and
his colleagues the agitation had a successful
end. Thereby, the public roads were opened to
The Modern Rationalist
September 2017 21
all communities. This was the first successful
event in the history that had challenged the
caste orthodoxy, broken the stronghold of caste
supremacy and created a humane approach in
the worship places of Hindu temples.
Continuing his battle against injustices,
inequalities, irrational beliefs and dogmas in
all forms, he fought for social equality and
gender rights to establish a social order with
fraternity and universal brotherhood. Periyar
organized the first self-respect conference in
February 17-18, 1929. This conference passed
34 resolutions which can be called as Magna
Carta of Dravidian Movement and humanism.
Abolition of untouchability, promoting
equality of all irrespective of caste, colour
and creed, enforcing medium of education in
mother tongue, equal property right to women,
increasing the eligibility age for marriage,
education and employment to women, right
to divorce, widow remarriage, free education
to the later classified scheduled castes and
22 The Modern Rationalist
September 2017
tribes and allotment of free lands to scheduled
class, were some of the most progressive policy
resolutions passed in the conference.
Later he strongly opposed Gandhis views
on Varnasrama Dharma which is based
on hierarchical caste order and placing the
majority of working people as Sudras and
untouchables, as serfs in the socio-economic
order. This order violates all aspects of
humanism. Therefore, Periyar EVR confronted
Gandhi in 1927 and explained to him the evil
nature of Hindu dharma. Periyar had always
argued that by using this varnasrama dharma
code, the brahmins undermined the majority
of non-brahmin communities. This order
denied the concept of equality and virtually
made the majority of non-brahmins as slaves
and servants only to work for the interest of the
upper castes. Periyar argued that Hinduism
should be abolished.
The science and technology have created
a revolution and we are living in an era of
information science. Today we could exchange
views across countries and continents. In spite
of this knowledge revolution, India witnesses
religious fundamentalism and violent attacks
on social and religious minorities. The Hindu
fundamentalists compel the people not to eat
beef and interfere in the food and cultural habits
of vast majority of the different nationalities
and communities. Daily media reports on the
murders on Dalilts and Muslims for the above
said purpose in the name of nationalism.
Periyars unique approach to humanism has
been highlighted by an eminent historian,
Ramachandra Guha. Guha Published a book on
Makers of Modern India in 2010. While writing
the introduction in the Part I of the book, Guha
has raised an important issue by stating that the
question is: Can mankind fulfil its destiny without
a fundamental revolution in the social state of
Asia? This question is yet to be answered. If it is to
be answered, Periyars yeomen contribution and
service could be the answer.
Another interesting incident occurred in
 If you want to respect money, you have to respect
Reserve bank, If you want to respect knowledge,
you have to respect library, If you want to respect
wisdom, you have to respect encyclopedia. Then
what else left in the society to respect? It is only
humanism.... Periyar once said.

