Who among the following founded the 'Self-Respect Movement'?
- (a)Jyotiba Phule
- (b)Swami Vivekananda
- (c)E. V. Ramaswami Naicker
- (d)Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
Correct — C, E. V. Ramaswami Naicker. The Self-Respect Movement (Suya Mariyadai Iyakkam) was launched in Tamil Nadu in 1925 by E. V. Ramaswami Naicker, popularly known as Periyar. It was a rationalist, anti-caste and anti-Brahmanical social reform movement that campaigned for the self-respect and equality of non-Brahmins, opposed untouchability and religious superstition, and promoted self-respect marriages conducted without priests.
- (a)Jyotiba Phule — Jyotiba Phule was a great anti-caste reformer of nineteenth-century Maharashtra who founded the Satyashodhak Samaj (1873), but he did not found the Self-Respect Movement of Tamil Nadu.
- (b)Swami Vivekananda — Swami Vivekananda was a spiritual leader who founded the Ramakrishna Mission (1897); he had no connection with the Self-Respect Movement.
- (d)Dr. B. R. Ambedkar — Dr. B. R. Ambedkar led the Dalit rights movement and chaired the drafting of the Constitution, but the Self-Respect Movement was founded by Periyar, not Ambedkar.
The Self-Respect Movement was a social reform movement in the Madras Presidency, begun in 1925 by E. V. Ramaswami 'Periyar' Naicker. Rooted in rationalism and opposition to caste hierarchy and Brahmanical dominance, it advocated equality for non-Brahmins and women, self-respect (priest-less) marriages, and rejection of superstition.
Periyar had left the Congress over its stance on caste and turned to a radical non-Brahmin, rationalist programme. Distinguish him from Phule (Maharashtra, Satyashodhak Samaj) and Ambedkar (Dalit rights) — all anti-caste reformers, but the Self-Respect Movement is specifically Periyar's Tamil Nadu movement.
- The Self-Respect Movement was founded in 1925 in Tamil Nadu by E. V. Ramaswami Naicker (Periyar).
- It was rationalist and anti-caste, opposing Brahmanical dominance and untouchability.
- It promoted 'self-respect marriages' conducted without Brahmin priests.
- Periyar later led the Dravidar Kazhagam, and the movement shaped the Dravidian politics of Tamil Nadu.
- Do not confuse Periyar's Self-Respect Movement with Phule's Satyashodhak Samaj or Ambedkar's Dalit movement.
- The movement began in Tamil Nadu (Madras Presidency), not in Maharashtra.
Asked as who founded the Self-Respect Movement, or by matching social reformers to their movements and organisations.
Who among the following was the founder of the 'Self-Respect Movement'?
- (a) 'Periyar' E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker
- (b) Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
- (c) Bhaskarrao Jadhav
- (d) Dinkarrao Javalkar
Answer(a) 'Periyar' E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker
An almost identical UPSC prelims question (2025) asking who founded the Self-Respect Movement — same answer, Periyar E. V. Ramaswami Naicker.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Self-Respect Movement of Periyar was primarily directed against
- (a)British rule
- (b)Caste hierarchy and Brahmanical dominance
- (c)The zamindari system
- (d)Industrial exploitation
Answer(b) Caste hierarchy and Brahmanical dominance — it was a rationalist, anti-caste movement.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which reformer founded the Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873?
- (a)Periyar
- (b)Jyotiba Phule
- (c)B. R. Ambedkar
- (d)Narayana Guru
Answer(b) Jyotiba Phule — in Maharashtra, distinct from Periyar's Self-Respect Movement.