Australia – 4th International Conference on Humanities in Melbourne – Special Perspective – V. Kumaresan (1-4)

Periyar proclaimed the humanitarian need for self-respect

 The Australia-  Periyar Ambedkar Thought Circle and the USA-Periyar International Organization jointly organized the 4th International Conference on Humanities in Melbourne.

Australia – On November 1 & 2, at Glen Eira Town Hall, Caulfield, Victoria, Melbourne, many delegates from many countries around the world – USA, England, France, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Qatar, and India, including Bangalore in Karnataka and several districts of Tamil Nadu – participated and addressed the conference.

The conference programs were organized with the objectives of Humanism-Self Respect-Social Cohesion.

2nd International Conference. 2019-USA

The basis of Father Periyar's philosophy is humanity; this means that all human beings are equal. Periyar emphasized two elements to establish this equality. One is self-respect and the other is reason. These are things that even the common people can easily understand. No human being will agree to lose self-respect. No one can say that reason is irrelevant to them. But Father Periyar had to fight hard to implement these simple principles. A situation arose where he had to form a movement and act. Can't a person who does not want to lose self-respect fully realize his own self-respect and live accordingly? Can't those who feel that reason is theirs show it in their approach and actions? What is the obstacle to this? Father Periyar tried to destroy it. No matter how great a force it is considered to be to oppose it, Periyar developed the courage to oppose it.

3rd International Conference, 2022-Canada

The origin of Father Periyar's ideology, author Ki. Veeramani would often point out. Opposing God was not the ideology of Periyar's movement; the doctrine of God, rituals, and worship – all of these are great obstacles to bringing equality among humans. Therefore, belief in them must be eliminated. Many revolutionaries who tried to bring about social reform did not come forward to deny God, who taught high and low status in society. Therefore, the reforms they worked hard for have dissolved over time. Science is the only way to eliminate disease and destroy the germs that cause disease. Therefore, Periyar continued to campaign to destroy belief in God. He made the slogan "There is no God..." the working slogan of his movement. Human beings developing themselves based on rationality will lead to equality. The clarity of rationality is that there is no God. Rationality is a natural gift to every human being. Rationality is the absence of God. This is an approach to human equality. The success of Periyar's philosophy is that the Periyar movement is identified as those who say 'there is no God' in the rational approach they adopt. Humanism is being emphasized in many countries in many ways to achieve human equality. Humans should first strive to live as humans. In Western countries, the dominance of religions against that humanity existed during the medieval age. The clergy oppressed the political rulers. Politics was taken away from the dominance of religion and humanity was emphasized. This is indicated by the only secular humanism in the Western countries.

4th International Conference, 2025-Australia

But, in our land, religion had a dominant hold in creating a state of humiliation for humans; even today, that state has not been completely eradicated. To remove the humiliation imposed on humans, it is the natural duty of every human being to wipe out the 'God theory' that caused the humiliation and to adopt a rational approach with a sense of self-respect. Father Periyar emphasized self-respect and humanity to bring about that normal state. It was the Tamil leader who conveyed it to the people who did not know Tamil through the term Self-Respective Humanism.

The Self-Respect Movement, which was started in 1925, has been going strong for a century. In his explanatory speech to the question 'Why was the Self-Respect Movement founded?', Father Periyar said - The Self-Respect Movement that has been started today is operating in a small area. The future activities of the movement will not stop at this extent. The principles of self-respect and rationality should spread throughout the world. Self-respect and rationality belong only to humans. The Self-Respect Movement has the potential to spread and benefit wherever humans live. He explained that if people in every country fully realize the feeling of self-respect and adopt a rational approach in their lives, there will be a chance for equality in human society. In implementing this vision of Father Periyar, the Tamil leader and author 'Periyar Ulaga Mayam; With the slogan 'Globalise Periyar Mission' (Periyarize the Globe), he is traveling around the world to various countries and spreading the principles of Father Periyar. As an approach to the work of globalizing Periyar, he is working hard to organize the 'Periyar International Conference' in many countries. He is starting the groundwork to hold the Periyar International Conference every two years and coordinating accordingly.

