The same has been the case with Pasumpon district, named after Muthuramalinga Thevar, the undisputed leader of the Maravars, Kallars and Agamudaiyars put together and an associate of Subhas Chandra Bose. He argues that the differences between the two political parties, the All India Forward Bloc, led by Muthuramalinga Thevar, and the Congress, led by Kamaraj, were the main source of the hatred between the Thevars and the Pallars and between the Nadars and the Thevars. K. Krishnasamy, 44, a Coimbatore-based cardiologist, gave up practice to fight for the cause of Dalits and formed the Devendra Kula Vellalar Federation (DKVF) in 1995. As a result, these communities are going back to their old ways. mudukulathur riot(1957): A by-election was held in the Mudukulathur assembly constituency on July 1, 1957, as Thevar had resigned from his assembly seat. Between the Mudukulathur riots of 1957 and the caste-related violence in recent years, do you see any significant change in the Dalit response? Sasivarna Thevar won the by-election for the Mudukulathur assembly constituency vacated by Muthuramalinga Thevar, in July1957, the pro-Congress dalits clashed with pro-AIFB Thevars, and the clashes spread throughout the constituency. In 1957, there was not much awakening. Dalits are confident of protecting themselves from atrocities... You launched the DKVF but have converted it into a political outfit, Puthiya Tamilagam. Sasivarna Thevar of the Forward Bloc. The author also refers to the editorial in The Hindu of October 12, 1957: “It seems that the recent troubles are not solely of communal origin and that political differences dating from the first general elections and intensified by the recent byelection in Mudukulathur have been also responsible.” The Hindu, in fact, had demanded a judicial inquiry into the riots. In 1957, there was not much awakening. Ramnad riots A by-election was held in the Mudukulathur assembly constituency on July 1, 1957, as Thevar had resigned from his assembly seat. The situation in the area was tense on the day that the results were released, and there was a sizeable presence of police forces in place. He was elected thrice to parliament. The situation in the area was tense on the day that the results were released, and there was a sizeable presence of police forces in place. Since the Mudukulathur riots and the murder of the Dalit leader Immanuel Sekaran (September 11, 1957) at Paramakudi town in Ramanathapuram district and the gory incident in Keezhvenmani in Thanjavur district in which 44 Dalit agricultural workers were burnt to death (December 25, 1968), Dalits have been asserting themselves against feudalistic forces. Murder in Mudukulathur is the first extended study of this watershed moment. Drawing on a vast amount of primary sources, the author narrates the sequence of events leading to the caste conflagration of 1957, and its political and social fallout. Fast and free shipping free returns cash on delivery available on eligible purchase. He makes a sincere attempt to set the record straight, plug the gaps in the narratives, and present the raw documented facts, which many historians failed to do for reasons best known to them. Manikumar says that his arrest “caused no major law and order problem” and adds that “by the second week of October, the violence has abated”. The Pallars recollect the riots as the first bold sign of resistance against the caste-based slavery they had languished under for centuries. As the distribution of printed copies is unlikely to resume any time soon, Frontline will come to you only through the digital platform until the return of normality. The election was won by D. V. Sasivarna Thevar of the Forward Bloc. Owing to violence in the after math of the 1957 Mudukulathur bye-election, the district collector convened a peace meeting where all caste leaders, including the powerful Muthuramalinga Thevar of Forward Bloc, were invited. The hatred for each other during the last two months resulted in a number of clashes between these two parties and was responsible for creating tension in this taluk.”, An analysis of the pattern of the conflagrations in the book indicates that the murder of Immanuel Sekaran “did not evoke any organised protest from the Dalit community [immediately]” since the caste violence “had been fierce with battles involving Thevars on one side and Pallars and Nadars on the other”. However, the victory triggered controversy which resulted in the murder of Congress Dalit leader Emmanuel Sekaran and fuelled the 1957 Ramnad riots . Sasivarna Thevar of the Forward Bloc. The election was won by T.V. There should first be emancipation of Dalits. mudukulathur, tamil nadu on 9 october 1924. Ramnad riots A by-election was held in the Mudukulathur assembly constituency on July 1, 1957, as Thevar had