A staunch follower of Periyar EVR's ideology on feminism, Arokiyasamy, who passed away on Saturday, had tagged his wife's name 'Parimalam' with his and had been called ' Parimala Manalan Arokiyasamy' ever since the day when he took to writing.
wife Nagammal and his younger sister Kannammal lived today and picketed the TASMAC outlets, as how they had done at the toddy shops after an order from Mahatma Gandhi, they too might have been slapped by a senior police officer for their 'irreverent' act against the 'divine' drink.
“While Periyar was in the Congress movement, he involved his wife Nagammal and his younger sister Kannammal in Gandhiji's non-cooperative movement to bring a total ban on alcohol. And this incident in the history of freedom struggle portrays the atheist cum feminist's wish to bring women to public life “once said Parimala Manalan Arokiyasamy, who passed away this morning after a brief illness in Coimbatore.
The scholar who edited the book 'Periyar – Indrum, Endrum (Periyar - today and forever), an omnibus edition of the rationalist leader's selected writings, will be remembered forever for his life and mission.
“Nagammal and Kannammal played a key role in the anti-liquor stir of those days, and there have been no reports of the two women getting beaten up by police. What's more, even in the salt satyagraha, the British cops did not exercise violence on women. But a police officer slapped a woman protestor in an anti-liquor stir at Samalapuram in Tirupur district a few years ago. The barbaric act reflected only a society, which is devoid of culture” he recalled an incident that hit the headlines of the media once.
A well-read man in the moral pieces of Tamil literature, he would share:
“Despite great developments in science and technology, the present-day society lacks in moral values. With Tamil being rich in didactic pieces of literature, edifying works like Thirukural and Naladiyar need to be taught to the modern-day cops to make them understand what humanity is”
A retired postmaster from the Central Post Office and a staunch follower of Periyar EVR's ideology on feminism, Arokiyasamy tagged his wife's name 'Parimalam' with his, and has been called ' Parimala Manalan Arokiyasamy' ever since the day when he took to writing.
'Parimalam', as he is shortly mentioned by the intellectuals of Coimbatore, would point out:
“Periyar EVR is incorrectly understood as a mere atheist and materialist. And most of us have failed to know him a great humanist, whose atheism is based on humanism.”
As a student in the Government Arts College, Coimbatore in the early 1970s, Parimalam, with his college mates, met Periyar when the leader came to meet his friend and popular scientist G.D.Naidu in the city.
“As we entered the G.D Naidu Hall, Periyar stood up in respect and welcomed us. In course of his conversation, he advised us to concentrate only on our academic studies and not get deviated from the path of progress” he would reminisce.
However, in the following year, Parimalam experienced a rare coincidence in his life:
“After my graduation, I felt the compulsion of taking up a job. And I received the appointment order from the Department of Posts on December 24, 1973 - the very day Periyar breathed his last! And the agony caused by the great man's demise did not allow me to share my joy of getting the government job with anyone “
Periyar – Indrum, Endrum – In a nutshell