Conferences held so far

All conferences were held under the coordination of the US-Periyar International Organization. The Periyar Self-Respect Movement International Conference was held in Cologne, Germany, for three days (27, 28 & 29 July 2017) in September 2017 at the University of Cologne. It was organized by the US Periyar International Center in collaboration with the University of Cologne, Germany. Various humanities scholars, activists and organization members from many countries of the world participated.

In 2019, the second international conference was held in Springfield, Maryland, USA on 21 & 22 September 2019. The aim of the conference was to promote self-respect and humanity. The conference was organized by the Periyar International Center and the American Humanist Association. Representatives of the American people, university scholars, and various types of journalists participated in the conference and made the conference memorable.

The next conference, which was supposed to be held every two years, could not be held on time as the world was paralyzed by the Corona pandemic. In 2022, the third international conference was held in Toronto, Canada on September 24 & 25. The conference was jointly organized by the Periyar International Center, along with Canada Humanist and the Canada Chapter of the global organization Centre For Inquiry. At this conference, the Canada Humanist organization presented the Lifetime Achievement Award for the year 2022 to Dravidar Kazhagam leader K. Veeramani, who has been working to spread Periyar's humanitarianism.

The 4th International Humanitarian Conference was held in Melbourne, Australia on November 1 & 2, 2025. It was organized jointly by the Periyar Ambedkar Think Tank Australia and the Periyar International Organizations of America. When the Think Tank called PATCA wanted to organize a humanitarian conference, they had invited Dravidar Kazhagam leader, Professor K. Veeramani, to Australia a few months ago to get advice for the same. Dravidar Kazhagam Propaganda Secretary, Advocate A. Arulmozhi, also went with them. The PATCA organization met and discussed with the leaders there in many cities, and then organized meetings in some cities and addressed them and returned. Based on the advice given by the teacher, the President of the Periyar International Center of America, Dr. Soma. Elangovan, has participated in the programs organized by the PATCA organization through video conferencing for the past four months and shared and coordinated various experiences. The hard work of many people, including PATCA President Dr. Magizhan Annamalai, Vice President Dr. Haroon, General Secretary Sumathi Vijayakumar, Conference Coordinator Arangam Moorthy and comrades Thayumanavar, Ponraj, and Saravanan, was a major reason for the success of the Melbourne Conference. The excellent work of each person in charge was commendable and commendable.

– To be continued

- Liberation Daily, 18.11.25

Australia – 4th International Humanities Conference in Melbourne – Special Perspective Periyar International Melbourne Conference begins (2)

 – V. Kumaresan

Those who wanted to attend the conference in person (mostly from Melbourne) registered themselves on the first day, November 1, at 8:00 a.m. Many people from many countries had registered online over the past 4 months.

Respect for the country's pioneer elders

In Australia, it is customary to begin any public event by paying tribute to those who lived on the continent before the British colonized it. In this way, they also paid tribute to the coming generations of those pioneers and welcomed them. Next, the Australian anthem was played. Next, the language greeting was sung. Everyone stood up and paid their respects.

Dr. Annamalai Magizhannan

Dr. Annamalai Magizhan, President of the Australia-Periyar Ambedkar Thought Circle, welcomed all the delegates, visitors, leaders of many countries, and representatives of the people of Australia participating in the conference and delivered a speech.

A.Iraza at the conference

Inaugural address by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

The recording of the opening speech delivered by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to the Periyar International Conference was broadcast. He expressed his happiness and congratulations on the overseas Periyar International Conference being held in Melbourne, Australia. The congratulatory message of Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin was also broadcast.

Honorable Senator of Australia

The opening address of the conference was delivered by Australian Member of Parliament, New South Wales Senator David Shoebridge.

