Explanation

The Self-Respect Movement (1925) was initiated by E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker (Periyar) as a powerful social reform movement in South India aimed at dismantling the rigid caste hierarchy and Brahminical dominance.

The movement sought to create a rational and egalitarian society by challenging:
—caste-based discrimination
—religious orthodoxy and superstition
—social inequalities, especially against women

It emphasized self-respect, dignity, and equal rights for marginalized communities and promoted women’s empowerment and rational thinking.

Over time, it became the ideological base of the broader Dravidian Movement in Tamil Nadu.

Thus, the Self-Respect Movement was initiated by E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker.