Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The Self-Respect Movement (Suyamariyadhai Iyakkam) was a radical social reform movement launched in Tamil Nadu in 1925.
It aimed to achieve a caste-free society and empower the "Backward Castes" by rejecting what it saw as Brahminical religious and social dominance.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
E.V. Ramasamy, known as Periyar, founded the movement after leaving the Congress party because he felt it was too focused on political freedom without addressing social inequality (specifically the caste system).
Key features of the Self-Respect Movement included:
1. Promotion of "Rationalism" and the rejection of superstitious religious practices.
2. Advocacy for "Self-Respect Marriages" where no priest was present and the bride and groom were equal.
3. Strong focus on women's rights, including birth control and property rights.
4. Opposition to the Hindi language being imposed on South India.
Periyar’s work eventually led to the formation of the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK), which is the ideological parent of today's major Tamil Nadu political parties.
Other figures:
(A) C. Rajagopalachari: A leading statesman and intellectual from the Congress; he often clashed with Periyar on matters of religion and policy.
(C) Annie Besant: A British Theosophist who led the Home Rule Movement; she did not lead anti-caste social reform movements.
(D) Jyotiba Phule: A major 19th-century reformer in Maharashtra who founded the Satyashodhak Samaj. While he fought for similar causes, he was not the founder of the Self-Respect Movement in South India.
Step 3: Final Answer:
Periyar E.V. Ramasamy founded the Self-Respect Movement to challenge the caste hierarchy and promote rationalism in South Indian society.
Thus, option (B) is the correct answer.