Sociopolitical Movements of a Century in Tamil Nadu

Sociopolitical Movements of a Century in Tamil Nadu spans a century of sociopolitical struggles—protests, rebellions, agitations, revolutions, and movements—that took place in Tamil Nadu from 1921 to 2020. In an attempt to unearth the historical truths buried by the dominant ideologies, Dr Suba. Veerapandian has employed a sagacious combination of the subaltern and postmodern approaches to history in analysing the struggles to uplift the socially, linguistically, culturally and politically marginalized people of Tamil Nadu. Subavee’s subtlety laced with sarcasm engrosses the readers, making the book a gripping narrative of the sociopolitical history of Tamil Nadu. The book celebrates the rich heritage of resistance put forth by leaders such as Periyar EVR, Arignar Anna and Kalaignar Karunanidhi to anarchy and oppression, and links the past to the present, censuring the sociopolitical ideologies that trample societies through cultural hegemony.

Suba. Veerapandian (born 22 April 1951), popularly known as Subavee, is a political activist, writer and orator from Tamil Nadu. He is the illustrious son of renowned Periyarists Rama. Subbaiah and Visalatchi Ammaiyar. He has served as Tutor and Assistant Professor of Tamil in S.I.V.E.T College, Chennai for 21 years. Subavee is the President of Dravida Iyakka Tamizhar Peravai, a political organization that promotes Dravidian, Marxist and Ambedkarite ideals. He is presently a Member of the Advisory Committee of the Tamil Nadu Text Book Society, and Chairperson of the Social Justice Monitoring Committee of Tamil Nadu.

Subavee is a prolific writer who has authored 54 books. Subavee’s speeches and writings are intellectual weapons that attempt to demolish the oppressive constructs built on the marginalized communities; they engage in a verbal warfare to facilitate the creation of a society on the strong pillars of Self-Respect, Social Justice, Rationalism, and Social Equity. Subavee is a distinguished recipient of the coveted Kalaimamani Award of the Government of Tamil Nadu. He has also been honoured with many prestigious awards by various sociopolitical and literary organizations.

R. Qurshid Begum is Associate Professor of English at St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. With a rich teaching experience of English Literature for 20 years, she also serves as one of the Deans of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell of the college. As an academic, Dr Qurshid specializes in Gender Studies and Cultural Studies. She has composed many poems which wait to see the light of the day.