PERIYAR     MANIAMMAI

The Founder

Hailed by UNESCO as, "the Socrates of South East Asia", E.V Ramasamy (Periyar) began the social revolution in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. He propagated against caste hierarchy, gender inequality and injustice and rural poverty.

Periyar (great person) Ramasamy (1879-1973), founder and charter member, registered the periyar Self-Respect Propaganda Institution in 1952.

Soon after the demise of Periyar, his wife, E.V.R.Maniammai, registered the Periyar-Maniammai Educational and Charitable Society, now known as periyar Maniammai Institute of Science and Technology, and at present it is being is successfully led by Dr.K.Veeramani.

Periyar Society

To attain casteless society, gender equality and justice, and to eradicate rural poverty "Periyar Society" was organized under the inspiring banner of "Periyar". Periyar Society, a eponymous description of or perhaps an encapsulation of a network of thirty voluntary units registered under the Societies registration Act. These institutions are functioning as public, voluntary, non-profit, non-governmental entities. The society"s activities are carried out in the whole of Tamil Nadu.

Society"s Vision

“People all over the world should unite. They should have an existence that does not harm other beings. Means must be found for a peaceful life, free from envy, anxiety, deceit, hatred and sorrow” This is the cherished wish of Thanthai Periyar. In order to attain the wish of Thanthai Periyar the society"s vision is to eradicate casteism, superstition, social and gender injustice and to ensure equal opportunities for all by creating awareness and by transforming society through education, health care and community services.

The Periyar Society"s mission is:

To broaden the social spectrum where caste and superstitions will sink into oblivion through peaceful propagation of equality and scientific temper.

To structure, practise and apply social justice and gender equality with belief in leadership by example.

To campaign for equal opportunities through a movement for education, health care and community services.

To focus on service network for the underprivileged and rural population by providing health care services including ante-natal outreach programmes.

To provide technology, with the twin purpose of human development and poverty eradication. Education

Thanthai Periyar, a laudable mentor and an ardent fighter for social equality, dedicated his entire life to liberate the conventional society from the fetters of superstitious beliefs and class discriminations. His contribution to the cause of the downtrodden, in particular women is history in itself. He insisted that only life-oriented education could enlighten the dark society and that it was the only effective tool for the emancipation of women.

Ever since its inception, the Society has been striving hard to make the people intellectually competent, physically fit, emotionally stable and socially desirable. In order to fortify the vision of Thanthai Periyar, several educational institutions have been established. Primary, secondary and post-secondary educations are the three pillars in the Periyar Society"s mission to end gender inequality, caste discrimination and rural poverty.

The success of Periyar Society is founded on the strong commitment to education and through the creation of a flexible, competitive and dynamic economic environment, which will provide students the creative potential to use and develop technological innovations. Educational Institutions are identifying the demands and challenges linking science and technology for the promotion of economic and social needs.

Dr.K.Veeramani

Dr.K.Veeramani, an illustrious successor and an ardent disciple of Thanthai Periyar E.V.Rmasamy, took up his ideals and gave life to what he preached all through his life. From the age of eight he, all along associated with Thanthai Periyar and learnt the needs of the society especially the rural. Like Thanthai Periyar he too cares more for the welfare of the society. His ultimate aim is to create an egalitarian society where equality among human being is predominant. He is relentlessly fighting against superstitious and irrational beliefs that are deep routed in the society and also against the exploitations in the name of caste creed and religion. His primary aim is to serve for the cause of rural upliftmat. To fulfill this, he has founded educational institutions, free clinic centres, family welfare centres, free legal assistance cell, health clubs, libraries, institutes on entrepreneurship development, community colleges, pharmaceutical college, teacher training institutions. His services towards rural mass are remarkable. They are extended by a dint of dedication and spirit in rural sense through Periyar PURA scheme.

PURA:

Providing Urban amenities to Rural Areas. Great men think alike Thanthai Periyar"s address delivered at the Annual day celebration o f the village officers Training Institute at Erode on 31.10.1944. Compare the living status of agriculturalist and peasants with that of the merchants living in the towns and enjoying the benefits. A rural area should be provided with urban amenities such as schools, hospitals, parks, libraries, radios, good transport facilities, police stations and departmental stores etc.

The same thinking is echoed in His excellency Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam"s speech at the dedication ceremony of J.S.S Academy of Technical Education complex, Noida on 01.08.2003. Physical connectivity by providing roads electronic connectivity by providing communication network and knowledge connectivity by establishing professional and Technical institutions will have to be done in an integrated way so that economic connectivity will emanate. Thus the concept of the two great leaders towards rural upliftment is similar and their ideals are being implemented under Periyar PURA scheme. The PURA has to be business proposition managed by entrepreneurs, and small-scale industrialists. This scheme makes cluster of villages developed in health, power, transport etc and it also maintains a clean and green environment.