Periyars long journey of social emancipation.
During 1970, the family planning was insisted at
all India level. All the states were asked to seriously
pursue family planning policy. Dr. Chandrasekar,
world famous demographer and Union Minister
for Family Planning had sought the co-operation
of religious leaders and reformists in India. Dr.
Chandrasekar met Periyar and asked his opinion
on family planning. During their meeting, Dr.
Chandrasekar had wondered how Periyar was
able to preach for a small family as earlier as 1930.
Periyar reply to that was, women are not
childbearing machines. Periyar had quoted
the 1921 population census and lamented
about the thousands of young female children
becoming widows. He also said that it was
very atrocious and intolerable for a rational
society. Women were subjugated and not
allowed to go to educational institutions and
join employments. They were treated worst
than animals. As a rationalist, concerned with
the health of the women he pleaded for family
planning in 1930s.
Periyar felt that even in the worship of idols,
a blatant discrimination and communalism
were accepted in the theory and practice
of Hinduism. The communities other than
brahmins are not allowed in the sanctum and
sanctorum of Hindu temples. As an atheist, he
had put forth logical arguments against the
concept of god. Periyar believed that brahmins
treated god and religion as a trade and earned
money and vital positions. He had expressed
that the priests in the Hindu temples should
not be appointed based on birth. Therefore, he
had pleaded for the appointment of Archakas
(temple priests) from all communities and
Tamil language should be made as a medium
of worship instead of Sanskrit. This was his last
clarion call before his death in 1973.
If you want to respect money, you have to
respect Reserve bank, If you want to respect
knowledge, you have to respect library, If you
want to respect wisdom, you have to respect
encyclopedia. Then what else left in the society
to respect? It is only humanism.... Periyar once
said.
Unfortunately, the world is surrounded
by regional wars based on religious
fundamentalism, armed violence, deterioration
of the environment and crime against women.
The Human Development Annual Report by
UNIDO states that growth should enhance
human development. Hence, a prolonged
strategy has to be adopted across continents to
sustain a peaceful and sustainable world.
Humanism should be placed above all other
interventions for an inclusive growth. In this
context, Periyars approach to humanism should
be recognised universally. Acknowledging
Periyars immortal contribution to the
humanity, the UNESCO conferred an award in
1970 and cited Periyar the prophet of the new
age. The Socrates of South East Asia. Father of
the social reform movement and arch enemy of
ignorance; superstitions; meaningless customs
and base manners
The Modern Rationalist
September 2017 23
 Mrinal Pande
F olks with infantile minds keep laying
down laws for what is dharma and the
true path and what is holy or unholy, says
Matsyendranath (the guru of Gorakhnath who
laid the foundations for the Nath sect in North
India), in his seminal treatise Akulveer Tantra
(78-87). One doesnt know if his present-day
follower, the newly incumbent chief minister
of Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath, would agree, but
according to Guru Matsyendranath, to gain true
knowledge is to rise above various petty rules and
definitions propagated in the name of dharma.
Kaulopanishad, the shorter but even more
intense treatise of the Kaul Siddhanta (yes, the
Kashmiri surname derives from it), goes a step
further and says the only thing that is forbidden
is badmouthing others (lok ninda). Real self-
knowledge, adhyatma, means observing no
fasting, feasting or rules thereof and no desire for
founding a sect. All are created equal and one who
realises this becomes truly free (mukt).
The present-day political dispensation, blinded as
it is by its politicised and reductive vision of things,
including vegetarianism, would do well to look
towards the true Indian culture foreign to its lunatic
fringes, and one that they are unable to absorb.
My mothers teacher, the great scholar Hazari
Prasad Dwivedi, once used a wonderful term
from the Shakta Tantra for a true understanding
of history. He called it shav sadhana, a term used
by a tantrik sadhaka to explain to him that to
24 The Modern Rationalist
September 2017
gain true knowledge (siddhi), one needs to find
and straddle a dead body at a masan (cremation
ground, a spot where all lives have been reduced
to ash) and then meditate, shutting out everything
around him. It is a long and tedious process
during which evil forces try their best to distract
the seeker with half-truths, but if he can remain
detached and focused, at some point the head of
the corpse will turn completely around and as it
faces the constant sadhaka, address and explain
the quintessential wisdom, setting all his queries
at rest. Picture this: pure knowledge being passed
on through an inert form with the head at an angle
of 360 degrees, offering no attachment either to
the old or the new, the traditional or the practised
forms of life. This, Hazari Prasad Dwivedi writes,
is knowledge that sets one free?
It is only against this rather long philosophical
context (the Sanskrit for philosophy is darshan,
meaning to see) that the highly incendiary subject
of the long history of meat eating in India can be
understood properly.
History of meat-eating
There is enough historical evidence by now that
Indians since the days of the Indus Valley have
indulged in dishes made with meat and poultry:
zebu cattle (humped cattle), gaur (Indian bison),
sheep, goat, turtle, ghariyal (a crocodile-like
reptile), fish fowl and game. The Vedas refer to
more than 250 animals of whom about 50 were
deemed fit to be sacrificed and, by inference,
for eating. The marketplace had various stalls
for vendors of different kinds of meat: gogataka
(cattle), arabika (sheep), shookarika (swine),
nagarika (deer) and shakuntika (fowl). There
were even separate vends for selling alligator
and tortoise meat (giddabuddaka). The Rigveda
describes horses, buffaloes, rams and goats as
sacrificial animals. The 162nd hymn of the Rigveda
describes the elaborate horse sacrifice performed
