E V R Periyar’s book of poems now in Hindi

New Delhi, July 23: Two books by rationalist and social reformer E V Ramasamy Periyar are now available for readers in Hindi, publisher Rajkamal Prakashan group said.

The books, Dharm aur Vishwadrishti and Sachchi Ramayan , originally written in Tamil, are among the first publications by the group after the coronavirus induced lockdown in March.

The people of north India are unfamiliar with the diverse dimensions of Periyar's intellectual contribution to the changes the great social revolutionary and philosopher brought in the political structure of social balance in a large part of the country. This is strange to hear, but true, the publisher said in a statement.

Today we need the original thought of Periyar with which he wrote about issues like the institution of marriage, the freedom of women, the importance and use of literature, the weaknesses of Indian Marxism, the real intention and hypocrisy of Gandhism and Liberalism etc, it said.

Rajkamal Prakashan group said it would be publishing two books every 10 days as it resumed publication after the pandemic.

During the pandemic, it added more than 100 e-books in its collection, while also engaging readers through its unique initiative on WhatsApp, where it continues to send reading materials, including stories and excerpts from classics, to over 30,000 phone numbers.

Stressing that the pandemic has given people time to read and re-read books, Rajkamal Prakashan group chairman Ashok Maheshwari said it was a matter of concern for the entire Hindi region that ideas of social thinkers like Periyar were rarely read in Hindi.

Our plan for a long time was to collect his thoughts and publish them in one place in the form of a book. His works will be a guiding light for us today. It will be a happy experience to be able to read Periyar's thoughts in our language, Maheshwari added.

Dharm aur Vishwadrishti (Religion and Worldview) and Sachchi Ramayan (Ramayan: True Reading) are now available for order at online stores and stands, the group said.