That EVR who married his foster daughter to supposedly protect his properties – compared to Thevar who gifted away his vast wealth. The terms Mukkulathor and Thevar are used synonymously. It is a well fortified and beautiful city. [3] Thereafter, the evolution as a caste developed as a result of various influences, including increased interaction with other groups as a consequence of jungle clearances, state-building and ideological shifts. After this, Thevar became increasingly involved in labour reform activities. Thanks to author. Political articulation on caste lines, which was clearly divisive, more frequently took on a confrontational and communal character. However, Kamal Haasan's Thevar Magan (1992) ushered in the third phase marked by films which glorified certain intermediate castes. The Thevar caste icon is Muthuramalingam, a colourful Congress politician and three times Member of Parliament who later aligned himself with Subhash Chandra Bose’s and Forward Bloc. [10], Human Rights Watch has documented allegations that the members of the government of Jayalalitha, including the chief minister herself, favoured the Mukkalathors during the 1990s, leading to them gaining influential positions in the police and in politics. Vellore was the capital of erstwhile North Arcot district in Tamil Nadu. The Mukkalathor community at that time was the most populous of the backward classes in the state but Dalit communities - notably, the Pallars- were becoming increasingly wealthy and aspirational. Your email address will not be published. There is NO evidence of them being called as Thevar prior to that. He was a noted politician from the community and the event, known as Thevar Jayanthi, gained the approval of the Government of Tamil Nadu in 1993, which enabled the event to obtain police protection, road closures and the like. Abolishment of caste system began well before when everyone started to drop their caste names after their name which is followed by majority of peoples in the educated class. Apart from Syama Prasad Mookerjee, he was the only parliamentarian who actively and staunchly opposed the special status given to Kashmir through Article 370. Caste Over Tamil Pride Dravidian politics was universal, at least in theory. [5], In the period following Indian independence, the Mukkulathor or the Thevars have grown into, what Mines calls, a "super-caste" that combines the three previously distinct communities, emphasises their similarities and shared historical roles, and forms a consolidated base of support for the AIADMK political party. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF MUKKULATHOR AS WARRIORS. The native rulers either submitted or rebelled. However, the growing popularity of Thevar and rising anger against Congress over his imprisonment, led to the abolition of Criminal Tribes act. Irony is that the Dravidian leaders who throng the samadhi of Thevar on the day of his guru pooja to secure the votes of his community threw him into oblivion and made their ideological patron EVR, who opposed Thevar vehemently, as the hero of labourers and backward communities. According to the analyst, Kamal Haasan is an urban "caste neutral" leader while Seeman is rural "caste neutral" leader. [b] The improvement of Dalit circumstances, together with a general rise in Dalit activism, led to many clashes with the Mukkulathors in rural areas. Politics without spirituality is like a body without soul” is his quote through which many know him. They are mostly listed as Other Backward Classes (OBC) by the National Commission for Backward Classes. These clashes often involved the collusion of the police, who aided detention of so-called Dalit activists, assaults on people (especially women), and forcible displacement from Dalit villages. The highly politicized groups like jats and yadavs were faced by a challenge from lower classes , particularly lower caste agricultural labourers, often adopted an extremely aggressive posture against the Dalits, that is, the oppressed Harijan castes. This article was informative, specially in times when there was lot of controversy around stalin visiting his samadhi. They comprise the Agamudayar, Kallar and Maravar communities that share a common myth of origin and claim to have once been members of various ancient South Indian dynasties. The Dalit surge since the 1980s was countered by the growth of the Jayanthi, which gave the Mukkulathors an opportunity to react against the Dalits and assert their own perceived superiority, historic status as rulers, and caste pride. He flayed the anti-hindu, anti-national discourse of Justice party and Dravidian movement so much that his speeches were hated by the Dravidian movement followers. [11], The Mukkulathors celebrate the coincident birth and death anniversary of U. Muthuramalingam Thevar (also spelled Mathuramaliga Thevar; 1908–1963) annually in October. He had dedicated his life for communal harmony and worked for the welfare of all communities claimed Vaiko. