By Krishna Jha
In a class society, there is always the one that dominates over the other living in the lower depths. They are the bearers of the torch showing the way, but carry the flame that often scorches them. Violence is organized by the vested interest when victims dare to rebel. It turns into a threat that restrains the exploited, irrespective of the struggle being against the landlords or the capitalists. Even without committing any crime they are punished, though they are the ones who slog and feed those ‘haves’. It is a threat to our democratic character, splits the unity among the masses while trying to fight and consolidate the entire society.
However, it has been a continual hurt for the people living under social and economic deprivation. The issue has been treated by several great personalities and movements engaged in the search of a justified system that promises equality and fraternity in the society. One of them is Self Respect Movement. Today, it completes a century. Self Respect Movement and its objectives influenced huge masses of young workers and students and slowly it moved towards socialism.
In fact, the last 25 years of colonial rule saw the emergence of two movements in Tamil Nadu – the Self Respect Movement (which was a precursor to the Dravidian Movement led by Periyar) and the Communist movement.
Singaravelu, a pioneering communist and social reformer, was a key ally to the Self-Respect Movement led by E.V. Ramasamy Periyar in the Madras Presidency. Their association helped to infuse the movement with a socialist and scientific materialist perspective during 1920s and 1930s.
Singaravelu and Periyar were close associates within the Congress party in the 1920s. Singaravelu, who had founded the Labour Kisan Party of Hindusthan (party of workers and peasants) on 1 May, in 1923, in Madras, had a significant influence on Periyar’s adoption of socialist ideals. Singaravelu used to write for Periyar’s Tamil weekly, Kudi Arasu, covering topics on social reform, science, rationality, and socialism.
In 1932, after Periyar’s visit to the Soviet Union, he convened a meeting with Singaravelu and other Self-Respect workers in Erode. Together, they formulated the “Erode Plan” and established the short-lived Samadharma (Socialist) Party of South India to give the movement a socialist orientation. The same year, those activists of Self Respect Movement that had joined the Civil Disobedience Movement came under the influence of Batukeshwar Dutt, a close associate of Bhagat Singh, instilled in Jeevanandham and many others that socialism is the only way that could lead to real emancipation.
As a dedicated proponent of science, Singaravelu introduced a scientific, Marxist definition to the movement. His approach went beyond the simple questioning of rituals to tackle the economic roots of exploitation and injustice. It was around this time that among the ranks of the activists of the Self Respect Movement, and also in E V Ramaswami, especially after his visit to Soviet Union, there was a clear urge to change the character of the movement, which till now was only social reform movement and later was added with political objectives. Now a new programme was drawn up under supervision of Singaravelu. A meeting was held at EVR’s place and a new party was formed called Samadharma Party of South India. P Jeevanadam was elected secretary of the Party.
Jeevanandham had started his political life based on Gandhian ideas. In 1924, he participated in the Vaikom Satyagraha against upper-caste Hindus, where Dalits were barred from walking on the road leading to the temple at Vaikom. He participated in a similar protest, demanding entry for Dalits into the Suchindram temple. When he joined an ashram run by V VAiyar at Charanmadevi, he found that Dalits and ‘upper-caste’ students were fed in separate halls. He supported Periyar’s protest against this practice and quit the ashram. Later, he took charge of an ashram funded by a philanthropist in Siruvayal near Karaikkudi. The ashram life gave him an opportunity to read a lot of books. In this ashram, he got opportunity to meet Gandhi. Jeeva had written a letter to Gandhi disagreeing with his methods.
When Gandhi came to Madras, he had this letter in his pocket and wanted to meet Jeeva. Rajagopalachari asked Gandhi to name the person he wanted to meet so that particular person can be called. Gandhi mentioned that he did not want the person to be called and would like to go to the ashram where Jeeva resided and meet him. When Gandhi went to the Siruvayal ashram and asked for Jeeva a young man of around 25 years appeared before him. Gandhi asked him if he was the same person who wrote the ‘letter’ and Jeeva replied in the affirmative.
Later, when the Madras Provincial Congress Socialist Party was formed in 1937, Jeevanandham became its first secretary. He joined the Communist Party of India (CPI) two years later along with P Ramamurthi, another veteran of the movement.
Before enrolling himself as the first member of the CPI in Tamil Nadu, Jeevanandham was an active participant in these two earlier movements. His patriotism took him to the national movement; his revulsion toward untouchability and caste-based discrimination led him to support the Self-Respect Movement.
After joining the CPI, Jeevanandham and Ramamurthi organized rickshaw-pullers and factory workers on Marxist lines. In this they were assisted by leaders such as M R Venkatraman and B Srinivasa Rao. Jeevanandham was in the forefront of efforts to build a strong labor movement based on Marxism. His oratory and writings helped him fulfill the task. But these leaders suffered police repression and were imprisoned several times. Jeevanandham visited sensitive areas and kept the workers’ fighting spirit alive. Alongside industrial workers, agricultural laborers and small farmers were also organized in Thanjavur and other districts. Jeevanandham and Ramamurthi inspired thousands of people through powerful speeches. (IPA Service)
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