Names that speak volumes

When it was successful a nascent stage, the Dravidian question was sure-footed. Its luminaries were afloat of occurrence and determined to upend the caste presumption quo.

Nearly each 1 of them came from humble backgrounds, says R. Kannan, biographer of C.N. Annadurai and M.G. Ramachandran (MGR). Barring a few, astir of the leaders they took connected successful the Congress came from wealthiness and precocious status, helium points out.

Therefore, these aboriginal leaders needed to amp up their profiles adjacent if that meant resorting to exaggeration. Some changed their alternatively prosaic names to much exotic ones. By becoming Nedunchezhiyan, Narayanaswamy, who held an MA successful Tamil literature, sought to bash distant with a Sanskrit sanction and acquired the aura of Sangam-era royalty — the archetypal Nedunchezhiyan was a king of past history.

Besides caller names, leaders of the Dravidian question took connected titles arsenic well. For the putative No. 2 successful the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), K. Anbazhagan, the rubric Perasiriyar, which means prof oregon much virtually expansive teacher, added gravitas adjacent though helium was not rather a afloat prof successful academia; helium was a lecturer successful a Chennai college. E.V. Ramaswamy was Periyar — the respected fig who shaped the movement.

Some titles were literate and sounded sweet. Periyar’s nephew, E.V.K. Sampath, was Sollin Selvan (the 1 with a wealthiness of words). Karunanidhi was Kalaignar (artiste).

Vaiko was sometimes Kazhagathin Por Vaal — the conflict sword of the organisation — though the DMK, astatine its best, has been reformist and sometimes adversarial with the Centre for ideological reasons, but has seldom gone to battle.

MGR was Makkal Thilagam (darling of the masses). He was praised arsenic Puratchi Nadigar (revolutionary actor) aft helium played a Robin Hood-type brigand successful the film, Malaikallan. Later, erstwhile the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was launched, his lieutenant K. A. Krishnaswamy tweaked it to Puratchi Thalaivar (revolutionary leader). MGR’s successor, Jayalalithaa, took connected the feminine signifier of the rubric and became Puratchi Thalaivi.

MGR’s followers would mention respective “revolutionary” argumentation measures specified arsenic the schoolhouse feeding programme that boosted enrolment and retention rates. By introducing quotas for women successful section bodies and expanding it to 50% later, Jayalalithaa has changed the sex illustration of grassroots authorities which whitethorn good ascend to state-level positions.

But autarkic scholars look astatine the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) arsenic the much blimpish mentation of Dravidianism. The 2 revolutionary leaders steered distant from immoderate movement-based strategies and were not insurrectionist.

When Edappadi Palaniswamy (EPS) became Chief Minister arsenic a compromise campaigner who could equilibrium the competing interests wrong the AIADMK aft the revolt by O. Panneerselvam, helium decided to travel the Dravidian contented of taking connected a title. EPS was claiming the mantle of Jayalalithaa, a person who towered implicit everyone other successful the enactment and inactive does. He became Puratchi Tamizhan (Tamil everyman). By the clip of EPS, however, taking connected titles became a ritual. And Puratchi Tamizhan hasn’t rather stuck.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s lad and successor — Deputy Chief Minister Udayanidhi — took connected galore titles. He was Makkal Anban (people’s friend) for immoderate clip and became Engalin Ethirkalam (our future) concisely erstwhile his succession wasn’t ceremonial yet. Neither has endured.

Titles not lone boosted the illustration of Dravidian leaders of the past but were besides a motion to the past civilization of Tamils successful which calling idiosyncratic by sanction is disrespectful. On the different hand, communists — some leaders and cadre — called 1 different comrade to erase hierarchy. But they maintained respect done the usage of initials specified arsenic AB and PR. Today, Tamils whitethorn good usage a simple, respectful suffix to a leader’s sanction though the connection doesn’t rather person the equivalent of the Hindi suffix, ji.

A predominant rubric is Thalapathy (commander). Mr. Stalin was commandant for a agelong clip earlier helium became Thalaivar (leader) aft his father’s death. The caller prima successful the Tamil governmental horizon, Vijay, besides carries the rubric Thalapathy. He has created a buzz, particularly among the younker who person nary representation of MGR and lone faintly callback Jayalalithaa. The latest commandant claims that the existent combat successful 2026 is betwixt him and the DMK.