J.B.P. More
Research Scientist
Institute for Research in Social Sciences and Humanities
University of Kannur
E/ morejbplee@aol.com
The Demand for Dravidanadu and the Tamil Muslims
Saturday, June 2nd
| 9:30 - 11:30 AM
The demand for Dravidanadu was born in the
year 1938 during the first anti-Hindi agitations, against the imposition
of Hindi by the Madras Government under C.Rajagopalachari. It was
actually launched by Periyar E.V.Ramasamy and his Self-respect movement,
which was avowedly anti-Brahmin, anti-Aryan, anti-God and anti-north
Indian. Its aim was to achieve a separate State for the
Dravidian-language speakers of southern India. The Tamil-speaking
Muslims who were considered as Dravidians participated in large numbers
in the anti-Hindi agitations. But their support for the Dravidanadu
demand was always lukewarm and not always without its problems. This was
mainly because of the revival of the All India Muslim League by Jinnah
from 1934-35, which culminated in the demand for a separate State for
Muslims called Pakistan in the year 1940. Due mainly to the politics of
the Muslim League at the all-India level, the Tamil Muslims were unable
to identify themselves fully with the demand for Dravidanadu.
As a matter of fact, the demand for Dravidanadu was born when
Periyar Ramasamy took over the leadership of the non-Brahmin Justice
party in 1938. The party’s name was changed to Dravida Kazhagam
in 1944. During this period and until 1947, there was some Tamil Muslim
support to the Justice party and the Dravida Kazhagam. So in
the first part of this paper I intend to study how far the Tamil Muslims
supported the Dravidanadu demand and why their leaders
distanced themselves from such a demand.
After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, the political situation in India
had drastically changed. But the Dravida Kazhagam and its
offshoot the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, led by C.N. Annadorai,
known popularly as Anna, carried on with their demand for a separate
Dravidanadu, until it was dropped finally by the latter in 1962.
With the breakaway of Pakistan, the All India Muslim League had ceased
to exist in India. Instead the Indian Union Muslim League under the
leadership of the Tamil-speaking Muslim, Mohammad Ismail had come into
existence. So in the second part of this paper, I intend to look into
the relationship of the Tamil Muslims with the Dravidian parties and the
Dravidanadu demand from 1947 to 1962 and why the Tamil Muslims
in their great majority were unable to identify themselves with such a
demand.
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Dr. More's notable publications include
Religion and
Society in South India: Hindus, Muslims and Christians
(2006),
Muslim Identity, Print
Culture and the Dravidian factor in Tamilnadu (2004),
Political Evolution of the
Muslims of Tamilnadu and Madras, 1930-1947 (1997), and
Freedom Movement in French India.