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. DMK Treasurer, M K Stalin, after paying respects at the memorial met the media and claimed that the DMK had done a lot for the Thevar … Ukkirapandi Muthuramalinga Thevar (30 October 1908 – 30 October 1963), also known as Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar, was a politician and a patriarch of Thevar community in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.He was elected three times to the national Parliamentary Constituency [citation needed]. But this ‘samadhi’ isn’t your usual political samadhi. Required fields are marked *. Even as far back as the pre-independence times, Thevar realised the importance of Hindu unity and strived to achieve it through his efforts which can be understood from the fact that in a constituency where Thevars formed only about 18,000 voters, he won with 1 lakh votes. This even led to his imprisonment in 1942. “Karunanidhi (chief of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or DMK) is wholly responsible for caste issues in this state,” begins Tho Pa, mincing no words. He rightly identified the Justice party and the Dravidian movement as propagating cultural destruction in the name of atheism and Anti-Brahminism. He felt that the Dravidian movement was spoiling the cultural image of Tamils among other Indians. It provides Latest Cinema News, Latest updates, Reviews, Celebrity news and interviews.This Channel is an Official News Channel of Cinema News. Today, regardless of ideological orientation every other politician in Tamil Nadu will be thronging the ‘samadhi’ of a unique Tamil personality to offer respects. The Dravidian movement was against caste. The Mukkulathors treat Muthuramalingam Thevar as a deity (Theivathirumagan)[12] and it was from this time that the Jayanthi shifted from being a fairly minor affair to one of considerable significance. Swatantra is an online journal which aims to bring our civilizational issues into mainstream discussion. “Periyar was against caste. He formed and led various trade unions across the state. Thevar and Vanniyar parties succeeded in wresting concessions from the state. An undying pride in caste: Thevar prejudice returns with fury at Kausalya’s home. It has taken the emergence of caste based parties to open up Tamil politics to new categories. In recent years, since 1958, these have been referred to as Southern-style Kalaripayattu, although they are distinct from the ancient martial art of Kalaripayattu itself that was historically the style found in Kerala. The DMK Has Been Two-Faced in Its Commitment Towards Social Justice. Politics around Inclusion – Exclusion of Sylhet... Munavvar Farooqui: Regrettable, but not Unexpected, The Unseen Indians: Fading tribal population of Wayanad, Politics around Inclusion – Exclusion of Sylhet and its Economic. His efforts to denotify the group of castes, Maravar and Kallar (subgroups of Thevar community) – known to be the warrior castes of South Tamil Nadu, that were defined as Criminal Tribes by the British earned him respect and he subsequently became popular among the masses. In the stormy political scene of Tamil Nadu, ... of several senior and mid-level leaders of the party as she belongs to the Kallar community which is part of the larger Thevar caste. Post-independence, Thevar led Netaji’s Forward Bloc in Tamil Nadu and became one of the prominent nationalist voices in Parliament against the Pakistan appeasement policies of Nehru. Today we see Dravidian parties, DMK and its assorted organisations in particular, play the Tamil, North-South card to remain relevant in politics. With the expansion of the East India Company’s rule in India, the native rulers and their dependents suffered. How are the names Jinnah and Robinson so sweet to you Sir? For instance, there have been MPs from the community in the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) as well. Political analyst Gnani Sankaran though feels that this mushrooming of caste identities and parties is a passing phase. Politics Until 1955, Ganesan was a staunch sympathizer of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. A committee consisting of Thevar, Dr. P. Varadarajulu Naidu, Perumal Thevar, Sasivarna Thevar and Navaneethakrishna Thevar was appointed by the convention