by emperors. Different Vedic gods are said to
have different preferences for animal meat. Thus
Agni likes bulls and barren cows, Rudra likes
red cows, Vishnu prefers a dwarf ox, while Indra
likes a bull with droopy horns with a mark on its
head, and Pushan a black cow. The Brahmanas
that were compiled later specify that for special
guests, a fattened ox or goat must be sacrificed.
The Taittireeya Upanishad praises the sacrifice
of a hundred bulls by the sage Agasthya. And the
grammarian Panini even coined a new adjective,
goghna (killing of a cow), for the guests to be thus
honoured.
The meat, we learn, was mostly roasted on spits
or boiled in vats. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
has reference to meat cooked with rice. Also the
Ramayana, where during their sojourn in the
Dandakaranya forest, Rama, Lakshmana and Sita
are said to have relished such rice (with meat and
vegetables). It is called mamsambhutdana. In the
palace at Ayodhya, during the sacrifices performed
by king Dashratha, the recipes described are far
more exotic with acid fruit juices being added to
mutton, pork, chicken and peacock meat and
cloves, caraway seeds and masur dal also being
added to various dishes. The Mahabharata has
references to rice cooked with minced meat
(pistaudana) and picnics where various kinds of
roasted game and game birds were served. Buffalo
meat was fried in ghee with rock salt, fruit juices,
powdered black pepper, asafetida (hingu) and
caraway seeds, and served garnished with radishes,
pomegranate seeds and lemons.
Then come the Buddhist Jatakas and Brahtsamhita
(6th Century CE) that maintain the list of non-
vegetarian food items, adding some more species.
All in all, meat till then appears to have been deemed
a nourishing food. It is even recommended by the
famed physician Charaka for the lean, the very
Brahmin priests were killing the goat as sacrifice to appease the
god through the performance of rituals.
hard working and those convalescing from a long
illness. The Jains, of course, remained totally averse
to devouring any form of life. But the Buddha did
not forbid the eating of meat if offered as alms to
Buddhist bhikkus, provided the killing should not
have happened in the presence of the monks. It was
the responsibility of the giver of the alms to ensure this.
No inhibitions down south
Down south, the inhibitions against eating
meat and fish are rare. In the earliest writings
on food dating back to 300 CE, pepper (kari) is
described as the main spice for flavouring meat.
Fried meat had three names and meat boiled
with tamarind and pepper was called pulingari.
It was occasionally ground to make a sort of
pasty relish. Kapilar, the famous Brahmin priest
of the Sangam age, speaks with a certain relish of
consuming meat and liquor. Old Tamil has four
terms for beef: valluram, shushiyam, shuttiraichi
and padithiram. There were 15 names for pork,
a special favourite, we learn, among the wives
of traders in the coastal region. There are also
references to wild boar, rabbits and deer being
hunted with hunting dogs. Captured boars were
fattened with rice flour and kept away from the
female to make their flesh tastier. Among more
exotic meats were porcupines (a favourite of
the Kuruvars) and fried snails (favoured by the
Mallars). Down south, there was also no taboo
on eating domestic fowl (kozhi). Fish and prawns
were greatly relished all along the coastal region,
so much so that the word for fish, meen, also
entered the lexicon of Sanskrit as the north learnt
to relish this fruit of the seas.
The Modern Rationalist
September 2017 25
nietzsche
T he chief of Dera Sacha Sanda at Haryana,
the god-man, Gurmeet Ram Rahim
Singh has been convicted in a rape case
by the Punjab and Haryana High Court and
sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and a fine
of Rs 30 lakhs.
God-men, getting arrested is very common
in the country and they are being glorified for
divinity and spirituality; in fact it has become
either routine or a seasonal occurence. To bridge
the reading/hearing gap between the Vedas and
Dharma, Puranas were created. Similarly to
bridge the gap between the concept of god and
the worshipping devotees, god-men are being
created. The god-man trend is mushrooming
owing to the sheep- yard like congregation of
gullible devotees, falling at the feet of god-men
with financial offerings, enabling them to amass
enormous wealth for them. Usually the capital
for many ventures is finance but in case of god-
manship only god is the capital.
The background of activities of god-man,
Gurmeet Ram Rahim has the support of
the saffron rulers of Haryana State. The
verdict of the court has been delivered in
two stages viz. conviction and punishment
with the sentencing. Knowing fully well the
followership strength of god-man Gurmeet,
the State Government did not take any
preventive measures against the gathering
of hundreds of his followers at the court
venue on the day of the judgment. This has
resulted in rioting, immediately after the
pronouncement of the court verdict, which
26 The Modern Rationalist
September 2017
God-man, Asaram Bapu and the deeds
spread throughout the state and even beyond
it in Punjab and Delhi. The Dera violence in
Haryana itself claimed the death of 31 persons
and injuring many, besides causing damage to
public properties. The court has pointed out
that Haryana Government surrendered to the
violent mob. Politics played a supportive role
and froze the state administrative decision
to prevent and contain the mob. The Bench
observed, It was a political surrender to
allure the vote bank. During the special
hearing the Bench further stated, There is
a sea of difference between administrative
and political decisions; administrative
decisions were paralysed because of political
consideration.
The Bench then said, the Chief Minister and
the Prime Minister represent the State and
the country and not a political party. The
Chief Minister of Haryana stated that some
anti-social elements had mingled with Dera
followers and were behind the violence. The
Bench observed, It appears to be an intelligent
way to say that Dera had not done anything.
Your (Haryana) CM is also the home minister
of the State If he could find out that some
anti-social elements were involved in the

