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C. Joseph Vijay, histrion and laminitis of the precocious floated Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), assumed bureau arsenic the caller Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu past month. One cannot assistance but beryllium reminded of however M.G. Ramachandran oregon much popularly known arsenic MGR, besides a highly palmy actor, took complaint arsenic the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu successful 1977 and went connected to triumph 2 much consecutive terms, until his decease successful 1987. He was the archetypal actor-turned-CM successful India.
However, isolated from being palmy movie stars, determination is hardly overmuch successful communal betwixt MGR, a Hindu of the Nair assemblage of Kerala, and Mr. Vijay, a Tamil Christian. MGR’s best-known co-star and successor, Jayalalithaa, who ruled the State for 16 years, was a Tamil Brahmin. Moreover, C.N. Annadurai, the archetypal non-Congress CM of the State, his successor M. Karunanidhi, and his lad M.K. Stalin were/are non-Brahmin Hindus.
As per Census figures, the electorate of Tamil Nadu comprises 88% Hindus and 6% Christians and Muslims each. It has regularly chosen leaders with varied spiritual and caste backgrounds without overmuch fuss. How did this happen? And is it a replicable model?
A governmental history
The recognition goes partly, among others, to the Dravidian question whose genesis harkens to the 1920s/1930s. The Justice Party founded successful 1916 by a radical of non-Brahmin elite with the extremity of ending Brahmin ‘domination’ successful apical authorities jobs succeeded successful getting reservations for non-Brahmins arsenic aboriginal arsenic 1920. The ‘self-respect movement’ arsenic good arsenic the ‘Dravidar Kazhagam’ question (DK) of E.V. Ramasamy (EVR), oregon ‘Periyar’ arsenic helium was known, avowed to make a nine escaped of caste oppression and inequality, and became a beardown oppositional unit to the mostly Brahmin priestly people successful the State. Periyar’s anti-Brahmin rhetoric often manifested successful the signifier of inflammatory speeches against Brahmins too starring to the desecration of Hindu deities.
The emergence of the Congress Party during the state conflict led to the diminution of the Justice Party by 1937, contempt them forming a authorities 4 times since 1920. In 1949, the DK experienced a divided with the breakaway faction led by C.N. Annadurai forming the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). It came to powerfulness successful 1967 and distanced itself from the anti-Brahmin and anti-religion ideas of Periyar. And portion the DK has precise small relation successful the authorities of Tamil Nadu today, adjacent aft a period of his astir progressive years, a Tamilian tends to either beryllium a staunch protagonist of Periyar oregon a vocal hostile of EVR — determination is nary mediate ground.
Inclusive policies
The instauration laid by these parties and their inclusive societal reforms implicit 3 decades led to the broad-basing of acquisition among each communities and reservations successful authorities jobs for non-Brahmin castes and, to a lesser extent, Dalits. The K. Kamaraj-led Congress authorities stressed escaped acquisition for all. The ‘Kalaignar’ Karunanidhi-led authorities focussed connected uplifting the Dalit assemblage done inclusive townships known arsenic Samathuva Puram (Equality village). MGR’s mid-day repast strategy resulted successful an summation successful girls enrolment, their retention successful schools and resoluteness to work.
From the 1990s, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) authorities of Jayalalithaa and the DMK governments of Karunanidhi and aboriginal his son, Mr. Stalin, focussed connected attracting FDIs successful manufacturing, particularly successful the car sector. As a result, Tamil Nadu has the highest proportionality of municipality colonisation (almost 50%) successful India, which is the motor driving its accelerated economical maturation and upward societal mobility for each religions and castes.
Another singular accomplishment has been that astir 42% of India’s pistillate mill workers are from Tamil Nadu portion making up conscionable 6% of the nationalist population. Such a palmy societal betterment is among the lasting contributions of the societal justness and self-respect question to Tamil society.
The relation of films
An arsenic important origin for the deficiency of caste oregon spiritual bias successful the mean Tamil Nadu elector is the relation and power of Tamil films and its actors. The Tamil movie manufacture is reputed for rewarding lone meritorious artists, without immoderate information for religion oregon caste. While MGR, Jayalalithaa and present Mr. Vijay were/are stars, Karunanidhi was a publication writer of galore deed films, including immoderate of MGR’s. Between Karunanidhi, MGR and Jayalalithaa, the movie industry’s transportation with governance successful Tamil Nadu has been arsenic agelong arsenic 42 years. By organising the 1,000th twelvemonth of the Thanjavur Big Temple successful a expansive mode successful 2010, Karunanidhi demonstrated that an atheist ruler request not beryllium against the devout practising their faith.
Now, the TVK, Mr. Vijay’s party, has managed to tract and unafraid victories for a precocious fig of MLAs who are Dalit and women.
In conclusion, the Tamil Nadu elector has astir ever voted connected considerations different than the religion oregon the caste of the campaigner owed to humanities movements implicit the past century, and owed to the affirmative power of films produced by the secular Tamil movie industry. Tamil Nadu has achieved thing that required a large conflict successful Europe successful the 18th century, namely the separation of the Church and the Crown. Tamil movies and Tamil Nadu authorities are an inseparable jodi that has mostly been of payment to the State socially and economically. For the aforesaid reason, it is not an easy replicable exemplary for different States.
S. Ramasundaram is simply a retired IAS serviceman of the 1979 batch successful Tamil Nadu, and writes connected macro-economy, colonisation and nationalist health. Views are personal.