Keynote speech by Tamil leader

The keynote address of the inaugural program was delivered by Dravidar Kazhagam leader, Editor K. Veeramani, via video link. An excerpt from the editor's speech:

The caste system is the biggest obstacle to social cohesion and integration in our country. Castes have always divided everyone. Only non-discriminatory cohesion can unite everyone. Caste discrimination has prevented that in our country; it continues to prevent it today.

Praise for Arangamurthi

Self-respect is the basis of social cohesion. Our self-respect makes us ask ourselves why we should live as slaves and why we should accept conservative ideas. For a long time, the plight of a few people enslaving the many has been an insoluble problem for us. As a result, the Self-Respect Movement started in 1925 as a result of the tireless efforts of Father Periyar. Babasaheb Dr. Ambedkar welcomed his noble ideals with enthusiasm. They were both people who fought and lived with a common opinion, like two sides of a coin.

Father Periyar – Babasaheb
Ambedkar film unveiling

At the opening ceremony of the conference, portraits of social revolutionaries Father Periyar and Babasaheb Ambedkar, who provided the humanistic philosophy for the conference programs, were unveiled.

The photograph of Father Periyar and the photograph of Babasaheb Ambedkar were unveiled by the Deputy General Secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Union Minister of India, and current Member of Parliament, Hon. A. Raja, and the General Secretary of the Dravida Movement Tamil Federation, Prof. Subha. Veerapandian.

Publication of books by Periyar Self-Respect Campaign Institute

Books published by Periyar's Self-Respect Campaign Institute were released at the conference.

• 'Periyar in Australia' - This is a compilation of the speeches made by Dravidar Kazhagam leader and editor K. Veeramani and campaign secretary A. Arulmozhi at meetings held in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, on their visit to Australia in March 2025 for the preparations and coordination activities of the 4th Periyar International Conference.
• 'Death' – This is a collection of 'medical science articles' written in English by Dr. I. Gauthaman, Director of the Periyar Medical Service Centre, on the question 'What causes death?'

These two books were released at the inaugural function of the conference. Also, the book 'Dravidian Charter – Resolutions to Legislation' compiled in Tamil by Advocate A. Arulmozhi, which contains the resolutions passed in the first three self-respecting provincial conferences held in Tamil Nadu (Chengalpattu, Erode, Virudhunagar)
and 'Dravidian Charter – Resolutions to Legislation' compiled in English, was also released.

Oviya's book 'On Rationalism', written in English, was also published on behalf of the 'New Voice' organization.

Social Justice – Session

After the tea break, the delegates entered the auditorium and sat down.

Dravida Movement Tamil Federation General Secretary and Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Government Social Justice Monitoring Committee, Professor Subha Veerapandian delivered the opening speech of the Social Justice Session. Next, Professor Pallang, Senior Lecturer at the University of Australia, spoke on the topic of 'Cultural Justice in Home made, Amateur and Do it Yourself Creativity'. He briefly explained that justice in culture encompasses areas including personal likes and dislikes.

The Honourable Senator of Australia, Hon. Lee Rohiannon, spoke on the topic of Modern Slavery. He was arrested by the regime for participating in the protest in support of the Tamils ​​of Eelam. Next, Professor Hari Babuji of the University of Melbourne spoke on the topic of “Caste as a Barrier to Global Progress”. He pointed out the plight of those who have studied and left India and are in good positions in many countries, but they are still practicing the caste discrimination prevailing in India in the country they are going to. Although laws against discrimination exist in some countries, caste discrimination is still rampant. This caste discrimination continues to hinder the progress of many countries. Caste discrimination is a global threat. He warned that the respective countries should enact strict laws against this and come forward to eradicate caste discrimination  .

Well-being and Reasoning - Session

The next session began with the theme of Health and Rationalism. The Honourable Dr. Michael Anandaraja, Senator of Australia, delivered the opening address. He is the first Tamil-born Senator to be elected to the Australian Senate. The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Mohammed Haroon Kasim, Vice President of the Periyar Ambedkar Chinthana Taluka, Australia. He was very involved in the organization of the conference.