violence, why could he not prevent such a large
gathering from entering Panchkula for the
past seven days? You (Haryana Government)
allowed them to enter, occupy and damage
public property. Those responsible for such
loses should be made answerable.
What a conscious strictures against the State
Government and the Chief Minister, the
Bench has passed!
The awkward sexual activities of the god-man,
the Dera Chief:
All the women disciples of the god-man
considered him as god. When one of the lady
disciples was compelled to satisfy the sexual
desire of the god-man the disciple appealed
to him that she considered him as God and
requested to desist from that. But the god-
man very coolly justified the sexual deeds of
God Krishna with many ladies and seduced
the disciple at last. Another disciple who was
considered as the adopted daughter of the god-
man was not exempted from his sexual assault.
The cause of action to commence the criminal
proceedings against the god-man originated
from the anonymous letter sent by the
sexually aggrieved lady disciple in 2002 to the
then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It
took about nearly 15 years to convict the god-
God-man, Gurmeet Ram Rahim
man for all the sexual crimes, committed by
him. Even after the conviction, the god-man
raised the cudgels through his cadres with
the support of the saffron political heads at
the State and for the country. The Saffron
rulers have put their political responsibility
mandated by the public as secondary. They
have prioritized to safeguard the interests of
the god-man.
In this connection, it is pertinent to point
out the direction of the Supreme Court to
speed up the case against another god-man,
Asaram Bapu pending investigation by the
State machinery of Gujarat. The case against
god-man, Asram Bapu was the sexual assault by
him on the two sisters of Surat. When a petition
with the medical evidences, was filed by the
god-man, Asaram Bapu to release him on bail
the Supreme Court found that the medical
evidences were forged. While rejecting the
petition, the Supreme Court, passed strictures
against the inordinate delay of FOUR years to
complete the investigation and directed the
Government of Gujarat to speed up the trial.
The sexual crimes of Saffron supportive god-
man are unabated. The efforts of the judiciary
to punish the culprits are combated by Saffron
god-men forces in their own way with the
support of the state machinery.
The Modern Rationalist
September 2017 27
 Dr. K. Veeramani
The excerpts from the speech of Dr.K.Veeramani, President,
Dravidar Kazhagam, delivered at the Conference on Retrieval of
the Rights of the States and Condemning the Imposition of Hindi
and Sanskrit, on 25th August 2017 at Periyar Thidal, Chennai.
Dr.K.Veeramani opened his lecture saying that the States rights. Far from it, the first one in
the need had arisen for such meetings to be held the whole of India to raise his voice for the
all over the country, because every day the rights rights of the State was Arignar Anna, who gave
of the States are being eroded. Tamil Nadu had a clear picture of the problem. He spoke on the
a unique history of having endeavoured for the subject off and on both inside and outside the
restoration of its rights since very early days. legislature. He had raised the issue repeatedly

