Annai E. V. R. Maniammai

Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy Maniammai (10 March 1917 – 16 March 1978), commonly known as Annai, was an Indian social activist and politician. She was the second wife of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, whom she married when she was 31 years old and he was 72 years old. She succeeded him as the president of the Dravidar Kazhagam upon his death in 1973.

E. V. R. Maniammai
President of Dravidar Kazhagam
In office
25 December 1973 – 16 March 1978
Preceded byPeriyar E. V. Ramasamy
Succeeded byK. Veeramani
Personal details
Born(1917-03-10)10 March 1917
Vellore, Madras Presidency, British India
(present-day Tamil Nadu, India)
Died16 March 1978(1978-03-16) (aged 58)
Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
Resting placePeriyar Ninaividam
Political partyDravidar Kazhagam
Spouse(s)
Occupation
  • Activist
  • politician
  • social reformer

Biography

Maniammai was born as Gandhimathi to Kanagasabai Mudaliar, who was a member of the Justice Party.[1][2] Soon after her father's death, she joined the Dravidar Kazhagam founded by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy in 1942–43. Sources close to Periyar had indicated that Maniyammai, being a woman, could not be named his heir. So he took to the recourse of marrying her so that she could become his legal heir.[3] His marriage with a much younger Maniammai and his appointment of her as his successor shocked many of his party leaders.[4][5]

Early life

Maniyammaiyar was born on March 10, 1917. Her parents had great faith in the Dravidian principles and spread the ideals of self respect in their area and lived according to them. Her father ran a firewood shop with firewood that he purchased in bulk from Bangalore.

Maniyammaiyar wrote about her family, "Though not very rich, we had enough of money of a middle class not knowing the hardships of what poverty was and not expecting anyone's help. It is only because of my upbringing in the firm conviction of Periyar's principles that I chose the ways of Periyar as my lifetime vocation. There was nothing else."

References
  1. 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. "The September which split Dravidians: Periyar weds Maniyammai, DMK is born".
  4. Balkrishna Vithal Bhosale (2004). Mobilisation of Backward Communities in India. Deep & Deep. p. 222. ISBN 978-81-7629-588-8.
  5. Phil Zuckerman (2009). Atheism and Secularity [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-313-35182-2.


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