Dravidian Identity in Changing State and National Sphere;-
From mid 1980’s onward Dravidian movement and identity seems diluting with changing state and national politics. This dilution of Dravidian identity can be studied under following themes:-
Dravidian Identity and Issues of Tamils in Srilanka and LTTE:
The Dravidian movement and identity has always considered the Srilankan Tamil to be a part of their own culture and identity, therefore they always stood in support of the liberation struggles in the island nation of Srilanka. While the liberation struggle which was peaceful till early 1980’s, took violent shape with the formation of Liberation Tiger of Tamil Ealem, i.e., LTTE. While DMK were the sympathizers of the liberation struggle in the Srilanka as they projected common Dravidian Tamil identity, it was not able to arouse any mass following and support for the cause of Tamils in Srilanka. The precise reason for this was the failure of the Dravidian identity to bring people together, due to the circumstances prevailing in the state and as well as in national politics. In Tamil Nadu, it was the rule of AIADMK led by M.G. Ramachandran, who never had any Dravidian ideology and was very close with the congress at the centre. As he was smart to realize that when state is depended on the centre for money and other monetary helps, an anti-centre stance made no sense. With liberation movement getting violent in Srilanka, it was felt both by M.G. Ramachandran and the congress government at the centre that LTTE should be stopped from pursuing violent means.
It was only during the middle of the 1980’s that the DMK began to acquire relevance as an alternative to AIADMK. This was due to the worsening ethnic conflict in Srilank...
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...e of money. The statement which marked the decisive alienation of the women voters was a statement by M. Karunanidhi. On March 1991, at the inauguration of the national front campaign at Patna, he described Jayalalitha as the “political girlfriend of Rajiv Gandhi”. The statement was condemned by Jayalalitha and many women group in the state, which influenced the minds of the people and regardless of her Brahmin origin, so very contrary Dravidian identity, she was elected as the leader of entire Tamil people. The fact is not that DMK lost election to a Brahmin leader, but the point to emphasis is its complete routing in the election. AIADMK won 161 seats out of 164 seats contested and DMK just 2 seats, which again brings to notice that the myth of Dravidian common identity is diluting in the face of changing state and national politics and view points of the people.
Mohan, S. et al. (2001). “Baseline Report: Women and Political Representation in India.” International Women’s Rights Action Watch: Asia Pacific (IWRAW). Retrieved on December 17th, 2011 from < http://www.iwraw-ap.org/aboutus/pdf/FPwomen_and_pol_pax.pdf>.
In Nehru’s India, women were victims of a “passive revolution” that subtly advanced bourgeoisie men of higher castes under a guise of parliamentary democracy. Though women have presided over the Indian National Congress, served as a prime minister, and represent a large part of India’s la...
Dubey,A.P. (2008). Modernity and the problem of cultural identity. New Delhi: Northern Book Centre Publications
Consequently, their philosophies bear the shades of Nationalism consummated with contemporary worldview. There emerged two ardent leaders who led India’s freedom movement situated at different times, while Sri
Gandhi’s implementation for the Salt March was the result of British colonization of India, which had caused a change in the lifestyle of the Indians. In 1975 when the East India Company established manufacturing monopolies, which assisted the British to exercise their powers over the salt facilities in India by applying salt taxes. As the British occupied the salt works, the Indian population became deprived of one of the most important resources. Thus, the Indians in nation began to fall apart, because the strict British ruling restricted the Indians to perform against the salt taxes. The Salt March was a way that Gandhi sought to inspire a strong uniformity in the minds of the many. These Indians soon adapted to Gandhi’s nonviolent belief and became known as the satyagrahis, w...
Samarasinghe, V. "‘A Theme Revisited’? the Impact of the Ethnic Conflict on Women and Politics." JOURNAL OF WOMEN POLITICS & POLICY 33.4 (2012): 345-64. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
In the present day world of globalization, with convergence of heterogeneous cultures and hybridization of identities, and ever growing transnational migration, geographical boundaries are becoming redundant. The definitions and ideas of ‘home’, ‘identity’ and ‘culture’ have undergone changes with spatial politics and its displacement, intimacy, inclusion and exclusion. This paper makes an attempt to understand the conflicts of identity and culture before the Indian diaspora with reference to The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.