Next, Dr. Karthik Thangaraj of Australia spoke on the topic of Humanism and Medical Ethics. Through his speech, he eloquently expressed the purpose of the conference as 'Humanism is the combination of rationalism and empathicism'. Then, Dr. I. Gauthaman, Director of Periyar Medical Mission, spoke on the topic of 'Rationalism and Medicines'. He recalled what the doctors who provided medical services to his father Periyar had said. Once, doctors in Thanjavur had invited Periyar to speak at a conference. During his speech, he said, 'It is a widely held truth among people that diseases that occur to humans are punishments given by God. By providing medical treatment to those suffering from diseases and curing them, doctors can be considered as those who are acting against the punishment given by God. I and my movement are known to be working against the 'act of God'. So in that sense, he delivered a humorous and rational speech, addressing us and the doctors as 'against God'.

Speaking at the Melbourne conference, Dr. I. Gauthaman said that even today, if a person gets measles, there are people who refuse proper medical treatment believing that 'Mariatha (punishment) has come'. He pointed out that medical services and medicines are meant for rational use. Next, Dr. R. Gokul Kripa Shankar, who participated from India, spoke on the topic 'Role of Doctors during Distruptive Times'. In times of disruption, rational approach in human activities fades. Doctors are playing a huge role in the work of rescuing people from that state through rational medical services. The next session began after the lunch break.

Humanity and Law – Session

The President of the 'New Voice' organization, Oviya, delivered the opening speech of the session. The main speech of the session was delivered by the Senior Advocate General of the Karnataka State Government and social justice activist, Advocate Dr. Professor Ravi Varmakumar. During his speech, he mentioned that racial discrimination and caste discrimination must be abolished and asked a question to the delegates who were sitting there. He asked in what way caste discrimination is worse than racial discrimination. When no one from the delegates came forward to answer, the State Secretary of the Dravidar Kazhagam Women's Team, Thakur Tamilselvi, who participated as a delegate, stood up and answered.

“Racism does not have the tendency to degrade the oppressed. The uniqueness of casteism is that it tends to degrade the oppressed. Worse than racial discrimination is the stigma attached to casteism,” he said.

Hearing Thakadoor Tamil Selvi's answer, advocate Ravi Varmakumar praised her by saying, 'Very correct.' Thakadoor Tamil Selvi's answer was a testament to the fact that the leaders of the Periyar movement are very correct in their policy clarity.

Next, Dr. Aditya Sondi, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court, delivered a speech on the topic 'Ambedkar in Judgments of the Supreme Court of India: An Authenticity Audit'. He spoke in detail about the way Ambedkar's statements have been highlighted in cases on social justice and social reform.

Next, Dinakaran Cellaiah from Australia spoke on the topic 'Roots of Caste Discrimination in Sanadan Laws'. He explained that Sanadan, which means 'eternal', is the fundamental reason why caste discrimination has persisted in Indian society, and that it is the root cause of caste discrimination persisting on Indian soil for many centuries.

Next, Iniya Prabhu Vasumathi, a law student from Oxford Brookes University, England, spoke on the topic 'An Enquiry into India's Socio-Political Landscape'. It is noteworthy that Tamil leader and editor K. Veeramani had recently released the book at the Anna Centenary Library complex in Chennai, giving a closing speech for her English book on the same topic.

The final speech of the session was delivered by R. Senthilkumar, who had come from Japan, on the topic of 'Human rights violations by dominant men'. Alpha males are leaders and are understanding. At the same time, they knowingly or unknowingly engage in human rights violations in the name of behaving correctly with a dominant attitude. Therefore, no matter how accurately one predicts justice in oneself, the theme of his speech was that it is better to act based on the disclosure of the person concerned.

