Question

Q. With reference to E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker, which one of the following statements is correct?

• A.
  He never became a member of the Congress.
• B.
  He argued that untouchables were the true upholders of an original Tamil and Dravidian culture.
• C.
  He was an outspoken critic of the Code of Manu not of the Bhagavad Gita.
• D.
  He was contemporary to Jyotiba Phule.

Answer 1

The correct option is B

He argued that untouchables were the true upholders of an original Tamil and Dravidian culture.
Explanation:

In the early twentieth century, the non-Brahman movement started. The initiative came from those non-Brahmin castes that had acquired access to education, wealth and influence.

Option (a) is incorrect: E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker, or Periyar, as he was called, came from a middle-class family. Interestingly, he had been an ascetic in his early life and had studied Sanskrit scriptures carefully. Later, he became a member of the Congress, only to leave it in disgust when he found that at a feast organised by nationalists, seating arrangements followed caste distinctions. Convinced that untouchables had to fight for their dignity, Periyar founded the Self Respect Movement.

Option (b) is correct: He argued that untouchables were the true upholders of an original Tamil and Dravidian culture which had been subjugated by Brahmans.

Option (c) is incorrect: Periyar was an outspoken critic of Hindu scriptures, especially the Codes of Manu, the ancient lawgiver, and the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana. He said that these texts had been used to establish the authority of Brahmans over lower castes and the domination of men over women.

Option (d) is incorrect Periyar (1879 – 1973) was not contemporary to Jyotiba Phule (1827-1890).