to carry on the efforts to persuade the government to revoke the Act. Thevar also supported the temple entry act passed by the then Congress government in 1939 and played a crucial role in facilitating the entry of Dalits into Madurai Meenakshi temple. But by this time, differences arose between Thevar and Congress leadership because of the latter’s hesitation in abolishing the Criminal Tribes Act. [citation needed] In 1961, he become a strong supporter of the Indian National Congress and particularly the then-leader K. Kamaraj. [2][clarification needed] The anthropologist Susan Bayly notes that both the Kallar and Maravar communities are relatively new caste entities. Caste assertion, clashes in Tamil Nadu forcing Dravidian parties to recalibrate their politics The problem is that he hails from a village called Gopalasamudram, about 25 kilometres from the bustling Tirunelveli town in southern Tamil Nadu. Will ADMK Stand against Caste Politics - THEVAR & KAVUNDAR Community Separation | FunnettO Panneerselvam was there when Jayalalitha needed help. The Gounder-caste dominated west and the Thevar-caste dominated south are considered AIADMK strongholds along with the upper-north region, with the exception of Chennai. Each of the Thevar communities claim descent from an ancient Moovendar dynasty in the Sangam era: Agamudayar consider themselves to be descendants of the Chera dynasty, the Kallars the Cholas and the Maravars the Pandyas. [2], While they share a common mythological ancestor, the three communities also claim ancestral differences. Throughout his life, Thevar remained devoted to the nation and dharma which were his two eyes. [8] The community has mostly been given the status of Backward Class (BC) by the Government of Tamil Nadu,[9] although some subgroups are omitted. [5], The Mukkulathor communities live mostly in central and southern areas of Tamil Nadu, such as Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Sivagangai, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Tiruchirapalli and Thirunelveli. The Mukkulathor people, who are also collectively known as Thevar, are a community or group of communities native to the central and southern districts of Tamil Nadu, India. Human Rights Watch has documented allegations that the members of the government of Jayalalitha, including the chief minister herself, favoured the Mukkalathors during the 1990s, leading to them gaining influential positions in the police and in politics. It were the Naickers and Udaiyars who gave them the title Thevar. Your email address will not be published. This ‘samadhi’ is the resting place of a man who truly strived to be a saint. It takes place in competition to the guru pooja organized by the dominant caste Thevars in commemoration of their caste leader Muthuramalinga Thevar, who … K Kamaraj lockets are popular among Nadar students; the Thevars wear lockets with photographs of U Muthuramalingam Thevar, a veteran political leader for Thevars; the Yadavs have claimed Veeran Alagumuthu Kone, one of the first freedom fighters, as their own; while in Coimbatore and Namakkal regions of the state, Gounder students wear lockets of Dheeran Chinnamalai, one of the … Immediately, the Justice Party collaborated with the British establishment and banned Thevar from addressing the public and leaving Ramnad district. The Mukkulathor caste group is regarded to be politically exuberant and has its people spread across various political parties. His Jayanthi and Punya thithi fall on the same day. Thevar travelled to Delhi on 17 July to attend the session of the Lok Sabha. THIS WAS A LIE FORGED BY THEMSELVES. Justice Party used to mention ‘Jinnah Park’ and ‘Robinson Park’ in their advertisements for political meetings while refusing to name ‘Tilak Park’ as such – stating that he is a North Indian and thus, they won’t take his name. Thevar mobilized these marginalized communities against the atrocities of the Justice Party and gave Congress a landslide victory in 1937 provincial elections. “This is definitely not a good trend but there is a positive too,” he said. Damodraran Karthikeyan, a journalist-turned-academic, notes the historic animosity between the two groups and that "The institutionalised nature of Thevar Jayanthi, through consciously created myths surrounding Mathuramaliga Thevar, his iconisation, canonisation and the construction of a social identity provides a point of entry to study the process of how political power is ritually constructed through social ceremony. She says that the claims of distinct caste status "were clearly not ancient facts of life in the Tamil Nadu region. The Thevar rise