Periyar Vision OTT platform was launched by Dravidar Kazhagam, a social organisation founded by Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, on Sunday in the presence of Thoothukudi MP and DMK leader, K. Kanimozhi, actor Sathyaraj, artist Trotsky Marudhu, Kali Poongundran and DK president, K. Veeramani, at Periyar Thidal in Chennai.
The OTT platform features content on various superstitions associated with religion, interviews with prominent political party leaders, on rationalism, films, short films, documentaries and other programmes aimed at further disseminating Periyar’s ideology of self-respect and social justice to a wider audience.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said that the launch of the Periyar Vision OTT platform would address the needs of today’s times, adding that the Dravidian movement had consistently been at the forefront of using various media and artistic forms to disseminate Thanthai Periyar’s principles across the world.
“In an era marked by significant advancements in science and technology and the proliferation of social media, Periyar Vision OTT is being launched as the world’s first OTT platform dedicated to social justice, aimed at reaching young people with Thanthai Periyar’s principles. I believe this will be the first OTT platform in the world launched for a cause,” he said.
Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi said that he had spoken about many issues including the fact that every woman was under pressure to learn to cook and not to have an ambition. “Even today, these beliefs are difficult to break. But, Thanthai Periyar had already spoken about women choosing to break all obstacles that came in the way of achieving their ambition. He was the only leader who put forward his feminist ideas without any ifs and buts. He lived and died as an iconoclast,” she said.
Ms. Kanimozhi said that technology was being used to spread hate and disseminate superstitions. “In such a situation, I am happy that we have taken the same technology (to spread ideas of social justice, self-respect and rationalism). Tamils don’t tell our kids our past – where were we, where have we come from, what we should protect. So, today, we have a situation wherein our kids are talking against reservation, importance of merit, and that existence of caste certificates was responsible for continued existence of caste. Today, even North Indians who didn’t know about Periyar are holding his picture while protesting. I urge the BJP to continue to oppose us so that we can sow the seeds of our ideology in the next generation,” she said.
Dravidar Kazhagam president K. Veeramani recalled instances when Periyar would marvel at technological advances made by the society and often berated why we could not invent things like they did in the West. “Periyar is needed even today. He is not just a single person – Periyar means self-respect and rationalism. He was a great humanitarian who said that the society had destroyed women by not allowing them education,” he said.