Sri Lanka has also experienced a series of socio-political disturbances over the past several decades including...
During the Cold War, many regional conflicts occurred and were noted as the significant battles which later led to decolonization. One of the regional conflicts were India and Pakistan fighting for their independence. In 1947, India was released under Great Britain’s control and gained its independence. However, the country was divided between Muslims and Hindus, which share different religions. Muslims wanted church and state to become unified while Hindus wanted a separation of these two establishments. Since these two ethnic groups disagreed, it was difficult to create a new government. Therefore, India was divided into two nations: India for the Hindus and Pakistan for the Muslims. Hindus and Muslims were racing to the border in order to get to their nation state which led to killing 500,000 people due to rioting. Although, Mohandas Gandhi, an Indian National Congressman, wanted to obtain peace between these two religions. Pakistan refused the H...
Whilst the growth of Indian nationalism put considerable pressure on the Raj, historians offer many interpretations as to the fundamental cause of Independence. Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement and subsequent campaigns meant that nationalism began to appeal to the masses and helped establish a broad based movement for Independence. However, the British were always able to supress the nationalist movements, through reform or by using force, up to the Quit India movement of 1942. British involvement in the Great War and particularly the Second World War placed them in a weaker position economically, whilst the social and political expectations of the Indian people were changing, which strengthened nationalism and discontent.
Of the themes which dominate the representative writings of the forth world literatures include the theme of resistance, rebellion, opposition, assertion, challenge, sacrifice, suffering and displacement. All these general ideas are interconnected with the common concept of ‘freedom’ and an aspiration for which is truly a driving force for the indigenous people. In this paper an attempt has been made to look into the theme of resistance and how it contributes to the development of the spirit of self-determinism as it is reflected and re-presented in the Fourth World literatures with special reference to dalits’ writings in India in order to appreciate and advance the common cause of freedom in the larger interest of Humanity.
In late 1947, the newly created states of India and Pakistan went to war over the valley of Kashmir. A United Nations brokered ceasefire divided the state into Indian and Pakistani controlled territories, and resolved that a referendum would be held in which the people of Kashmir would be able to choose to join either country. The referendum has not been held to this day. India granted its portion of Kashmir a special status within its constitution, allowing for a great degree of self-autonomy. However, successive Kashmiri governments have been dissolved by the government of India, and elections have only been held in the presence of its armed forces. In 1965, Pakistan and India waged a second indecisive war over Kashmir. In the 1980s, resistance within Kashmir itself against the Indian government took on a violent nature, with guerilla attacks against Indian army bases. India responded with heavy army clampdowns, and since then the situation has only escalated and get worse. It is estimated that well over 34,000 people have died within the valley, and the relations between the two countries have become increasingly acrimonious. India blames Pakistan for the militant uprising, claiming Islamabad is supporting cross border terrorism. Pakistan responds that it merely provides diplomatic and moral support arguing, furthermore, that India’s history of human rights abuses in the valley is to blame. With both countries now in possession of nuclear arms; the recent war in KARGIL and the increasing number of civilian deaths, refugees, and other human rights issues within Kashmir, the conflict seems to be taking on a more serious nature. In this paper I will discuss the Kashmir conflict in some depth, examining the problem in...
The causes of ethnic conflict cannot be generalised to fit all incidents, as the conflicts in Sri
Many Indians feel that the Quit India Movement was one of the most influential and successful moments in history. The s...
The intent of Gandhi in Gandhi's inten was to remove the India he loved from trusting in the greatness and infallibility of Western Civilization and to encourage her to take pride in India’s own identity as a civilization and culture. His enthusiasm slightly exaggerates the grandeur of India and accounts for some margin of error in his esteem for his homeland, but Gandhi’s overall message is sound and wise; India must be proud of her heritage and mindful of sacrifice, for by these means, true freedom and true swaraj will be reached.