Were he alive, Periyar would be happy to see such young couples defy rightwing moral policing
Though Valentine’s Day is often dismissed as a consumerist gimmick or a “Hallmark festival”, it may be increasingly relevant to the times we live in. Right-wing groups reject what it stands for not because it is an imported Western influence, due to the fear that young persons celebrating it directly challenge their inflexible notions of society, interpersonal relationships and traditional structures. To them, Valentine’s Day is the symptom of the modern malaise that seeks to shake up the ancient way of life.
Which is why vigilante groups of exclusively young men have harassed young couples in Delhi, Hyderabad, Ajmer, Nagpur and Ahmedabad. In Chennai, it was reported that members of the ‘Bharat Hindu Front’ got a dog and a donkey married to mark their protest against Valentines Day.
Such acts would be comical if not for the fact that we live in the time of so-called Love Jihad and honour crimes. Where young men and women have been brutally murdered for choosing their partners or marrying against the wishes of their families.
It is reported that around 5 per cent of marriages across the country are “inter-caste”. There is no corresponding statistical data for inter-religious marriages. But, numerous anecdotal accounts exist about the societal barriers faced by inter-caste and inter-religious couples. Their numerical minority is further proof of how society resists and discourages such unions. Nevertheless, governments have devised schemes to assist inter-caste marriage: Tamil Nadu’s Dr.Muthulakshmi Reddy Ninaivu Inter-caste Scheme provides between Rs.15,000 to Rs. 20,000 for inter-caste couples whereas the Centre’s Ambedkar Scheme for Social Integration provides a financial assistance of Rs 2.5 lakh.
The monetary incentives may seem shallow without societal reform. In the recent cases of Divya-Ilavarasan and Kausalya-Sankar, Tamil Nadu has witnessed the deaths of young men who were involved in inter-caste relationships. Such relationships are a threat to the existing caste and gender hierarchies in our society. It also reveals a heightened sense of insecurity amongst those who derive benefits from propagating such hierarchies and their refusal to adapt to a modernising population.
Periyar believed that inter-caste marriages would help rid society of caste evils, and actively promoted such marriages amongst his followers. He also sought to demolish the inequalities faced by women in Hindu marriages by prescribing the Self-Respect (Suyamariyathai) Marriage. Self-Respect Marriages did away with priests and the concomitant sacred fire rituals. They also enabled that bride and groom to be treated as equal partners entering the institution of marriage. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government under Anna amended the Hindu Marriage Act 1951 to legitimize Self-Respect Marriages.
Periyar fought for women’s rights as much as he fought against casteism. The first Self-Respect Conference, held in 1929, tackled the issues of succession rights, education and employment of women, minimum age of marriage, widow re-marriage and the right to annul a marriage. Periyar believed that love was shorn of any caste or religious hues. In his book, ‘Why Women Are Enslaved’, he says:
“A man or a woman can be moved to love only on a consideration of age or intellect or property or educational or musical talent, features or the status of the parents or the apparent suitability for physical satisfaction or areas of interest as a source of satisfaction.”
Periyar realised that the fight against caste and gender inequalities must go hand-in-hand. He attacked the inherent patriarchy and caste parochialism of society. When he saw Hindu customs and rituals which propagated caste and gender-based biases, he rebuffed the religion as a whole. It is a sobering thought that decades after Periyar, we are still battling the same prejudices in society. Today, when we hear of inter-caste or inter-religious couples, it is in the context of honour crimes or “Love Jihad”. Which is why, were he alive, Periyar would be happy to see such young couples defy right-wing moral policing and celebrate this Valentine’s Day by posting pictures with their chosen partners across Facebook and Instagram!