Moovalur Ramamirtham ( ta, மூவலூர் ராமாமிர்தம்) (1883–1962) was a

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

social reformer, author, and political activist of the Dravidian Movement, who worked for the abolition of the ''Devadasi'' system in the Madras Presidency. Born in Thiruvarur, she was brought up at Moovalur, a village near Mayiladhuthurai.

Life

She was the author of the 1936 novel ''Dasigalin Mosavalai alladhu madhi pettra minor'' (lit. Devadasis' web of deceit or the minor grown wise) which exposed the plight of the Devadasis. Originally a supporter of the nationalist

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

, she became a member of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy's Self-Respect Movement after Periyar left the Congress in 1925. In 1930, she supported

Muthulakshmi Reddi Muthulakshmi Reddy (also spelled Reddi in some British Indian sources; 30 July 1886 – 22 July 1968) was an Indian medical practitioner, social reformer and Padma Bhushan award recipient. Muthulakshmi Reddy was appointed to the Madras Legisl ...

's failed attempt to abolish the Devadasi system in the Presidency through legislation. She took part in the Anti-Hindi agitations of 1937-40 and in November 1938, was jailed for six weeks for participating in the agitations. The public awareness created by her novel and her continuous campaign to abolish the Devadasi system, were instrumental in the passage of the Madras Devadasi (Prevention of Dedication) Act or the Devadasi Abolition Bill, which outlawed the practice in 1947. In 1949, she parted ways with Periyar. She became a supporter of the

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; DMK) is a political party based in the state of Tamil Nadu where it is currently the ruling party having a comfortable majority without coalition support and the union territory of Puducherry where it is curre ...

(DMK), a new party started by Periyar's protégé

C. N. Annadurai Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai (15 September 1909 – 3 February 1969), popularly known as Anna also known as Arignar Anna or Perarignar Anna (''Anna, the scholar'' or ''Elder Brother''), was an Indian Tamil politician who served as the fo ...

. She remained a DMK supporter till her death in 1962. In her memory, the

Government of Tamil Nadu Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, l ...

has instituted the "Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammal Ninaivu Marriage Assistance Scheme," a social welfare scheme to provide financial assistance to poor women.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramamirtham, Moovalur 1883 births 1962 deaths Dravidian movement Tamil activists Tamil-language writers Women in Tamil Nadu politics 20th-century Indian women politicians 20th-century Indian politicians 19th-century Indian women 19th-century Indian people Women writers from Tamil Nadu Indian social reformers Indian women activists Indian National Congress politicians from Tamil Nadu 20th-century Indian women writers 20th-century Indian writers Indian women's rights activists Activists from Tamil Nadu