Education, economic progress will reduce caste and religious divisions, says VIT Chancellor

The founder and chancellor of Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), G. Viswanathan, on Wednesday said that education progress and economic development will help to diminish caste and religious divisions in the country.

In his presidential address at the annual memorial lecture in honour of Dravidian stalwarts ‘Periyar’ E.V. Ramasamy and former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai, jointly organised by Navalar-Sezhiyan Foundation and Pavendar Bharathidasan Tamil Literary Forum at VIT campus in Vellore, he said that Tamil Nadu is an excellent example where steady growth in education and economic activity has gradually reduced divisions created on the lines of caste and religions to a large extent.

“Despite a smaller population of 80 million, Tamil Nadu has a per capita income of $5,400 as against Bihar ($ 810) and U.P (1,500) that have a population of 130 million and 240 million. It clearly exemplifies that education and economic progress will help to break caste and religious barriers,” he said.

The VIT Chancellor said that great strides by Tamil Nadu in education and economy were made possible since independence only after the emergence of the Dravidian movement that was spearheaded by its leaders like Periyar and Annadurai. Early Dravidian leaders constantly fought for the rights of Tamil Nadu. They also consistently upheld the primacy of Tamil language and its culture, he said.

Reiterating the rationale to split ‘Periyar’ Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) to form Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 1949 by Annadurai, MDMK leader Vaiko said that despite forming DMK as a political party, Annadurai always adhered to the principles and ideology of Dravidar Kazhagam. The two – DMK and DK – acted as double-barrel guns in terms of highlighting rights of Tamil people at the national-level, he said.

On the occasion, K. Veeramani, president, Dravidar Kazhagam (DK), Sankar Viswanathan and G.V. Selvam, vice-presidents, VIT, were present.