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Mr. K. Veeramani, fondly
called "The Leader of the Tamils, is an ardent follower
and trusted disciple of Thanthai Periyar E.V. Ramasami,
the founder-leader of Dravidar Kazhagam, which is
a social organization that ushered a revolutionary
era in Tamilnadu in the twentieth century. After
the demise of the great leader E.V.R and his wife
Maniammai the mantle fell on the shoulders of K.
Veeramani to perpetuate the ideals of Periyarism
as a committed crusader of Social Justice, a sustained
slayer of superstitious beliefs and practices, a
charismatic care-taker of Kazhagam families, an erudite
editor of a daily (Viduthalai) and two periodicals
(Unmai and The Modern Rationalist), an enviable author
of around fifty books to his credit including encyclopedic
compilations of Thanthai Periyar’s speeches and
writings, a founder, director and patron of more
than forty educational and charitable institutions
all rolled into one.
This herculean personality
was born in a humble family in Cuddalore, South Arcot
District, Tamilnadu on 2nd December, 1933. He had his
primary education at Cuddalore and entered Annamalai
University for higher education. He obtained his
master’s degree in Economics in 1956 with a Gold
Medal for his unique achievement of being the top
scorer. He had his Bachelor of Law degree from Madras
University in 1960. He was a renowned speaker in
his college days and bagged many an award for his
oratorical skill in different inter-collegiate competitions.
He married one Mohana outside his caste in 1958 and
has two sons and two daughters.
But for a short-spell of
one year as a practising lawyer at Cuddalore, he has
been a social worker throughout. The floating star was
gravitated into the galaxy of the mighty Star Periyar
as early as in 1956 itself. He assisted Periyar in
editing Viduthalai, the rationalist daily of Dravidar
Kazhagam and took active participation in all the
social campaigns and agitations launched by Periyar.
In 1962 he was made the Executive Editor of Viduthalai
and since 1978 onwards he has been the Editor. His
association with Viduthalai has become so intimate
that the inner circle refers to him as The Editor
even to-day.
Mr.Veeramani started his
mass contact even as a boy of 9 when he used to address
the public from the party platforms. He has been
maintaining this contact till day ranging from select
indoor gatherings to mass rallies. There is not a
day he is off from his contact with people ranging
from the man in the street to the one on the high
pedestal.
This local jailbird who
was incarcerated for more than forty times for
championing the cause of the depressed sections of
society has expended his horizon by his frequent visits
to foreign lands such as the USA, Canada, the U.K.
Denmark, the USSR, Japan, Hongkong, Malaysia, Singapore,
etc., in the cause of human progress based on
rationalism and social justice. This tireless social
worker round the clock may live long to fulfil the
wishes of Thanthai Periyar, the luminous visionary
of a brave new world that is bound to emerge in the
third millennium A.D. |
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