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Stalin to unveil Periyar’s portrait at Oxford University
Periyar E.V. Ramasamy was a social reformer who led the Self-Respect Movement, advocating rationalism, equality, and anti-caste reforms.
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Bhavana P - Sat, 30, Aug 2025
- 14:18 EDT
- 19
A portrait of Periyar / X/ mkstalin
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will visit the United Kingdom on Sept. 4, where he will unveil a portrait of social reformer E.V. Ramasamy, popularly known as Periyar, at the University of Oxford.
During his visit, Stalin will also release two books chronicling the hundred-year journey of the Periyar-led Self-Respect Movement, and address the ‘Self-Respect Movement and its Legacies Conference 2025’ at the university. Announcing the visit, Stalin said in a post on X (formally twitter) “Oppression is my enemy — the rallying cry of Periyar now resonates at Oxford.”
Also read: Stanford University unveils bust of mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan
Launched in 1925, the Movement aimed to dismantle Brahminical dominance and advocate for the upliftment of non-Brahmin communities in Tamil Nadu. Through its journal Kudi Arasu, the movement championed rationalism, gender equality, and anti-caste reforms, laying the foundation for the rise of the Dravidian movement.
“Before an assembly of international scholars, the movement that set ablaze caste tyranny and burned down barriers of gender in Tamil Nadu will be placed in dialogue with struggles worldwide for dignity, equality and freedom,” Stalin said. “Periyar’s ideals of equality are not bounded by borders; they belong to humanity as a whole.”
Periyar goes global!
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) August 29, 2025
“Oppression is my enemy” the rallying cry of Periyar now resonates at #Oxford.
Marking the centenary of the #SelfRespect Movement, I will unveil Thanthai Periyar's portrait at the University of Oxford on 4th September and release two books that chronicle… pic.twitter.com/qHLTDnFGiS
Historians view 1925 as a turning point in the South Indian reform landscape. That year, Periyar launched Kudi Arasu in May and later, in November, resigned from the Indian National Congress, a move considered the formal beginning of the Self-Respect Movement. The publication pushed beyond demands for communal representation, advancing a radical critique of Brahminism — Periyar’s term for caste oppression — and the Congress leadership.
As the centenary events unfold, the portrait unveiling at Oxford underscores the global relevance of Periyar’s fight for social justice, extending his message of equality beyond Tamil Nadu to an international audience.
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