resigned from his assembly seat. The police firing at Keelathooval village, which resulted in the death of five Thevar men on September 14, 1957, “was the outcome of the government’s determination to adopt a tough stand against Thevars”, according to Manikumar. Manikumar says that the purpose of his study is not to evaluate the two personalities involved, Muthuramalinga Thevar and K. Kamaraj, but to narrate the sequence of developments leading to the caste conflagration of 1957. He writes: “So the argument that the Pallars rioted only at the instance of the Chief Minister Kamarajar or some wealthy merchants of the Nadar community scarcely holds water.”, At the book’s launch in Chennai, Manikumar said: “I have tried to deal with it as dispassionately as possible. Immanuvel devendrar was born on 9th october 1924 to Mr.Vedhanayagam (School Teacher and founder of Devendra kula vellalar sangam,Mudukulathur) and Mrs.Gnanasoundhari Ammal in a village of Sellur, which is located in Mudukulathur Taluk in Ramanathapuram district,Tamil Nadu . Migration and, to an extent, religious conversion enabled them to gain access to employment and education. CRC was formed just one month before the 1957 elections to the Lok Sabha and the Madras state legislative assembly. The resources needed to keep up the good work that Frontline has been doing for the past 35 years and more are immense. This incident triggered a political and social churning that continues to influence politics in Tamil Nadu. For starters, let's make it clear that EVR/Periyar doesn't fall under a certain set of rules or frames. Panikkar, convened a peace meeting at Mudukulathur on September 10, 1957, which was attended by Muthuramalinga Thevar and his men, Perumal Peter and Immanuel Sekaran, and Veluchamy Nadar, a representative of the Nadar caste. The killing of Immanuel Sekaran in September 1957 became a major flashpoint in Tamil Nadu politics. A well-researched attempt to document the social conflict, the book traces the history of the Mudukulathur riots. Sasivarna Thevar was born in the southern part of the Madras province. And after independence, political parties used them for their own ends. There is greater awareness. There are more than 2,000 castes even among the backward communities and more than 100 castes among the Scheduled Castes. We organised a big conference in Ramanathapuram recently. An upsurge could be seen among the Pallars in the 1940s and the 1950s. On the eve of the Lok Sabha elections in 1998, the DKVF metamorphosed into a political party named Puthiya Tamilagam. What is your political agenda? It is a long journey indeed. The document pointed out that the general election and the subsequent Mudukulathur byelection “have created a lot of misunderstanding between the Forward Bloc and the Congress parties. ... the 1957 ramnad riots, in which 42 dalits were killed, occurred as a consequence of devendrar's murder. It was a planned attack, organised outside the district and executed in Ramanathapuram district in the name of organising a conference. The Mudukulathur region in the same district, which in 1957 had seen a fortnight-long violence, is free of tension so far. It was followed by anti-Dalit violence in the villages of Nadunalumuthalikkinaru, Kodiyankulam and Sankaralingapuram (in Tuticorin district in the late 1990s); the murder of Murugesan, a Dalit panchayat president, in Melavalavu in Madurai (2000); the struggle of elected presidents to assume office in the reserved village panchayats of Pappapatti, Keeripatti and Nattamangalam, all in Madurai (2000); the arson and looting at the Natham Dalit colony near Dharmapuri following an inter-caste marriage (2008); and the murder of Shankar, a Dalit youth, following his inter-caste marriage, at Udumalpet town (2017). We should remember that he distributed his lands to … Hello Select your address Best Sellers Today's Deals New Releases Electronics Books Customer Service Gift Ideas Home Computers Gift Cards Sell In-depth analysis of issues and events in India and around the world. MUDUKULATHUR RIOT(1957): A by-election was held in the Mudukulathur assembly constituency on July 1, 1957, as Thevar had resigned from his assembly seat. The Ramnad riots or the Mudukulathur riots were a series of violent clashes that occurred between July and September 1957 in the Ramnad district and in southern Tamil Nadu, India. Manikumar is careful not to romanticise the issue, being fully aware of the need to make an honest assessment as it has the potential to influence sociopolitical narratives in Tamil Nadu and draw flak from casteist elements that are perennially in denial mode and refuse to view the past with a historical perspective. With support from Pallars and Nadars, the Congress even increased its vote share in the region after the 1957 elections, although