N
o one should take it that the present
conference is held owing to the
problems caused by the recently held
NEET examination and the trampling over of
in the Parliament when he was the member of
the Rajya Sabha. All the leaders of the State
have raised their voice in support of the cause.
Why should the same Constitution require

28 The Modern Rationalist

September 2017
 An essential factor to be stressed is that the Parliament
should be restricted from passing a Bill on the concurrent
list without getting the concurrence of the states. If
such concurrence is not obtained from a State, the act
must be inapplicable to the state concerned. This factor
must be subjected to the wide discussion.

two cabinets? It not only causes unnecessary
financial burden, but creates contradictions
too. Anna asked, quoting authorities, Why
should there be two education ministers, one
for the Centre and another for the States?
When Arignar Anna became Chief Minister,
he convened a State Autonomy Conference in
Chennai in order to underscore the rights of
the State. And he had invited many political
stalwarts, including the then Chief Minister
of West Bengal for it. He invited Periyar also,
who was happy to attend the Conference.
The youth of today must be aware of such
happenings.
Kalaignar Karunanidhi continued the efforts
of Anna when he became the Chief Minister.
As a result many facts were revealed as to
how the rights of the States were denied in
the Constitution which was the guideline
for the governance of India. Stalwarts like
Krishnasami, a Congressman, who was
usually soft spoken, emphatically declared
in the Constituent Assembly that a strong
Centre should not imply weak States. Quoting
such instances from the deliberation, Anna
affirmed that autonomy was imperative for
the States and it must be asserted at any cost.
When Kalaignar Karunanidhi took over
as Chief Minister of the State, he not only
conducted a Conference for State Antonomy
but also took an extraordinary step that was
a pioneering effort for the entire India. He
formed a Commission of intellectuals for the
purpose of protecting the rights of the States
and recommending redistribution of powers
between the Centre and the States ensuing
the rights of the States. The Commission was
headed by Justice. P.V. Rajamannar, a retired
Chief Justice of Madras High Court, and had
two members of equal eminence. One was Dr.
A.Lakshmanasami Mudaliar, six times Vice-
Chancellor of the University of Madras and
former Chairman of the Madras Legislative
Council, and Justice Chandra Reddy, a retired
justice of Madras High Court.
The Rajamannar Commission formed in 1971
by Chief Minister Kalaignar Karunanidhi,
gave its report in English which has also been
translated into Tamil. Justice Rajamannar,
in the introductory part of the report hails
the political sagacity, impartial approach to
national problems and farsighted approach
of Kalaignar and his services for establishing
a permanent federal government in the vast
country of ours. The recommendations of
the commission were widely discussed at that
time. The issue of the rights of the States have
after been discussed.
We must understand that the list is called
Concurrent List and not the common list.
It implies that the concurrence of the states
must be obtained before any subject in the list
is legislated upon. This has been pointed out
by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
When MGR was the Chief Minister, a
commission was formed by the Central

The Modern Rationalist

September 2017 29
The book, Trumpet on Language Imposition (in Tamil) was released by the Honble Leader of
Opposition in Tamil Nadu State Assembly Mr.M.K.Stalin (DMK). The prime leaders of various
political parties Prof.K.M.KhaderMoideen (All India Muslim League), Com.G.Ramakrishnan
(CPM), Com.T.Pandian (CPI), Mr.Hidayadullah (Congress), Mr.Thol.Thirumavalavan (VCK),
Prof.Suba.Veerapandian (DTF) along with Dr.K.Veeramani (DK) are on the dais.
Government in 1985 under the Chairman of People in the North will never change their
Justice Ranjit Singh Sarkaria for suggesting views on our language issues, the travails of the
devolution of powers between the Centre Eelam Tamil, the rights of the Tamil fishermen
and the States. On behalf of the Government or a number of other issues affecting us.
of Tamil Nadu, MGR had forwarded the We must enlighten the people on the issue of
recommendations to the Commission, in the rights of the States and make them realize
response to the questionnaire forwarded by that States are not to be treated as puppets
it. All this will bear witness to the fact that the manipulated by strings by the Centre, they
Dravidian Movement has been continually are not mere token players devoid of any
been active on the question. authority.
All this must make everyone understand that A statement made by N.T. Rama Rao, the
irrespective of the changes of Government, founder of Telugu Desam Party is worthy of
rights of the states have consistently been the consideration by everyone concerned.
life breath of the Dravidian Movement. The Where is the Central Government? It is a
present move is only a part of it. legal postulate. Only the States have people
An essential factor to be stressed is that the to govern, Centre can rule them only through
Parliament should be restricted from passing the States.
a Bill on the concurrent list without getting the How are national schemes like national
concurrence of the states. If such concurrence highways being implemented? Only through
is not obtained from a State, the act must be the States, for Centre does not have people.
inapplicable to the state concerned. This factor
must be subjected to the wide discussion. Therefore, you have to keep in mind the fact
the Central Government is a legal postulate.
Again, any Bill passed under Section 31A and There are powers with the Centre. There are
31C by a state legislature must be exempted a lot of factors which point out that it is bad
from judicial review. This enlightened for unlimited powers to be concentrated with
audience must take the matter to the street the Centre.
corners through discussion and issue of
booklets. This is food for thought for all of you.