changes the grammar. C. N. Annadurai caste: Senguntha Mudaliar caste (Father), Kalavanthulu caste (Mother) CR saraswathi caste: Kallar (Thevar) Dayanidhi Maran caste: Isai Vellalar (Father), Brahmin (Mother) Deepa Jayakumar caste: Brahmin; Dindigul I. Leoni caste: Nadar; Edappadi Palanisamy caste: Kongu Vellala Gounder; G. K. Vasan caste: Parkavakulam Nathaman Udayar It is the Guru Puja day of Shri Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar, a visionary who saw through the fallacy of the political parties when it comes to both nationalism and spirituality. The Mukkalathor community at that time was the most populous of the backward classes in the state but Dalit communities - notably, the Pallars - were becoming increasingly wealthy and aspirational. Dalit engineer hacked to death in Tamil Nadu over caste differences but no action taken so far against the culprits. But the 29 year old Thevar emerged victorious by a huge margin without even campaigning. To this day people from all walks of life worship him as a saint unperturbed by the caste leader image imposed upon him by the political parties. Comprised of three sub-castes – Maravars, Kallars and the Agamudaiyars – the Thevars are a dominant OBC community in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu who have played a … "[13], Thevars, traditionally practise a Tamil martial art variously known as Adimurai, chinna adi and varna ati. Caste Politics Has Fuelled Hatred in Poll-Bound Tamil Nadu. The DMK has traditionally held central Tamil Nadu, Chennai and the Kaveri delta region as its major stronghold, along with the constituencies of Chennai Urban in the north and the Christian-concentrated Kanyakumari in the south. For instance, in 1911 the British designated the Thevars a "criminal caste", which Mines surmises arose from the community's precolonial role as village guardians or local chieftains but was precipitated by their resistance to British rule. His efforts to denotify the group of castes, Maravar and Kallar (subgroups of Thevar community) – known to be the warrior castes of South Tamil Nadu, that were defined as Criminal Tribes by the British earned him respect and he subsequently became popular among the masses. [2][6][a], Although the Mukkulathor own significant amounts of land, the sociologist Hugo Gorringe noted in 2005 that "their educational and economic achievements have been negligible", with many being small farmers or agricultural labourers. Criminal Tribes Act was used by the Justice party to penalize backward communities which were not in its favour. Caste system is still alive bcz of politicians and all these violence happens for political mileage and backing. Thevar was a man of great valour and raised above caste. The three constituent communities of Agamudayar, Kallar and Maravar believe themselves to share a common myth of origin formed through being the offspring of a relationship between Indra and a celestial woman. Their presence in politics and bureaucracy is also considered influential. He vehemently opposed the Tamil-Non Tamil and Brahmin-Non Brahmin separatist propaganda in the name of supposedly saving Tamil identity and non Brahmin communities respectively. Though the vestiges of such racism can still be seen among DMK and DK, they still need to bend in front of Thevar samadhi for his community’s votes. The Hindu 12 March From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. During a prolonged strike of the Pasumalai Mahalakshmi Mill Workers’ Union, demanding the reinstatement of a section of fired trade unionists, Thevar was jailed for seven months from 15 October 1938. Their Anti-Hindu and Anti-Indian nature, in general, made Thevar averse to their politics (That today’s DMK descended from the Justice Party is another matter). The three groups traditionally each believe themselves to be superior to their fellow Mukkulathors. The only weapon they know was Valari.Iron Valaris were used only by Agamudaiyar community. Other political analysts point out that Tamil Nadu politics was always leader-centric and it revolved around late leaders like Karunanidhi of the DMK, M.G. Thevar entered politics in 1927 after getting inspired by the speech of Netaji at the Congress convention in Chennai. Political Career of Muthuramalinga Thevar: The British Government was having an act restricting the activities of Indians of certain castes and Muslims, under the ‘Criminal Tribes Act’ of 1871/CTA, with further amendments in the years 1911 and 1924. Banned Thevar from addressing the public and leaving Ramnad district appear as a unique event those... 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