Humanity and the Media – Session

After the tea break, a session on the topic of 'Humanism and Media' was held. The keynote address of the session was delivered by poet Rajathi Salma, Honorable Member of the Indian Parliament - Rajya Sabha. Next, Singaporean Tamil poet Ma. Anbazhagan spoke on the topic of 'Humanism and Rationalism in Literature'. In his speech, Ranade, who fought for the liberation of Goa and was imprisoned in Portugal, expressed his gratitude to the Pope when Arignar Anna met the Pope in the Vatican City to pave the way for his release after his liberation, and came to Chennai to pay his respects at the memorial of Arignar Anna with tears in his eyes. His (Ma. Anbazhagan) emotional style, which made everyone listen with interest, was appreciated.

Next, Mohit Balagiri, who had come from Qatar, spoke on the topic of 'Periyar Intersectionality'. He elaborated on how the central thread of the various dimensions of Periyar's thoughts is humanity and human equality.

Professor Vikrant Kishore, a Chinese national and a professor at the University of Nottingham, gave a talk on the documentary film titled 'Documentary: Resisting Casteism in Australia', along with an explanation.

The closing remarks of the first day of the conference were presented by the Chairman of the Conference Organizing Committee, Mr. Arangamourthy. The first day of the conference concluded.

– To be continued

- Liberation Daily, 19.11.25

Australia – 4th International Conference on Humanities in Melbourne – Special Perspective ‘Development under Dravidian Model of Governance’ – The idea spread (3) — V. Kumaresan

The second day of the event began at 9:00 a.m. Three keynote speeches were delivered in the open-air session. The first speech was delivered by Suresh Sambandam, Founder and CEO of Kiss Flow.

Development under Dravidian Model Governance
– Special Session

He explained the basic elements of the country's economic development and compared the development status of the Dravidian model regime in Tamil Nadu with the development of other states in the country and the development of many countries. He explained to the audience in an easy-to-understand manner, showing a video recording with statistics, how Tamil Nadu stands out from the development of other regions and how it is doing well.

The next speaker, Karthikeya Sivasenapathy, Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Government’s Neighbourhood Tamil Welfare Board, delivered a speech on a wonderful platform, presenting a 10-minute narrative film – an illustrated film – on the history of the Dravidians – from the time of the outsiders to the present day. The narrative film was created using artificial intelligence technology. Explaining history as visual records was a new approach and gave creative hope that it could reach various levels.

The third speech was delivered by Advocate A. Arulmozhi, the Propaganda Secretary of the Dravidar Kazhagam.

Humanity and reason

After the tea break, the fifth session of the conference began. The topic of the session was – 'Humanism and Rationalism'.

The keynote address was delivered by R. Kannan, Principal Political Officer of the United Nations. Next, Arkesh Gowda, who had served as the Inspector General of Police in the state of Karnataka and had completed his service, spoke on the topic of 'Humanism and Caste Discrimination in India'. The speech highlighted the need for justice to be prior to peace, which made the audience think.

'Humanist Australia'

Next, Mary – Anne Cosgrove, CEO of Humanists Australia, spoke on the topic of 9 Humanist Values. The leaders of the Humanists organization, who were present for both days from the beginning to the end of the conference, were very attentive to the conference programs. After the conference ended, they thanked the conference organizers in person and happily said, “We learned a lot from the way the conference was organized and the programs were run. We will definitely hold our own events.”

Next, S. Kamalakannan, who participated from Tokyo, Japan, spoke on the topic of 'Rationalistic Literature in Tamil and Japanese Language'. Sanghat selected rationalist concepts and practices from Tamil literature and Japanese literature and gave a lively discussion. He explained the literary lines along with visual recordings in a way that was understandable to everyone.

