Abstract
Balasingham Rajendran, Elayaperumal: Vaazhkai Sarithiram [Elayaperumal: Life History] (Tamil), Neelam Publications, 2023, 208 pp., ₹300, ISBN 978-93-94591-11-0 (Paperback).
Caste system still conditions Indian society’s social norms and values. Their violation provokes various forms of dominant caste violence against the violators. The recent incidents in Tamil Nadu—where in one case, human faeces was mixed in the tank supplying water to a dalit colony in Vegaivayal village in Pudukottai district (Lakshmanan & Sethuraman, 2023); and in another incident, a scheduled caste schoolboy was brutally attacked by dominant caste classmates in Nanguneri panchayat town in Tirunelveli district (Sethuraman, 2023)—show the continuing caste prejudice in our society. In this context, the book under review, through Elayaperumal’s life history, contributes to understanding the struggle against caste atrocities in Tamil Nadu. In his distinguished career, Elayaperumal held various public positions. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for three terms, a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), President of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, and Chairman of National-level Committee on Untouchability, Economic and Educational Development of the Scheduled Castes.
The book poignantly weaves the immersive life experience and struggle against untouchability within the larger political dynamics of Tamil Nadu. The book contains 15 chapters, where the initial chapters set the context explaining the depth of untouchability and related discrimination in South Arcot district1, and also outline the efforts by earlier social reformers in confronting the caste-based discrimination in the region. The dalit struggle against the caste system and its discriminations started much earlier than the Non-Brahmin Movement in Tamil Nadu. 2 It had a wider scope in questioning the structures of the caste system for a complete overhaul. According to Rajangam et al. (2022), Ambedkar classified the caste division into touchable and untouchables, unlike the Non-Brahmin Movement as there were touchable and untouchables within the non-brahmin community. Within the Non-Brahmin Movement, the non-dalit leaders and their struggles received more prominence in the history of Tamil Nadu than the dalits who struggled against the caste system. It took many years to come out with the life history of Elayaperumal, a dalit leader, who fought vehemently against the caste system in Tamil Nadu.
Elayaperumal was born in Chidambaram, which is known not only for the Nataraja temple but also for the historical folk story of Nandanar who was pushed into the fire by the priestly caste for violating the prevailing caste norms. The book elaborates on the initiative of Swami Sahajananda, a dalit spiritual leader and an MLA, who started Nandanar Educational Trust in 1916 to impart education to the depressed caste students. 3 Elayaperumal followed the steps of Swami Sahajananda but insisted more on the struggle against discrimination whereas Swami focussed on education for depressed castes. Born in the year 1924, Elayaperumal experienced caste-based discrimination since childhood. He was not allowed to walk on roads used by upper caste people and had to drink from separate water pots in school. His defiance against the caste norms began during his school days, when he broke the water pots after staying in school overtime. His parents also became victims of caste-based discrimination. When they were suffering from cholera, the medical personnel refused to enter the dalit colony to administer life-saving injections, thus resulting in their deaths. Elayaperumal was employed in the Indian army for a year, but left it after facing caste-based discrimination. The author of the book does not elaborate about the kind of discrimination he faced in the army.
Since 1946, till he joined the Indian National Congress in 1951, Elayaperumal undertook various struggles on behalf of the depressed castes for their wage raise, right to walk on roads used by caste Hindus, and the right to dress properly and keep a moustache, which was considered an upper caste privilege then. These struggles moved him close to the people and gave them the confidence to question the prevailing caste-based discrimination. In 1947, he was elected as leader of Adi-Dravida Mahajana Sangam, through which he propagated against caste-based professions like clearing dead cows, playing parai (a musical instrument played during funerals), and others, and also started a food-and-stay facility for depressed caste students in Chidambaram. The author highlights that Elayaperumal’s campaign against eating beef was to be seen along with his larger struggle against menial jobs and its consequent image of depressed castes during his period. He joined the Indian National Congress in 1951, and became an MP thrice between 1952 and 1967. At the age of 27, he was one of the youngest MPs. He continued his association with Adi-Dravida Mahajana Sangam and fought for the rights of depressed castes, which created for him enemies within Congress. According to the author, his discontent with the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam leader Periyar was based on two incidents: one, the Kizhvenmani massacre 4 of dalits by non-Brahmin landlords, and the second, his campaign to end the caste-based professions by dalits, which was not well received by Periyar, and the author quotes that he asked ‘Then who will do these menial jobs?’(p. 158).
Elayaperumal’s commitment towards eradicating untouchability and other forms of discrimination earned him the position of Chairman of the National-level Committee on Untouchability, Economic and Educational Development of the Scheduled Castes in 1965. He travelled all over India to understand caste-based discrimination, and in 1969 submitted the final report (Elayaperumal Committee Report), which has still not been fully implemented. His major recommendations focussed on uprooting the foundations of the caste system, abolition of hereditary priesthood, treating untouchability as a crime with severe punishment, encouraging inter-caste marriages, and so on. He highlighted the weakness of the Untouchability (Offences) Act, 1955 and suggested a more stringent law. His recommendations formed the basis for the Protection of Civil Rights Act in 1976 and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 during the prime ministership of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, respectively. The Tamil Nadu government under chief minister M Karunanidhi amended Section 55 of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Act 1959, and abolished hereditary priesthood in 1971 following the recommendations of the Elayaperumal Committee Report.
Since the Congress government at the centre did not show earnestness in implementing the various recommendations of the Elayaperumal Committee Report, he left the party and started the Indian Human Rights Party in the year 1984 to continue his fight against caste-based discrimination. Between 1980 and 2000, he consistently fought against various forms of untouchability in various parts of Tamil Nadu. He died in 2005. Even though the book has a wealth of information regarding various struggles undertaken by Elayaperumal, the accurate referencing for these events could have added more value to the book. The book focuses more on the information regarding various events rather than a critical analysis located within the larger political context. The book avoids any critical perspective on many of Elayaperumal’s political decisions, including aligning with Dravidian parties. The authenticity of many historical events, actors and dates could not be verified clearly due to a lack of in-text references. Still, the book will be a great source for researchers to explore further the dalit struggle in Tamil Nadu for caste equality, which is still a long way to achieve.