30 The Modern Rationalist

September 2017
 Dr. Deepak Pawar
Department of Civics and Politics,
University of Mumbai, Maharashtra

The following is the excerpts from the speech delivered by

Dr. Deepak Pawar, Maharashtra at the Conference to condemn the
imposition of Hindi-Sanskrit, organized by Dravidar Kazhagam
on 25th August 2017 at Periyar Thidal, Chennai.

T
his conference is against the domination
of Hindi and Sanskrit. Tamil Nadu has
a long history of the struggle for its
language and against the domination of Hindi
This can be seen since the time of the
Constituent Assembly.
Representatives of people all over India
discussed it thoroughly and finally a
compromise formula called Munshi - Iyengar
Formula was adopted.
The demand of the Hindiwallahs that Hindi be
the national language was squarely rejected and
it had to be confined as the official language of
the union.
So India does not have a national language
and if anybody tells something contrary to
this, remind them of the constituent assembly
debate.
During the debate, it was suggested that
Sanskrit be made the national language, so was
Bangla.
The logic behind the suggestion of Sanskrit was
that it is an old language from where a number
of other languages develop. It was also suggested
that if we decide to have Sanskrit as the national
language, people from the non Hindi belt will
have to learn the language afresh and in that
case, learning Sanskrit would not be difficult.
The suggestion was not accepted, but it was
decided that while developing terminology for
science and technology an attempt would be
made to develop it through the help of Sanskrit
as far as possible to ensure uniformity.
Languages like Marathi took this quite literally
and therefore the terminology developed here
is considered to be alien to the Marathi soil to a
considerable level.
The message is clear.
If you wish to develop your language in various
walks of social life, do not depend on Sanskrit
beyond a point.
In fact, look inwards to the various dialects of
your language for the development.
This is natural and logical.
The Modern Rationalist
September 2017 31
 Members of the parliament from all the Non Hindi
states have this responsibility to tell the parliament and
through it to the Indian states that the more they
try to push Hindi down the throat of the non Hindi
population, the more they would be paving the way for
Balkanization of this country.

Tamil Nadu state has seen anti-Hindi agitation
in 1965 when the Government of India decided
to change the status quo and declared that
Hindi will replace English.
I was in Chennai in 2015 when the golden
jubilee celebration of those agitations was
organized. We have come a long way from 1965.
The department of official language under the
Ministry of Home Affairs Government of India
is supposed to look after the development and
promotion of Hindi.
It is strange that the department is under the
ministry of home affairs, because language is
not a law and order question.
Secondly, when Schedule VIII of the
Constitution has 22 languages and by the
report of the Sitakant Mahapatra committee,
more than 35 languages wanting to be in that
schedule, it would have been ideal to have a
ministry for Indian languages looking after
Indian languages.
In the absence of such a fair and inclusive
approach, the union government thinks that its
only constitutional responsibility is promotion
of Hindi.
Members of the parliament from all the Non
Hindi states have this responsibility to tell the
parliament and through it to the Indian states
that the more they try to push Hindi down the
throat of the non Hindi population, the more
they would be paving the way for Balkanization
of this country.
The focus on Hindi has increased after the
Hindi -Hindu-Hindustan dispensation coming
to power at the Centre.
The focus is on increasing the sphere of
influence of Hindi and treating it as a global
language. No harm in doing this, if in the same
breath they speak of the development of other
Indian languages. They are not doing it because
they fear that linguistic diversity will destroy
the unity and integrity of the country.
Let us set the record straight.
India is a multinational state with various
linguistic communities as nationalities. We
are actually united states of India. And we will
remain united as long as the linguistic identity
is not jeopardized.
Having said this, let me say something about
what we can proactively do for the development
of our language.
The least one could do is to send your children
to the mother tongue schools and provide best
quality education to children in mother tongue.
We must have a full fledged department of the
official language in every state of the country
with adequate skilled manpower and funds.
It is only then that we can develop a constructive,
deadline based agenda. We have to ensure that
we can talk directly with each other without
the barrier of an interpretation by the third
language. Let us use all our energies for this
cherished goal.
I hope that this conference will pave the way for
concrete language planning agenda in Tamil
Nadu duly followed by other states.

