Act of ‘Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam’ organisation
(‘Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam’ is an organisation of Dravidians who regard Periyar as their elder father-figure)
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) – On 2 October, the day of Vijayadashami when effigies of Ravan were being burnt across the country, here in Chennai an effigy of Shriram was set ablaze. Members of the Periyarist organisation ‘Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam’ (TDPK) burnt effigies of Shriram, Sita and Lakshman outside the Sanskrit College in Mylapore. They called this act ‘Ravanan Leela’, projecting it as opposition to the North Indian tradition of Ram Leela.
Despite police presence, about 40 activists broke through barricades and set fire to the effigies. Later, 11 activists were arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
Opposition to portrayal of Dravidians as demons in the Ramayana – TDPK leader S Kumaran
TDPK leader S Kumaran said, “According to our programme we broke through the police blockade and burnt the effigy. This is a protest against the Ramayana depicting Dravidians as demons and imposing the supremacy of Hindu culture upon us. When our ancestor Ravan is insulted, we too retaliate with ‘Ravanan Leela’.”
This is not the first time an effigy of Shriram has been burnt !
Historians note that this is not new. In the 1970s such ‘Ravanan Leela’ events were also staged. In 1974, Periyar’s wife Maniammai burnt an effigy of Shriram at Periyar Thidal in Chennai. After that such incidents had stopped. This present act has once again stirred controversies about the Ramayana, Dravidian politics and cultural identity.
