Maniammai

Amma
Maniammai
Born (1917-03-10)10 March 1917[1]
Vellore, Madras Presidency, British India
Died 16 March 1978(1978-03-16) (aged 61)[1]
Spouse(s) Periyar E. V. Ramasamy (m. 1949; d. 1973)

Maniammai (10 March 1917 – 16 March 1978) was an activist and rationalist leader from Tamil Nadu. She was also the life partner of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, and succeeded him as the leader of the Dravidar Kazhagam upon his death in 1973. She is considered the first woman political leader from the state.

Biography

Maniammai was born as Gandhimathi to Kanagasabai Mudaliar who was a party member of the Justice Party.[2] Soon after her father's death, she joined the Dravidar Kazhagam, founded by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy in 1942–43. Periyar's marriage with a much younger Maniammai and his appointment of her as his successor shocked many of his party leaders.[3] Periyar's disciple C. N. Annadurai stated that Periyar had set a bad example by marrying a much younger woman. He formed a new party called Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 S. Muthiah (2008). Madras, Chennai: A 400-year Record of the First City of Modern India. Palaniappa Brothers. p. 413. ISBN 978-81-8379-468-8.
  2. ↑ Nalankilli, Thanjai. "Periyar Drops a Bombshell". Tamil tribune. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  3. ↑ Balkrishna Vithal Bhosale (2004). Mobilisation of Backward Communities in India. Deep & Deep. p. 222. ISBN 978-81-7629-588-8.
  4. ↑ Phil Zuckerman (2009). Atheism and Secularity [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-313-35182-2.


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