by Q. Who among the following was the founder of the ‘Self-Respect Movement’?
UPSC Civil Services Examination (Prelims) 2025 – General Studies Paper I
(a) ‘Periyar’ E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker
(b) Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
(c) Bhaskarrao Jadhav
(d) Dinkarrao Javalkar
Answer: (a) ‘Periyar’ E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker
Explanation:
The Self-Respect Movement was founded in 1925 by ‘Periyar’ E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker in Tamil Nadu. The movement aimed to achieve social equality and human dignity for the non-Brahmin communities by challenging caste hierarchies, Brahminical dominance, and orthodox religious practices. It strongly advocated rationalism, self-respect, women’s rights, and social justice, and opposed practices such as untouchability, child marriage, and the denial of education to lower castes.
Periyar emphasized the idea that social liberation must precede political freedom and encouraged people to question blind faith, religious superstition, and inherited social privileges. The movement later became a foundational force behind the Dravidian movement in South India.
Why the other options are incorrect:
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was a leading national figure in the struggle for Dalit rights and the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. While his ideology overlapped with Periyar’s views on caste abolition, the Self-Respect Movement was not founded by him and remained a distinct regional initiative rooted in South India.
Bhaskarrao Jadhav played an important role in the Non-Brahmin movement in Maharashtra, working for social and political empowerment of backward communities in that region, but he was not associated with the founding of the Self-Respect Movement.
Dinkarrao Javalkar was an associate and supporter of Periyar and contributed intellectually to the Self-Respect and Non-Brahmin movements, but he was not the founder of the movement.
Answer: (a) ‘Periyar’ E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker
