On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Panaganti Ramarayaningar, popularly known as the Raja of Panagal, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin stated that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government would follow his ideals and chart a course following his progressive vision and values. It is refreshing and instructive that the legacy of Pangal, rooted in his broad and liberal perspectives for emancipating people from caste domination and empowering women, has been flagged by Stalin. It is particularly significant when the country is witnessing a counter-revolution anchored in majoritarianism and polarisation of society based on religion, and that too at the behest of those who control the state apparatus at the Union.
Stalin tweeted in Tamil that Panagal was the progenitor of the Dravidian kingdoms and showed how by acquiring power, he adopted revolutionary schemes for women’s suffrage and enacted the Hindu Religious Endowments legislation for putting an end to exploitation inflicted by Brahmins on others in temples in the name of caste. While stating that a “supplementary essay on the King of Panagal became a political crucible for the then school student, M Karunanidhi,” Stalin also referred to Thanthai Periyar’s description of Panagal as “the incomparable leader” and appealed to people to pursue his ideals and principles.
Stalin’s invocation of Panagal as a progenitor of the Dravidian movement is a statement of fact. However, it is a categorical imperative in the context of his government’s repeated emphasis on the Dravidian model of governance, which aims to be inclusive and embrace in its scope all people regardless of their faith or other identities. It is tragic that Tamil Nadu Governor Ravi, while reading out the address to the state Assembly last year, omitted the words, “Dravidian Model of governance.” In doing so he was insulting the legacy of Panagal.
Born on July 9, 1866, in the Madras province, Panagal, despite being a zamindar of Kalahasti, staunchly stood against caste oppression and inequality. As a founding member of the Justice Party, he remained at the forefront of the movement launched to liberate the depressed classes, to ensure equality and opportunity and also give them assurances of their dignity as equal human beings. He held several important positions, including the Premier of the erstwhile Madras Presidency from July 11, 1921, to December 3, 1926. It was in this capacity that he set a remarkable example of wielding power for the upliftment of people victimised by caste oppression and other structural forms of exploitation.
He interrogated the status quo and adopted measures to change it through progressive policies and revolutionary action. His tenure as President of the Justice Party from 1925 till his death on December 16, 1928, constituted a historic era in taking forward the ideals of the Dravidian movement for the reconstruction of society along progressive lines. No wonder Sir A Ramaswami Mudaliar as editor of ‘Justice’, the mouthpiece of the Justice Party, referred to Panagal in several of his editorials and outlined his rich contributions to the Dravidian movement. All these editorials were compiled in the book Mirror of The Year published by K Veeramani, general secretary of Dravidar Kazhagam, in 1928.
Panagal’s life and works, marked by his seminal contributions to the cause of the downtrodden sections of society, deserve to be recalled for our time witnessing the upsurge of divisive forces which often adversely impact society through their nexus with political formations now ruling India. His empathy for those deprived of basic human rights was amply demonstrated in 1914 when, two years after his nomination to the Imperial Legislative Council in 1912, he moved a resolution for the creation of separate provincial departments for the welfare of depressed classes.
It was one of his earliest initiatives as a legislator to sensitise the political regime of that time to effectively address the sufferings inflicted on the depressed classes for centuries. It is worth mentioning here that in moving that resolution, Panagal preceded Sir Maneckji Dadabhoy who – according to Dr BR Ambedkar – moved a similar resolution in 1916 in the Central Legislature. That resolution of Maneckji, apart from recommending the Governor General in Council to set up a small representative committee of officials and non-officials for the amelioration of the moral, material and educational conditions of depressed classes, invited the local government and administrations to formulate schemes for those classes with due regard to local conditions.
All these details are part of the publication The Untouchables and the Pax-Britannica, authored by Ambedkar and submitted to the Round Table Conference in 1931. That Panagal preceded Sir Maneckji Dadabhoy in taking up the cause of depressed classes underlines the importance of the former’s initiative, which constituted a momentous landmark in history for unchaining humanity riddled with caste discrimination and social exclusion.
Panagal’s zeal for reforms was manifested when he took the initiative to enact the Hindu Religious Endowment legislation during his tenure as the Premier of Madras Province from 1921 to 1926. At that time, he was heading the government formed by the Justice Party and that legislation provided for establishing trusts to maintain temple funds and administer their affairs. It was a key legislation which mitigated the suffering and harassment of people visiting the temples. In the Collected Works of EVR Periyar compiled by Dr K Veeramani, we find that he supported Panagal’s initiative to establish the Hindu Religious Endowment Board to end the exploitation caused by Brahmins in Hindu temples. Periyar’s support for Panagal flowed from his ardent endeavours for securing social justice as well as the rights of education and employment for the people of the Dravidian race.
Panagal’s historic order reserving 44% of jobs for non-Brahmins, 16% for Muslims, 16% for Anglo-Indians and Christians and 8% for the Scheduled Castes constituted an exemplary inclusive approach in the second decade of the twentieth century. Despite its shortcomings, it brought out his vision for the representation of diverse communities in government services. Slightly more than a hundred years after he took those measures, several political parties in India are demanding caste census as a critical measure for fair representation of different castes as per their numbers. So what was done by Panagal in 1921, today resonates in the whole of India confronting the onslaught from Hindutva forces which constitute a negation of social justice.
His reputation as a distinguished public figure committed to the cause of social justice and his numerous measures in that direction to end caste inequality endeared him to those actively pursuing such causes in other parts of India. For instance, Shahu Maharaj, the princely ruler of Kolhapur who is acclaimed for his democratic credentials, social reforms and progressive policies, became one of Panagal’s associates.
Apart from pursuing the invaluable ideals of social justice, Panagal displayed a rare commitment to promoting indigenous medicine. He established a School for Indian Medicine and donated his property, located in Kilpauk of Madras, to house it. The Kilpauk Medical College is still being run out of that campus.
The DMK government of Tamil Nadu headed by MK Stalin deserves commendation for commemorating the legacy of Panagal and recalling his historic contributions which assume greater relevance for India as a whole in the context of the threat posed by Hindutva forces to the inclusive ideals shaping the idea of India. As history is being distorted by divisive communal forces, we need to address the problem by unearthing from our history exemplary figures like Panagal and incorporating his legacy in the syllabus for students of all states of our country. His remarkable personality and extraordinary contributions are of abiding significance for upholding the vision of India enshrined in our Constitution.
SN Sahu served as Officer on Special Duty to former President of India KR Narayanan. Views expressed are the author's own.