Rise of Dravidian Parties To Power in Tamil Nadu - Tamil Renaissance and Nationalism

Tamil Renaissance and Nationalism

Tamil had undergone a cultural renaissance in the 20th century shedding off Sanskrit influence on its language. This language revival had exposed the Tamils on the richness of their literature and more than two thousand years of history. It was seen by Tamils that Hindi, an undeveloped language being imposed on them. With this renaissance coupled with the new-found awareness of its uniqueness when compared to the Northern Indian languages led to suspicion on anything that is Northern. Anti-Brahminism sentiments that had arisen further complicated the antipathy to the North, since it was seen by leaders like Periyar as an import from the North. Periyar and his DK, as did the DK’s predecessor Justice Party, saw the British Raj as the only alternative to Brahmin dominance. The resultant Tamil nationalism had till then not been expressed as violence. Both under the British and in independent India the Tamils have had a somewhat privileged position, since they were much sought after as labour, partly because the standard of education and knowledge of English have been to some extent higher than elsewhere in India and consequently Tamils have secured a large share of appointments in government service and education. Perhaps because of this, Tamil linguistic feelings had never turned against English. As Tamils saw English not as a threat, but a tool for advancement and protection of their interest, replacing English with Hindi even as a suggestion provoked violently adverse reactions, in particular, amongst students. Thus introduction of Hindi as a national language was seen as direct measure of the North to dominate the South culturally, economically, and politically. For them the use of English as an official language meant social equality where a Northerner and a Southerner start at a same point in English.