Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 6 (ANI): DMK Spokesperson Saravanan has called the unveiling of social reformer E V Ramasamy Periyar's portrait at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin 'a great tribute' to a person whose struggles and ideals helped Tamil Nadu to make great progress in various sectors.

'Periyar is somebody who has brought in the rational movement, which has ensured that Tamil Nadu is one of the top states in the country and that Tamil Nadu is a place where we give importance to self-respect, social justice, women's rights,' Saravanan told ANI.

He said Chief Minister Stalin implemented several policies and programmes to realise the ideals espoused by Periyar.

'It is the state of Tamil Nadu and the DMK party that followed the footsteps of Periyar. What great tribute than the fact that it has been opened by our leader, the Chief Minister M. K. Stalin. He is an embodiment of this true spirit of Periyar's teachings. The schemes brought in by the government ensure that all his visionary ideas are put into practice. The priest from any community, anybody from any community can become a priest, and they can go into the sanctum sanctorum,' he said.

In a ceremony marking the centenary of the Self-Respect Movement, CM Stalin unveiled a portrait of social reformer E V Ramasamy Periyar, widely hailed as the 'Prophet of Rationalism,' at the University of Oxford on Thursday.

'It is a lifetime honour to unveil the portrait of Father Periyar at Oxford University - an institution synonymous with knowledge, human rights, and dignity. This unveiling is proof that Periyar's rationalist light now shines across the world, beyond the borders of Tamil Nadu,' Stalin had said in his address.

The event, jointly organised by St. Antony's College and Balliol College of Oxford, was attended by leading scholars, including Professor Faisal Devji, Professor James Mallinson, and researcher Pramila Bester, alongside Tamil Nadu Industries Minister T R B Raja.

Stalin recalled that nearly 40 years earlier, in 1983, Periyar's centenary was celebrated at Oxford by Dravidar Kazhagam President K. Veeramani, and said it was deeply moving to see Periyar once again honoured on the global stage.

Explaining the essence of Periyar's philosophy, Stalin said, 'If someone asks what Periyarism means, we must introduce them to its foundations - self-respect, rationalism, social justice, gender equality, fraternity, scientific temper, secular politics, women's emancipation, and human dignity.' (ANI)