SNDP Movement, Vokkaliga Sangha, Justice Movement and Self-Respect Movement

At a Glance

• SNDP Sree Narayana Guru (1856-1928), Ezhavas of Kerala; registered 1903
• Vokkaliga Sangha Mysore, anti-brahmin, 1905
• Justice Movement Madras; C.N. Mudaliar, T.M. Nair, P. Tyagaraja
• Self-Respect Movement E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker, mid-1920s
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Reform Movements and Their Leaders

Where Does It Fit?

This is the eleventh topic of the category on reform movements and their leaders. The previous topic covered five smaller societies. This topic covers the movements of the depressed and non-brahmin castes in the south. The next topic covers the temple entry movement and the Indian Social Conference. Previous topic: Seva Sadan, Dev Samaj, Dharma Sabha, Bharat Dharma Mahamandala and Radhaswami Movement.

What Was the SNDP Movement?

The Sree Narayana Guru Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) movement was a regional movement born out of conflict between the depressed classes and upper castes. It was started by Sree Narayana Guru Swamy (1856-1928) among the Ezhavas of Kerala, a backward caste of toddy-tappers who were considered untouchable and denied education and entry into temples. The Ezhavas were the single largest caste group in Kerala, 26 per cent of the population.

Narayana Guru, himself an Ezhava, took a stone from the Neyyar river and installed it as a Sivalinga at Aruvippuram on Sivaratri in 1888, to show that consecrating an idol was not the monopoly of the higher castes. With this he began a revolution that soon removed many discriminations in Kerala society. The Aruvippuram movement drew the poet Kumaran Asan as a disciple. In 1889 the Aruvippuram Kshetra Yogam was formed, to grow into a big organisation to help the Ezhavas progress materially and spiritually.

The Aruvippuram Sree Narayana Guru Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) was registered in 1903 under the Indian Companies Act, with Narayana Guru as permanent chairman and Kumaran Asan as general secretary. Dr Palpu’s efforts, through the Ezhava Memorial and Malayali Memorial, must be acknowledged in its formation.

What Did Narayana Guru Teach?

Sree Narayana Guru held all religions to be the same and condemned animal sacrifice, besides speaking against divisions of caste, race or creed. On the wall of the Aruvippuram temple he had inscribed a message that, free from the dividing walls of caste, race or hatred of a rival faith, all live there in brotherhood. He urged the Ezhavas to leave toddy tapping and even to stop drinking liquor. His slogan of one religion, one caste, one God for mankind was changed by his disciple Sahodaran Ayyappan to no religion, no caste, no God for mankind, as noted in Struggle Against Caste-Based Exploitation.

The movement as a whole brought transformative structural changes: upward social mobility, a shift in the traditional distribution of power, and a federation of backward castes into a large conglomeration.

What Was the Vokkaliga Sangha?

The Vokkaliga Sangha in Mysore launched an anti-brahmin movement in 1905.

What Was the Justice Movement?

The Justice Movement in the Madras Presidency was started by C.N. Mudaliar, T.M. Nair and P. Tyagaraja to secure jobs and representation for non-brahmins in the legislature. In 1917 the Madras Presidency Association was formed, which demanded separate representation for the lower castes in the legislature. The non-brahmin movement in the south, as the chapter notes, was also encouraged by the Maharaja of Kolhapur in the 1900s and was joined by the Kammas, Reddis, Vellalas and Muslims, a development linked to Satyashodhak Samaj and Jyotirao Phule.

What Was the Self-Respect Movement?

The Self-Respect Movement was started by E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker, a Balija Naidu, in the mid-1920s. It aimed at nothing short of a rejection of the brahminical religion and culture, which Naicker felt was the prime instrument of exploitation of the lower castes. He sought to undermine the position of brahmin priests by formalising weddings without brahmin priests.

As an analytical point, the four movements had one shared enemy, brahmin dominance in religion, jobs and politics, but different methods. The SNDP worked through temples, schools and economic uplift, the Justice Movement through legislatures and jobs, and the Self-Respect Movement through a cultural break with brahminical ritual. The demand for temple entry that grew from these movements is taken up in Temple Entry Movement and the Indian Social Conference.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Direct facts SNDP founder, year, Aruvippuram and Self-Respect Movement are common in Prelims
• Regional movements They show anti-caste action in South India
• Link to politics They led to demands for representation

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the temple entry movement and the Indian Social Conference. Next topic: Temple Entry Movement and the Indian Social Conference.

Key People and Terms

• SNDP Sree Narayana Guru Dharma Paripalana Yogam
• Ezhavas The toddy-tapper caste of Kerala that Narayana Guru led
• Aruvippuram The place where Narayana Guru installed a Sivalinga in 1888
• Justice Movement The Madras movement for non-brahmin jobs and representation
• Self-Respect Movement The 1920s movement of E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker
• Non-brahmin movement The wider movement against brahmin dominance

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions ask about South Indian anti-caste movements. These points add depth.

• Ritual rights Narayana Guru showed that consecration was not a higher-caste monopoly
• Representation The Justice Movement sought jobs and seats
• Cultural break Naicker rejected brahminical religion