Unit - 10 Social Transformation in Tamil Nadu

Unit - 10 Social Transformation in Tamil Nadu Learning Objectives To acquaint ourselves with To acquire knowledge about the social transformation of modern Tamil Nadu To know the different social reform movements in Tamil Nadu To understand the ideas of the social reformers to counter the cultural hegemony of Europe. Introduction It resulted in the social and religious reform Europeans established their political power movements in modern India. This particular over Indian subcontinent in the latter half of the historical development is also identified as the eighteenth century. While they were concerned Indian renaissance. with annexing India, by the beginning of Renaissance is an ideological and cultural the nineteenth century they were reordering phenomenon. It is closely tied to modernity, Indian society. New revenue settlements were rationalism and the progressive movement of made. Influenced by British Utilitarian ideas the society. Critical thinking is at its root. A new and evangelicals they also tried to impose their philosophical tradition centring around human cultural superiority over the Indian people. rationality and equality is its characteristic. The Indigenous traditions were treated as primitive. basic inspiration of renaissance is humanism Indian society was portrayed as conservative and questioning the fundamentalist religious where human beings were discriminated on the practices that denied humans their dignity. basis of caste, gender, language and creed. This ideology of humanism stimulated creative This caused a reaction among the Indians. energy in all spheres of social life and knowledge During the nineteenth century, educated such as language, literature, philosophy, music, Indians from different parts of the country painting, architecture, etc. began to feel the humiliation and responded by seeking their socio-cultural identity from their 10.1 Tamil Renaissance past. However, they understood some merits in the colonial arguments and were ready to The cultural hegemony of colonialism reform. Raja Rammohan Roy was among the and the rise of humanism brought several pioneers in this process. Roy and many like him changes in the socio-cultural life of the came to be known as social reformers. They Indian subcontinent. Modern Tamil Nadu too were preparing a social and cultural sphere experienced such a historical transition. Tamil 69 10th_History_Unit_10.indd 69 7/30/2019 9:34:38 PM language and culture played a significant role in a student of Meenakshisundaranar, took their identity construction. The introduction of efforts to publish the classical texts such as printing press, linguistic research on Dravidian Civakachinthamani (1887), Paththupattu languages, etc... underpinned the process of (1889), Chilapathikaram (1892), Purananuru Tamil renaissance. Although religious literature (1894), Purapporul-Venpa-Malai (1895), was taken up predominantly for publication Manimekalai (1898), Ainkurunuru (1903) and in the early years after the advent of printing Pathitrupathu(1904). This provided the Tamil technology, things began to change gradually. people with a revelation about their heritage. Works that can be described as secular were Therefore, the rediscovery of ancient classics and taken up for publishing. their publication is considered the foundation of Tamil renaissance. Advent of the Printing Technology The publication of these ancient literary texts created an awareness among the Tamil Tamil was the first non- people about their historical tradition, language, European language that literature and religion. Modern Tamils founded went into print. As early their social and cultural identity on the ancient as in 1578, Tamil book, Tamil classics, collectively called the Sangam ThambiranVanakkam, was literature. Linguists, historians and Tamil published from Goa. In scholars recognised the uniqueness of Tamil 1709, a full-fledged printing culture, which had a separate and independent press had been established Ziegenbalg cultural existence before the coming of the thanks to Ziegenbalg in Tranquebar. Thirukkural Aryans into the Tamil land. was one of the earliest Tamil literary texts to be published in 1812. This led the resurgence of In 1816, F.W. Ellis interest among Tamil scholars in publishing the (1777–1819) who founded more ancient Tamil classics around that period. the College of Fort St George, formulated the theory that the south Indian languages belonged to a separate family which was unrelated to the Indo-Aryan family of languages. Robert Caldwell Robert Caldwell (1814–1891) expanded this argument in a book titled, A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian or South Indian Family of Languages, in 1856. He established the C.W. Damotharanar U.V. Swaminathar close affinity