Periyar Thoughts

The Editor of this book Dr. R. Vivekananda Gopal is presently the Head of the Department of Tamil and Translation Studies of Dravidian University. He is a scholar in Tamil and Marathi. He has 15 books in his credit including two publications by the Central Sahitya Akademi. His books are published in Tamil and Marathi languages in various fields like Manusciptology, translation and creative writing he is a Coninusouly engaged in translating and writing and Speeches of Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar’ for the Ambedkar Foundation ‘Maharshi Vittal Ramji Shinde: Life and Services’ for Central Sahitya Akademi and ‘Thirukkural’ for Central Institute of Classical Tamil. He has close contacts with the people of Literary Scholarship and Dravidian Ideology. He has published more than 40 research papers and delivered lectures on various subjects. He was honoured by the then Speaker of Lok Sabha Mr. Murali Manohar of behalf of the Bruhan Maharashtra Mandal of New Delhi for his services rendered towards promotion of Marathi Language and Literature in the South. He is the only scholar in the south on deciphering the old Modi script of the Marathas of Maharashtra. He worked as a Research Fellow in Tamil University under Prof. V. I. Subramoniam and Modi Expert and Research Supervisor in Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji’s Sarasvati Mahal Library and Research Centre for 25 years. Even as an Associate Professor in Tamil, He Conducted in the Seminar of 'Periyar Thoughts' English and now publishing the collected papers in English.

The foundations of Indian culture were deeply embedded in Dravidian culture is now an incontro-vertible fact. Dravidian culture is one of the most ancient cultures of the world. Those cultures, slightly contemporaneous to one another, slowly started fading out. However, the primordial Dravidian culture continues to thrive without losing its quintessence despite the apparent changes in systems of dress and address.

Dravidian University was established in 1997 on the initiative taken by Prof. V.I. Subramonium to mirror the real and rich picture of Dravidian culture not only in its linguistic, literary, cultural and philosophical facets but in science and technological angles also.

The main objectives of Dravidian University are to augment the common weal and social well-being of the communities of marginal languages and to build bridges among the Southern states. While working on each language separately in varied areas, it aims at a synthesis and a discovery of the common heritage through Comparative Studies.

The Centre for Publications and Extension Services is most significant wing of the University because of its several on-going progressive activities.

Dravidian Civilization is one of the Ancient civilizations of the world. The University was established to undertake important research works about Dravidian Race, its languages, its culture and history. Even after it was established by historical evidences and facts that the Indus Valley Civilization was Dravidian Civilization, some vested interests are trying to twist the fact and to establish that it was Aryan Civilization.

The Dravidian University was honoured to name the Departmental Building after Periyar EVR. Dravidians sacrificed their own identities for building united Indian culture. In it, Periyar was the uncompromising fighter to preserve the Dravidian identity. The two great persons who profounded the distinct Dravidian culture are:

Periyar EVR who built up the philosophical unity.

The concept of society ased on human relations was developed first by Dravidians in the world. Aryans started with gothram, meaning the economic relations based on protection of cow herds. The family relationships of sister and brother, uncle and aunt, nephew and niece, younger and elder are difined in detail in Dravidian languages; they are not so well defined in others.

Periyar was the uncompromising leader of Dravidian ideology of equality. He was not only the leader of Dravidian Movement he took earnest and crucial steps to articulate the ideology. Dravidians sacrificed their own identities for the promotion of the unity of India. Thus, this compilation of papers on Periyar Thought will certainly be useful to our Dravidian and non-Dravidian brothers of this universe.

**Contents and Sample Pages**