The document discusses the categorization and naming of castes and social groups in colonial India and Tamil Nadu. It describes how the British colonial government categorized Indians according to family, religion, caste and village in censuses starting in 1871. In 1916 and 1917, certain social groups including aboriginal tribes, untouchables and criminal tribes were officially defined and listed as "depressed classes". This and other terms like "Panchama" were criticized by Tamil intellectuals as attempts to humiliate and oppress people. Alternative terms like "Adi-Tamilar", "Sathipedamatra Dravidan", and "Adi-Dravida" were proposed and eventually became commonly used references for Dalits

1. J Balasubramaniam
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Journalism and Science Communication

2.  As Stuart Hall says “identity as a ‘production’
which is never complete, always in
process, and always constituted within, not
outside, representation.”

3.  In India the process of objectifying people
started during the colonial period through the
decennial census in 1871.
 British colonial government categorized the
natives according to their
family, religion, caste, village etc; but it
affected a lot in Indians’ social life.

4.  In the year 1916, the Indian Legislative Council
defined the “depressed classes” should include
a) criminal and wandering tribes b) aboriginal
tribes and c) untouchables.
 in 1917, Sir Henry Sharp, Educational
Commissioner of the government of
India, prepared a list of depressed classes in
which the following social groups were included
a) aboriginal or hill tribes b) depressed classes
and c) criminal tribes.

5.  Pandit Iyothee Thass vigorously criticized the
term Depressed Classes in his Tamilan
weekly. he writes that “those who are really
concerned about to improve the position of
the poor people and reform the society will
never coin the term depressed classes. This is
nothing but one of the strategies to humiliate
and suppress the people by calling them as
depressed classes.” (Tamilian, 24 May 1911).

6.  M.C. Rajah criticized the term Panchama by
saying that “everyone knows very well that
there are only four varnas in the hindu
religion, creating fifth varna of Panchama is
nothing but to humiliate these people

7.  Iyothee Thass coined ‘Sathipedamatra
Dravidan’ (Non-Caste Dravidian) and Adi-
Tamilar (Native Tamil).
 M.C. Rajah supported the term Adi-Dravidan.

8.  The Madras Local Boards and Madras
Districts Municipalities Acts, 1920 prescribed
the term Adi-Dravida to be followed to
mention certain castes.
 In 15 March 1922 the same Act was passed in
the Madras Legislative Council.

9.  M.C.Rajah says that the “these people felt
that they must have a name which refer to
the first citizen of the South India. In 1895
these people selected the name Adi-Dravida
in order to differentiate themselves from the
sudras who called themselves as Dravdians.
He also gave the meaning for Adi as pure and
unadulterated”.

10.  Dalits compose 45% of total Tamils migrants
to. Sri Lanka.
 Colombo and Butler-English, emerged as a
new political class among the Adi-Dravidas.

11.  The monthly Adi-Dravidan was founded in
March 1919.
 In 19th century Dravida Mitran (1885), Dravida
Pandian (1885)
 But in the early 20th century their journals
were named as Madras Adi-
Dravidan(1919), Adi-Dravidan (1919), Adi-
Dravida Pathukavalan (1927) Adi-Dravida
Mitran (1936).

12.  As the media offer resources for the
construction of the self, in history Dalit
intellectuals offered resources through print
for the construction of Adi-Dravida identity.