32 The Modern Rationalist

September 2017
Periyar Self-Respect Movement is a compilation
of resolutions, articles and excerpts connected
with the First Madras Provincial Self-Respect
Conference, 1929, excellently documented in
Revolt an English weekly published by Periyar.
It appropriately opens with Periyars address,
wherein Periyar asserts with his characteristic
forthrightness that social reform as it is talked
about would be of little use to the society which
has degenerated into an abyss, in a system which
nurtures evil in the name of god and religion. He
cites a number of reformists who appeared on the
scene throughout history and achieved very little
despite their best intention and dedicated work.
Periyar is emphatic that to succeed under the
circumstances the paramount duty of the social Periyar Self-Respect Movement
reformers is to abolish and destroy the religion compiled by Dr. K.Veeramani
which have caused the downfall of man. The Periyars Self-Respect Propaganda
The draft constitution of the Self-Respect League Institution, Periyar Thidal, 50, E.V.K. Sampath
(as it was called in the beginning) says that one Road, Vepery, Chennai-600 007.
who becomes a member thereof should not hold Pages : 80 Rs. 100/-
or exercise religious, social or political privileges
attached to birth, and he should not be a priest law, godmade as well as manmade, at affording
not born in a priestly community. the freest and fullest scope for self development to
The write up on Work Ahead presents an one and all .. at creating a sense of oneness so
exhaustive and demanding agenda which, if that all may share alike in the joys and sorrows,
implemented, would bring about appreciable and be animated by the ideals and hopes of the
transformation in the social, political and nation.
economical texture of the country. In his analytical and comprehensive inaugural
P.T.Rajan, who unfurled the flag of the conference, address, Dr.Subbarayan lists out all the social ills
after enumerating the evils of the existing social the Movement has sworn to fight and makes out a
system, assures that the Self-Respect Movement convincing case that as long as those ills continue
aims at giving equal opportunities to all, at there will not be true democracy wherein total
making men and women all equal in the eye of equality will take root. He is also happy that the
The Modern Rationalist
September 2017 33
 Following the epoch making Chinglepet Self-Respect
Conference, Justice, the official organ of the Justice
Party, while mostly praising the resolutions, had also
expressed its dissent on some of them. The Revolt
had taken the trouble to give proper replies to the
dissentions, giving ample information.