Dr. M. Govindaswamy, the President of the Malaysia Branch of the Periyar International Organization, delivered a speech on the topic of 'Dravidian Movements in Malaysia'. He described the hardships faced by the Tamils ​​who were sent to Malaya by the British in the 19th and 20th centuries to seek livelihood, and how Father Periyar visited Malaya twice (1929 & 1954) to recover from that situation and meet and address them. After that, the great support of the Dravidian movements led to the economic development of the Tamils ​​based on their rights. He also mentioned in his speech that the Dravidian movements have created the foundation for the Tamils ​​to be united with the Malaysian soil and participate in the cabinet of that country today. The conditions in which the Tamils ​​lived at that time were shown in the form of films made it possible to understand the hardships faced by the Tamils.

Next, Dravidar Kazhagam Treasurer V. Kumaresan spoke on the topic 'Periyar, an Organic Intellectual and Philosophy of Self-Respect'. The intellectuals who have paved the way for social revolution are of two types. One type is inorganic intellectuals; the other is organic intellectuals. An 'inorganic intellectual' is someone who has studied in school, college and higher research and is full of knowledge with understanding and understanding, including ideas and news.

An 'informal scholar' is someone who has not received formal education. He or she has acquired knowledge based on the surrounding society, the news they hear, and the events they watch.

Father Periyar did not go to school properly. He did not continue his primary education. He did not have the opportunity to study in college. He learned to read and write through his own efforts. He considered 'social justice as a subject to study'. Due to such a different nature, he should be considered an 'Angaka scholar'. People who are full of organic knowledge will speak very realistically even in expressing opinions and solutions to a social problem. They can be called those who create a clear situation for implementation. For example, talking about women's rights is a progressive nature. If you ask an Anangka scholar about the rights that should be given to women, they will list one or two.

Father Periyar expressed that organic knowledge, when reporters once asked, 'What rights do women want?' Periyar's organic knowledge said: "We don't want any more rights. It is enough to give men the rights they have." What a profound idea Periyar's organic knowledge simply expressed. Moreover, revolutionary scholars who lived in many parts of the world have expressed their opinions on humanity. That humanity has various foundations. But the humanity that Periyar emphasized should be realized and put into practice by realizing self-respect. It is for the journey towards human equality. This is what Tamil leader and teacher K. Veeramani is paving the way to spread all over the world as 'Self-Respective Humanism'. Humanity based on self-respect is an undeniable philosophy for people living in any part of the world.

'Humanities and Psychology' – Session

After lunch, the session titled 'Humanism and Psychology' began. The opening speech of the session was given by Professor Ram. Mahalingam of the University of Michigan, USA. Self-respect, although invisible, is the basic foundation of human well-being. The self-respect movement with that name is developing such self-respect. It is proclaiming its value, he said.

Next, Dr. Senthilkumar, who participated from Leicester, England, presented several scientific explanations on the topic 'Human Brain on Religion, Science and Rationalism'.

Harish Marimuthu, who participated from London, spoke on the topic of 'Rationalism and Happiness Index'. In his speech, he explained that the well-being of a person is in his inner subjective state. The quality of human life is as you experience it. (Well being is your inner subjective state; the quality of life is as you experience it) with many scientific statistics and illustrated explanations.

Next, Ponraj Thangamani, executive committee member of the Periyar Ambedkar Thought Circle, Australia, spoke on the topic “Caste Discrimination in Australia – Lived Experience, Findings”.

Art programs

Children from Tamil families took to the stage and sang Tamil songs with great enthusiasm. They sang the song 'Semmozhiyana Tamilmozhiyam...', which was released on the occasion of the World Classical Language Conference held in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu in 2010, and the songs of Bharathi and Bharathidasan. The way the children sang, the melody they sang, showed that they were singing after a lot of practice.

Amritavarshini & Lydian Nathaswaram Kuralisai Kavyam

Lydian Nathaswaram from Tamil Nadu won the first prize of one million US dollars in a piano competition held in the United States. Her sister Amrithavarshini is also a good singer. Together, they have sung all 1330 verses of Thirukkural with music and published a collection called “Kuralisaik Kaviyam”. The publication of its 3rd volume was organized in Melbourne and they had visited Australia for the event. The conference organizers brought them to the venue and made them play the piano and sing some Kuratbhas, which delighted the conference delegates. The Kuratbhas were sung in a melodious manner and with a sweet voice against the background of the piano. It was to start a new chapter in spreading Thirukkural all over the world. The artists praised both of them on the conference stage in front of the guests.

