Periyar, you preached reason and self-respect,
You fought caste, oppression, and Brahminical dominance.
You challenged the sacred scriptures, the rituals of the oppressors,
You raised your voice for the Dravidian land and its people.

Your movement shook the foundations of orthodoxy,
You brought dignity to the oppressed, the marginalised.
You stood for women's rights, for equality and justice,
Your ideas ignited hope in countless hearts.

You saw the exploitation of non-Brahmin South Indians,
You understood the threat of Indo-Aryan dominance.
You sought to free your people from spiritual and social chains,
You envisioned a society based on rational thought.
But Periyar, what has become of your dream?
Your followers wear your image like a trophy,
They worship temples you once destroyed,
They cling to rituals you fought to abolish.

They carry the spiritual chains you opposed,
They bow before the twice-born, the caste hierarchy you condemned.
They take dowry, oppress women, follow the scriptures you rejected,
Your ideals seem distant from their daily lives.

Your rationalism, your self-respect,
Are now overshadowed by hypocrisy and false reverence.
Your Dravidian movement, once a beacon of change,
Has turned into a tool of division and cruelty.

Your people, who once fought for dignity,
Now commit the very injustices you fought against.
They treat untouchables as carcasses, as less than human,
Despite your message that all beings deserve respect.

Your philosophy was rooted in unconditional self-worth,
In valuing oneself beyond societal labels.
It was about setting boundaries, demanding fairness,
And recognising the worth of every individual.

Periyar, your rationalism was a revolution.
It was a call to see beyond illusions and myths.
It was about human dignity, about equality,
About breaking free from mental slavery.

But today, your legacy seems eroded.
Your followers, in their actions, betray your ideals.
They uphold caste, superstition, and tradition,
In the name of culture, they oppress and divide.

Your spirit of atheism and rational thought
Remains a guiding light.
Long live your philosophy of self-respect,
Long live the ideas you fought to promote.

Your movement was a cry for liberation,
A challenge to the oppressive order.
Let your true message be heard again-
A call to see humanity beyond skin and caste.

Periyar, the light you ignited
Must burn brighter to dispel the darkness of hypocrisy.
Your vision was of equality, of dignity for all,
And that vision still calls us to act.