Progressive politics keep fascism at bay in TN and Kerala

Addressing the Art and Literature Festival organized by Malayala Manorama, one of India’s oldest newspapers, in Kozhikode on Saturday, Udhayanidhi Stalin said that the Dravidian political movement in Tamil Nadu, known for its strong linguistic and cultural pride, has retained for a long time literature and language. its basic pillars.

Speaking on the theme ‘Literary and Linguistic Ethos in Dravidian Politics’, he said that this fusion of literary, linguistic and political ethos created a powerful identity that profoundly shaped the social and political landscape of Tamil Nadu.

Cultural, political and linguistic ties between Tamil Nadu and Kerala are long past and in literature, language and politics both the states had much in common. “Our leaders invoked Tamil literature to propagate rationalism and promote scientific temper. Leaders like Anna and Kalaignar popularized Tamil literature rooted in human life and folk culture — like Thirukkural, Silappapathikaram, Purananuru and Tholkappiyam — among the people,” he said.

While Periyar led the Vaikom protest in 1924, Kerala-born TM Nair was one of the founders of the South Indian Liberal Foundation Justice Party, which created a political upheaval in Tamil Nadu, he said.

The Self-Respect Movement, the forerunner of the Dravidian Movement, resisted cultural and linguistic dominance, placing Tamil at the center of its identity, and Tamil was seen not only as a means of communication, but as the voice of a community seeking recognition, dignity. , and independence from Hindi imposition, he said.

The Dravidian movement recognized the potential of literature to serve as a cultural force and vehicle for social change through Periyar’s writings, manifestos, and editorials that condemned caste-based oppression, male-dominant practices, and rigid social structures.

Leaders like CN Annadurai and M Karunanidhi harnessed literature as a tool to connect with the masses, and their literary work echoed the core values ​​of the Dravidian Movement of equality, rationalism and anti-religious belief.

The impact of that literary and linguistic ethos on society has lasted and is now reflected in language policies, cultural festivals and educational programs in Tamil Nadu, preserving the unique Tamil identity, he said.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu’s stance on linguistic insubordination was seen as “divisive”, but after many decades, history had proven otherwise, and the so-called nationalists who still wanted to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states were indeed “divisible” and a threat. at the national unit, he said.

Tamil cinema that was Sanskritized and anti-scientific before the 1950s changed with the advent of the Dravidian movement, which provided socially conscious narratives and dialogues that resonated with the masses, he said.

The DMK continued to uphold Tamil pride in the face of policies seen as a threat to Tamil identity, such as the New Education Policy and initiatives for centralized education standards like NEET, he said.

Referring to a speaker who referred to Udhayanidhi Stalin as one whose political career was built on a brick, he said he still had the brick with him and would return it to the Union government when it allocated funds for its construction AIIMS in Madurai.