Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 17: Shri Guru Ravi Dass Sabha, Bahu Fort, Jammu celebrated birthday of Periyar EV Ramaswami Naicker in the premises of Shri Guru Ravi Dass Temple, Sheikh Nagar, Bahu Fort, Jammu.
He was born on September 17, 1879 in the district of Erode in the then Madras in a rich family of Shudra caste. His father was a businessman.
Dr Vijay Shivgotra, president of Sabha, said that EV Ramaswami was an unchallengeable mass leader. He said the Periyar lived a very long life of 94 years and three months and he struggled against slavery till his last breath, completely hale and hearty.
While speaking on this occasion, Sham Lal Basson, general secretary of Sabha, said that Periyar started independent Rationalist Self Respect Movement. He declared that objectives of his group was to establish a casteless society on the basis of Principles of equality, a society where there shall be no superstitious orthodoxy and social evil. It was only due to tremendous pressure of E.V. Ramaswami, the Government of Madras started giving reservation to backward classes in 1928.
The Periyar was hero of Vaikom Satyagrah. The struggle which EV Ramaswami Naicker started 84 years ago, when he was a boy of ten, got great success in Tamil Nadu. He desired humanity to establish a society based on economic, social, political justice, virtues and ideals, rationale and principle of equality.
Being a hardcore rationalist, Periyar was strong admirer of the Buddha. EV Ramaswami Naicker was given the title “Periyar”, the great.
Prominent among those who participated in function include Sham Lal Kalsi, Vikas Kalsi, Mangat Ram, Sanjay Kalsi, Rajesh Kumar, Vikas Loach, Joginder Lal and Sham Lal Loach.
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