As the history of India can be divided in to pre and post babri masjid demolition, Tamilnadu history can also have this new land mark.
Periyar fought against brahminical hegemony through his self respect movement and created an anti-brahminical psyche among Tamils.
Periyar said, "if you see a snake and brahmin together, hit the brahmin first as he is more dangerous". It may sound bit fascist. But, NO brahmins were beaten as such. No violence was indulged against brahmins.
His movement has helped the tamils to understand the brahminical hegemony and he has equipped the tamils with self respect, athiesm and rationalism.
Although his followers later became more oppressive against dalits later, the non-brahmin caste hindus have politically gained a lot thanks to the dravidian movement.
Now, dalits are asking difficult questions to the non-brahmin caste hindus. They do not want to believe that only brahminism is the reason for all the caste violence.
Periyar himself is being relooked by dalit intellectuals. They do not want to follow the non-brahmin caste hindus any more. Dravidian politics has only helped non-brahmin caste hindus, they say.
Dalit leaders and intellectuals have a point. The violence unleashed against dalits by non-brahmin caste hindus does not seem to end. Melavalavu, Gundupatti, Thinniyam and Tirunelveli do not seem to end. They continue to happen. Still untouchablity is practised in hundreds of villages in Tamilnadu.
This historical, difficult and confused situation is also being used by brahminical forces to enter the mainstream politics again.
Hindutva forces used dalits against muslims in coimbatore riots. (Adivasis were used in Orissa,Gujarat and Rajastan against minorities by Hindu fundamentalist forces).
The arrest of Sankaracharya - a brahmin leader, who projects himself as a hindu leader- has to be looked in this context.
Are we making a circle here?
Never the less, the arrest is a historical event and will make an impact in the pschye of Tamils irrespective of caste background.