between the Dravidian languages in contrast with Sanskrit and also established In the nineteenth century, Tamil scholars the antiquity of Tamil. like C.W. Damotharanar (1832–1901), and U.V. Swaminathar (1855–1942) spent their Tamil intellectuals of lifetime in the rediscovery of the Tamil classics. this period identified the C. W. Damotharanar collected and edited fundamental differences different palm-leaf manuscripts of the Tamil between Tamil/Dravidian/ grammar and literature. His editions included Egalitarian and Sanskrit/ such texts as Tolkappiyam, Viracholiyam, Aryan/Brahmanism. They Iraiyanar-Akapporul, IlakkanaVilakkam, argued that Tamil was a language of Dravidian Kaliththokai and Culamani. U.V. Swaminathar, P. Sundaranar Social Transformation in Tamil Nadu 70 10th_History_Unit_10.indd 70 7/30/2019 9:34:38 PM people, who are non-Brahmin and their V.G. Suryanarayana Sastri social life was casteless, gender-sensitised and (Parithimar Kalaignar) egalitarian. Tamil renaissance contributed V.G. Suryanarayana to the origin and growth of Dravidian Sastri (1870-1903), consciousness in the Tamil country. These born near Madurai, was ideas are exemplified in the Tamil invocation professor of Tamil at the song in the play, Manonmaniam written by P. Madras Christian College. Sundaranar (1855–1897). He was one of the earliest scholars to identify the influence of Sanskrit on Tamil, and adopted Parithimar Kalignar a pure Tamil name for himself: Parithimar Kalignar. He was the first to argue that Tamil is a classical language, and demanded that the University of Madras should not call Tamil a vernacular language. Influenced by Western Thiru. Vi. Ka Bharatidasan literary models, he introduced the sonnet form Tamil renaissance questioned the in Tamil. He also wrote novels and plays, and a cultural hegemony of Brahminism. These number of essays on science. Tragically, he died developments were reflected in art, literature, at the young age of only 33. religion, etc. Ramalinga Adigal (1823–1874), Maraimalai Adigal popularly known as Vallalar, questioned Maraimalai the existing Hindu religious orthodoxy. Adigal (1876–1950) is Abraham Pandithar (1859–1919) gave considered the father of prominence to Tamil music and published Tamil linguistic purism books on the history of Tamil music. C.W. and the founder of Tani Damotharanar, U.V. Swaminathar, Thiru Vi. Tamil Iyakkam (Pure Kaliyanasundaram (1883–1953), Parithimar Tamil Movement). He Kalaignar (1870-1903), Maraimalai Adigal wrote commentaries (1876–1950), Subramania Bharathi (1882– on the Sangam texts, Maraimalai Adigal 1921), S. Vaiyapuri (1891–1956), and the Pattinappalai and poet Bharatidasan (1891–1964), in their own Mullaipattu. As a young man, he worked in a ways and through their writings, contributed journal, Siddhanta Deepika. Later he served as a to the revival of Tamil literature. Meanwhile, Tamil teacher in the Madras Christian College M. Singaravelar (1860–1946) an early pioneer for many years. He was inclined towards non- in Buddhist revival, promoted communism Brahmin movement. His teachers such as P. and socialism to counter the colonial power. Sundaranar and Somasundara Nayagar were Pandithar Iyotheethassar (1845–1914) and key influences in his life. Periyar E.V. Ramasamy (1879–1973) held high the radical philosophy to defend the rights of Tani Tamil Iyakkam the socially underprivileged and marginalised (Pure Tamil Movement) section of the people. In addition, the Maraimalai Adigal promoted the use of pure twentieth century Tamil language movements Tamil words and removal of the Sanskrit such as Tani Tamil Iyakkam and Tamil Isai influence from the Tamil language. The Iyakkam, made a significant cultural impact in movement made a great impact on Tamil creating a pure Tamil free from the influence culture especially in language and literature. of Sanskrit. The beginnings of the movement are usually Social Transformation in Tamil Nadu 71 10th_History_Unit_10.indd 71 7/30/2019 9:34:38 PM dated to 1916 even though the process of Association to support identifying influence of foreign words in Tamil Dravidian uplift. The and eliminating them can be dated much organisation focused earlier to the late nineteenth century. His on educating and daughter Neelambikai, played an important supporting non- role in its foundation. He changed his own Brahmin graduates name Vedachalam and took on the pure Tamil and conducting regular name of Maraimalai Adigal. His journal meetings to share their Jnanasagaram was renamed Arivukkadal and grievances. Meanwhile, his institution, Samarasa Sanmarga Sangam, Natesanar founded a Dr. C. Natesanar was re-christened as Potu Nilaik Kalakam. The hostel, the Dravidian movement was critical of Hindi, Sanskrit and Home, at Triplicane (Madras) in

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