it could not post a win against Muthuramalinga Thevar. A by-election was held in the Mudukulathur assembly constituency on 1 July 1957, as Thevar had resigned from his assembly seat. This seemingly caused a shift in the political and caste symmetry in the region. In 1934 he joined the movement organized by Muthuramalinga Thevar to oppose the Criminal Tribes Act CTA. Two kinds of violence were on display in Ramanathapuram—the violence of the dominant class and the violence of the oppressed.” He says that the former’s was to subjugate the oppressed while the latter’s was to uphold the dignity of life. Drawing on a vast amount of primary sources, the author narrates the sequence of events leading to the caste conflagration of 1957, and its political and social fallout. In Tamil Nadu too, at the top of the pyramid of the caste system are Brahmins. He later joined the Indian National Congress. Drawing on a vast amount of primary sources, the author narrates the sequence of events leading to the caste conflagration of 1957, and its political and social fallout. Copyright © 2021, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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N. Ram, Chairman, THG Publishing Private Limited, who spoke on the occasion, said: “The author should be praised for providing a critical historical account of what happened in 1957 and for treading a difficult ground as it could lead to a reaction.” The author has anchored his arguments in archived records, quoting extensively from various sources, especially the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly’s debates and notes on the failed no-confidence motion moved against the then Congress government, to explain the politics behind the clashes. Manikumar explains how Kamaraj initiated countermeasures that steadily eroded the Thevar support base. Now most Dalits have come out of the clutches of those political parties. Drawing on a vast amount of primary sources, the author narrates the sequence of events leading to the caste conflagration of 1957, and its political and social fallout. That is why there have been repeated incidence of violence. However, he adds that “[Muthuramalinga] Thevar’s actions after Independence wiped clean his nationalist legacy”. In-depth analysis of issues and events in India and around the world. on 11 September 1957.2 Immanuel's death resulted in the Mudukulathur riots, a clash between the Devendirars and Thevars that lasted for a few weeks. ... Later, the C.N.Annadurai-led DMK government released all those arrested in connection with the 1957 riots. The episode of violence at a Wistron iPhone assembling facility near Bengaluru was not the ploy of a set of rogue managers but is in tune with the nature of global value chains, where companies engage in exploitative practices to be profitable. To continue enjoying Frontline, you can turn off your adblocker or subscribe to Frontline digital. I continue to be a Marxist. The Ramnad riots were a series of politically motivated violent clashes that occurred between July and September 1957 in the Ramnad district, in southern Tamil Nadu, India. The election was won by T.V. Get full access to 22 years old archives. Memories of the Mudukulathur riots have been moulded to perpetuate and intensify caste conflict in the region ever since. The murder of Immanuel Sekaran precipitated the situation. Sasivarna Thevar of the Forward Bloc. The Communist Party of India was denied permission to attend it. The election was won by D.V. The print medium all over the world is no exception. Subscribe to The Frontline now and get unlimited access. The situation in the area was tense on the day the results were released, and there was a sizeable presence of police forces in place. Do you think that Dalits' problems can be solved in isolation from the struggle by other oppressed sections of society? Krishnasamy was detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the Emergency in 1976. in 1957, were not able to “reconcile [themselves] to the present democratic conditions and cannot believe that the feudal system is vanishing fast”. There are no local issues between the people of the two castes involved. Sasivarna Thevar was an Indian politician. His determination won the appreciation of those who had been disillusioned with the disruptive politics of Thevar.” At the same time, he takes pains to refute the allegation that Kamaraj instigated the Pallars against the Thevars in order to safeguard the Nadar community. In the recent incidents in Ramanathapuram, apart from Dalits, Muslims were also targeted. Muthuramalinga Thevar questioned the participation of Immanuel Sekaran, saying that “he [Muthuramalinga Thevar] was the sole representative of both Thevars and Pallars”. 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