Sunday 29th March 2026: Dravidian Politics and Secular Ethos in India

Vignesh Rajahmani & Karthick Ram Manoharan   This public conversation brings together Vignesh Rajahmani (The Dravidian Pathway) and Karthick Ram Manoharan (Periyar: A Study in Political Atheism, co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to Periyar) to explore how the Dravidian movement reshaped the meaning and practice of secular politics in India. From Periyar’s radical anti-caste and rationalist critique of religion to the DMK’s transformation of social reform into a durable political project, the discussion will examine how secularism can function as a mass political ethos grounded in social justice, dignity, and democratic mobilisation. Vignesh Rajahmani is a researcher affiliated with King's College London and KITLV-Leiden, specialising in Indian and Indonesian politics, with a PhD from King’s College London. His work spans public policy, political strategy, and democratic development. Karthick Ram Manoharan is the Smuts Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge, whose work focuses on political thought, including Periyar’s legacy and political atheism. All welcome - admission free. Tea & biscuits. Donations welcome - £5 suggested to cover  costs.