Self-Respect League has been properly organized
with a constitution and regular meetings.
W.P.A. Soundarapandian, President of the
Conference, points out that ancient Tamil Society
was free from such ignominious blots like caste
distinction and religious dissentions and were
leading a life of utter simplicity resulting in true
happiness. He then lashes out at the Aryans and
the Northern whose banal customs vivisected the
Dravidian Society while making them willing and
complying slaves.
He concludes his address with this inspiring call.
We are living in stirring times. Tremendous
changes are taking place all around us in the
world today. Let us take advantage of the world
forces functioning for progress and let us advance
to the first place in the vanguard of nations.
The resolutions are epoch making and
comprehensive. They touch every aspect of
social and political life besides ensuring equality
and protecting human rights without any
reservation. That the party has given such in-
depth consideration to every aspect of social life
as early as 1929 when concepts like democracy
and equality had not been fully grasped by a vast
majority of people, even intelligentsia, is indicative
of the wide sweep of Periyars thinking which has
been successfully passed on to his comrades-
in-arms. There is a concerted attempt to free
the society from the stranglehold of religion
and priestcraft on one side and from the vicious
The Modern Rationalist
rather guarded in their approach to social
problems.
An article in the Sunday Times weekly, titled
Self-Respect Movement Will and Must
Triumph, has been reproduced. The article
brings out the shameful way in which Brahmins
chose to treat Non-Brahmins at dinner time, by
making the latter wait for them to finish their
meal, even when they were invited guests. This
has happened even in Congress Conferences.
There is a well documented article on temple
entry by K.M.Balasubramaniam. An article
by Viswanath emphasizes birth control. Dr. S.
Muthulakshmi Reddy has advocated the need
for raising the marriageable age of girls through
legislation in a heart rending article. And T.S.
Kunjitham has lamented the position of Indian
women who are not given even freedom to
breathe fresh air.
The compilation fittingly concludes with a
speech delivered by Justice Govindan (Retired),
General Secretary of SNDP Yogam who unveiled
a portrait of Periyar at Kottayam in July 1929,
and paid rich tributes to Periyar with whom he
had been acquainted during the historic Vaikom
Satyagraha of which Periyar was the life and
soul.
Asiriyar Dr.K.Veeramani, President, Dravidar
Kazhagam, who has brought out the book
deserves a word of praise for the care and
dedication with which he has chosen the
material.

traditions and superstitions on the other.

Periyars starting of the Self-Respect Movement This book is a must for everyone who is interested
September 2017

signified his partying ways from the Justice Party of in the uplift of the society and the progress of
which he was a frontliner for years. Unfortunately, humankind.
most of the leaders were conservative and were -Leslie Amarson
THE MODERN RATIONALIST l VOLUME : 42 l No. 9 2017 September Founder: THANTHAI PERIYAR

34 34 September 2017
The Modern Rationalist
Printed, published and edited by Dr. K. VEERAMANI, M.A.,B.L., on behalf of The Periyar Self-Respect Propaganda Institution,
Published from Periyar Thidal, No.84/1, EVK Sampath Salai, Vepery, Chennai-600 007 and printed at Viduthalai Offset Printers,
Periyar Thidal, No.84/1, EVK Sampath Salai, Vepery, Chennai-600 007.
I
n those days, in our country, there were
institutes in the name of orphanages by the
Government or the private Trust.Agencies
were run to take care of the deserted children.
But nowadays, when illiteracy is reduced much
and education has increased so much resulting
in a lot more earning and money in our hands,
we face a strange contradictory situation in
our country. It has become very necessary
to start- old age asylums which have increased
now to look after and protect the deserted,
humiliated and those at the very end of their
lives yearning for support and care both men
and women.
In the joint families, the children come up in
life, utilizing their sacrifice and hard work.Then,
once they are stabilised, they care a hoot for
the aging parents ill treating them, humiliating
them and abusing them with no conscience
what so ever. On hearing such sad tales, tears
roll down our eyes. This story has become,
not a rare one but a common occurrence. A
human birth has become no more a rare
blessing! We have to revise the old saying as,
it is rare to be born with gratitude to parents.
In many of our families known to us, the
children these days employ very scientific
methods to torture the unwanted parents in
such a way that the parents themselves opt
out, not being able to bear the inflictions not
so well known outside. These parents, after
having been exploited completely, have no
other choice than seeking the asylums.
Whom shall we blame? It is not enough to
show sympathy for such old people who are
so skilfully exploited even the pittance of their
old age pension so crafty taken away in the
robbery, that turns these hapless ones into
beggars in a day, but they need empathy. Can
there be a greater duty for us than this? For
many day they have lived as friends with us,
now pining in great pain for redressal? We
should find sufficient means of solace, just as
we would console children in distress in terms
of specific action. Mere sympathy is not
enough. With rational thinking, there is nothing
that is impossible. Everything is possible. We
must take all efforts to get at the toy that
offers them comforts and hope and give it to
them to really alleviate their pain. Find out
their addresses at once, my dear Friends and
start at once your remedial work for such
persons. Service should transcend ones own
wife and children and should be extended to
all those who need. Can we not feed the living
human beings? The energy pills of love and
care will surely enthuse them to live happily.
The Modern Rationalist
Relationship does not end with our kith and
September 2017
kin, but it is in heart, available throughout the
world.
Translated by : Prof. S.F.N.Chelliah
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