Marie Curie Research Fellow Karthick Ram Manoharan’s book Periyar: A Study in Political Atheism (Orient BlackSwan 2022) was launched in Chennai at the Roja Muthiah Research Library on 4 June 2022. Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Member of Parliament from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, released the book.
Sundar Ganesan from the RMRL gave the welcome address and introduced the speakers. Salem Dharanidharan from the Dravidian Professionals Forum spoke about the forum and the achievements of Dravidian politics. The event began with the screening of Vilasini Ramani’s short film The Icon and the Iconoclast. This was followed by a roundtable discussion with the Honorable Minister, the author and Prof. Meena Dhanda, which was chaired by A.S. Panneerselvan from the RMRL. An interactive Q & A session followed.
The event concluded with a keynote address from Kanimozhi Karunanidhi. In her address, she congratulated Manoharan for his research on Periyar, and spoke about the relevance of Periyar for contemporary Indian politics and secularism, emphasizing the need for free and critical debate.
The Periyar Project 
Hearty congratulations on the book launch! Just ordered my copy.
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