Dravidar Kazhagam members at the conference

21 delegates attended the conference on behalf of the Dravidar Kazhagam. Director of Periyar Medical Service Center – Dr. R. Gauthaman, State Coordinator – Umai. Jayaraman, Mahalirani State Secretary – Thakadoor Tamilselvi, Puducherry State President – ​​Siva. Veeramani, Patron – Sadagopan (Kudiyatham) District Presidents – Dr. M. Subparayan (Kallakurichi), Veeramani Rajeev (Salem) his partner Vasanthi, Advocate Amarsingh (Thanjoi), Mahalirani Kalaiselvi, Dr. T. Arumaikannu – Shanmuganathan partner, Dr. Ezhil – Anbazhagan partner, Professor Dr. Prabhakaran (Kumbakonam), Manivannan (Kulithalai), Panneerselvam (Tamil Nadu Elders Group), Professor. Kaliyaperumal and Dravidar Kazhagam comrades Thangamani and Dhanalakshmi participated in the conference programs.

– To be continued

 - Liberation Daily, 20.11.25

Australia – 4th International Humanitarian Conference in Melbourne – Special Perspective Commitment to Spreading 'Human Rights–Equality–Social Justice' (4)

– V. Kumaresan

Grandstand

The two-day conference was concluded by Dr. Soma. Ilangovan, President of the Periyar International, USA. He elaborated on the work being done by the Periyar International to globalize Periyar.

Conference resolution

Dr. Annamalai Magizhan, President of the Australia Periyar-Ambedkar Thought Circle, proposed a resolution on the 4th International Humanitarian Conference on Humanism and its legalization worldwide. All the delegates participating in the conference stood up and applauded in support.

Resolution number 1:

Human rights, equality, and social justice – to make these three more flourish and spread throughout the world

Date of execution: November 2 – 2025

Location: Glen Aira Town Hall, Caulfield, Victoria, Australia

Foreword:

The 4th International Humanitarian Conference was held with the aim of perpetuating and upholding the universal virtues of reason, compassion, equality, and human dignity. All human beings are born free beings. All are equal in dignity, respect, and rights. This conference has well realized this. We are in a position to accept various discriminations as great challenges and continue to fight. Intolerance is widespread in many matters. To confront all these and rectify them, the following resolution is passed.

Equality, dignity, and social cohesion – all three are under attack around the world, including in Australia. This is largely due to racism, religious hatred, intolerance, and other misguided assumptions.

Educational institutions and public institutions play a major role in upholding justice, fairness, compassion, human rights and noble ideals. They should ensure that all curricula and religious-based special education are free from casteism, sexism, homophobia, and religious fanaticism. These should not be included in any form in the textbooks for students. All curricula should be designed keeping in mind the principle of equality and the welfare of the child.

Many human rights organizations, including the United Nations and the Australian Human Rights Commission, have recognized the need and urgency to eliminate all forms of discrimination. All human rights organizations are emphasizing that all forms of discrimination, including racial, religious, gender, or other types of discrimination, must be eliminated.

Therefore – the 4th International Humanitarian Conference decides as follows:

1. A resolution calling on all Australian courts to consider caste as the root cause of discrimination.
2. A resolution to request national, state and local governments to enact strict laws to prevent the denigration of religions and races.

Equality must be established in an inclusive manner. The fundamental values ​​of human dignity, secularism, and justice – all three must be protected. The resolution reiterates that educational institutions and all public organizations must assume the responsibility to protect the above.

The above resolutions were passed unanimously and in unison.

