Blackshirts (India)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blackshirts are members of the anti-religious, atheist quasi-political organization Dravidar Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu, founded by "Periyar" E V Ramasamy.[1] Periyar was an anti-casteism activist, who showed his anger at the British for leaving India without solving casteism first, using black flags and shirts as symbols of his movement.[2] Periyar wanted to uproot caste sentiments and superstitions prevalent in Tamil society. He chose the black shirt as the symbol of the Dravidian movement.[3] This has its origins in the banning of black flags as a protest tool in Tamil Nadu. To circumvent this ban, members wore black shirts. Black shirts and black flags were also seen as a symbol of anarchy in southern India especially in Tamil Nadu during the early 20th century.[4]
