How Self-respect Marriages In Tamil Nadu Are Fostering Dravidian Movement!

‘Self-respect marriages,’ introduced by Dravidian thinker E.V. Ramasamy Periyar, remain a powerful tool of social and political transformation even a century later. Rooted in the Self-Respect Movement of the 1920s, these ceremonies reject priests, Vedic rituals, Sanskrit mantras, caste purity and patriarchal customs, instead placing consent, equality, and dignity at their core. Today, 1,000–1,500 such marriages take place annually at Periyar Thidal—the Chennai complex that houses his resting place, library, research centre, bookshop and the Viduthalai press. At its centre stands Periyar’s unadorned black-stone statue, free from rituals or restrictions, surrounded by stone-engraved quotes and a garden shaded by the mango tree planted by former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai, symbolising the living legacy of the Dravidian movement.

Updated on: 2 December 2025 4:43 pm

Suyamariyathai (self-respect) marriages were pioneered by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy

In Tamil Nadu, Periyar’s self-respect marriage movement lives far beyond echo chambers. Since 1974, the Self-Respect Marriage Bureau has helped couples opting for arranged self-respect marriages, guiding them through a simple, accessible enrolment process with this application form. | Photo: Indira Kumar

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suyamariyathai-self respect marriage-Tamil Nadu

In 2024, Sukumaar and Elakkiya chose a self-respect marriage in Salem, Tamil Nadu—exchanging vows without a priest, rituals or a Tali (Mangalsutra). Inspired by Periyar’s movement, their union reflects a growing wave of couples rejecting caste hierarchies and patriarchal traditions, reclaiming love revolutionary ideas. | Photo: Indira Kumar

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At Periyar Thidal in Chennai, stone-carved graffiti immortalise Periyar’s radical Dravidian ideals. Visitors of all ages stop to read these words etched in stone—ideas that continue to provoke, inspire, and ignite social awakening. | Photo: Indira Kumar

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After walking through Periyar Thidal, visitors often stop at the campus bookshop, picking up Periyar statues and books—keepsakes they can carry home as reminders of his ideas. | Photo: Indira Kumar

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Jeyanathan Karunanidhi and his partner, Dr. Yazini PM, at Periyar Thidal — a space where love, longing, and Dravidian ideals come alive through pragmatic politics. The couple chose a self-respect marriage to affirm their relationship, rejecting traditional rituals and embracing egalitarian values. | Photo: Indira Kumar

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Periyar E. V. Ramasamy self respect movement Tamil Nadu

Periyar’s statue at Periyar Thidal in Chennai stands ungarlanded, not worshipped but embraced — a site where people offer not ritual devotion but affection, gratitude, and often, quiet tears. | Photo: Indira Kumar

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In 1991, Isai Inban, 63, and P. Senthil Kumari sealed their self-respect marriage while in police detention during a protest. Activist elders offered their own rings-engraved with Periyar’s image as a symbolic passing of Dravidian ideals across generations. The couple still wear rings and flaunts it with pride. | Photo: Indira Kumar

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Periyar E. V. Ramasamy-self respect marriage

An advertisement board for the Periyar Matrimony platform promotes unions beyond caste and faith, while also supporting divorcee and widow remarriages. | Photo: Indira Kumar

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Dravidian revolutionary Periyar’s resting place at Periyar Thidal in Chennai. | Photo: Indira Kumar

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A 1928 editorial by Periyar on marriage and consent, published in Revolt magazine. His essays, columns, and writings remain strikingly ahead of their time—bold, radical, and foundational to the self-respect movement. | Photo: Indira Kumar