4th International Humanitarian Conference

Periyar Ambedkar Thinking Circle –

Australia / Periyar International Organization

USA (United States)

Date: November 2, 2025

Location: Caulfield, Victoria, Australia

 

Resolution No.1

Advancing Human Rights, Equality, and Social Justice

Adopted: 2nd November 2025

Venue: Glen Eira Town Hall, Caulfield, Victoria, Australia.

Preamble

The 4th International Humanist Conference, convened to uphold the universal values ​​of reason, compassion, equality, and human dignity, recognizing that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, and mindful of the continued challenges posed by discrimination and intolerance in all their forms, hereby adopts the following resolution.

Resolution

Whereas caste-based discrimination, religious hatred, intolerance, and other forms of prejudice continue to undermine equality, dignity, and social cohesion in Australia and across the world.

Whereas education systems and public institutions play a vital role in fostering fairness, compassion, human rights, and critical thinking, and must ensure that all curricula and special religious instruction materials are free from casteism, sexism, homophobia, and religious chauvinism, in full alignment with the principles of equality and child safety;

Whereas numerous human rights bodies—including the United Nations and the Australian Human Rights Commission—have recognized the urgent need to eliminate all forms of discrimination, including those based on caste, religion, gender, or other status.

Therefore, be it resolved that the 4th International Humanist Conference:

1. Calls upon all Australian jurisdictions to recognize caste as a protected attribute under anti-discrimination law.
2. Urges national, state, and local governments to strengthen legal protections against religious and racial vilification; and
3. Reaffirms the responsibility of all educational and institutional frameworks to uphold equality, inclusion, and the fundamental values ​​of human dignity, secularism, and justice.

Special speech by Tamil leader

The keynote address of the Tamil leader of the forum was recorded and broadcast on the topic 'Future of Humanism'. He said that humanist, atheist and rationalist organizations around the world should work to understand how humanity will evolve in the future, especially in the era of artificial intelligence, in the emerging technology sector. He also mentioned the following in his speech.

Why is this conference in Australia?

Why did the Periyar Ambedkar Chintana Taluk choose Australia to host this prestigious conference this year?

The reason is that humanity and equality are flourishing here. The reason is that this country has realized their greatness. But one regrettable thing is not without disturbing the mind. Some evil people who were cultivating reactionary thoughts in our country and creating inequalities among the people have migrated and settled in your land in search of livelihood. You are the ones who welcomed them and supported them without hesitation. You are the ones who helped them in every way. You are the ones who guided them to live well. Thank you for your generosity. We are happy that they are living here in prosperity. But, it is painful that they are trying to affect your land by bringing with them the caste system and varnasrama.

After settling in Australian soil, can they betray the trust of the land that gave them refuge? The inequalities and discrimination that have been absent for a long time should not rise again in your country. The PATCA organization has chosen this land for this conference this year with the aim of preventing such a disaster. The plight that befell us in India should not befall you. Therefore, it is very necessary that this international conference be held here! Important even. Let this conference be a warning event for all our Australian brothers and sisters. Isn't it wise to be safe before you come?

A. Raza – Closing remarks

The closing address of the conference was delivered by A. Raja, the Union Minister of Information Technology, Deputy General Secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and Member of the Lok Sabha of the Indian Parliament. For the last 40 years, economic-based globalization has been causing various negative impacts on human development. Instead of saying that it is development for the people, we have to find the human face in it. It is the policies of Father Periyar that can find the lost human face and bring a humanistic approach to development. This conference has played a major role in that. Let us continue and globalize Periyar's policies, he said.

A special ceremony was held to express appreciation to all the leaders and comrades who worked hard to make the conference a success.

Finally, the conference came to a happy end with the vote of thanks by writer Sumathi Vijayakumar, General Secretary of the Periyar-Ambedkar Thought Circle.

The 4th International Humanitarian Conference held in Melbourne was a milestone in the journey to take the next great task of globalizing Periyar's principles.

– Completion

 - Liberation Daily, 21.11.25

- viduthalai Daily, 21.11.25