I just dont know where to start, but this story needs to be told.
In the last few years I've gained insights into internal problems within numerous Dravidian groups in Tamil Nadu and abroad through interactions on Clubhouse with the current and ex-members of such groups, and in this blog, I aim to shed light on such groups and activists linked to cases of sexual exploitation.
Firstly I would like to discuss about Shoba Shakti.
A few months ago, a fellow comrade shared an old article on Shoba Shakthi from a website called Keetru. This article was written by a Human Rights activist called Thamizhachi who was based in France. The article is all about the sexual harrasment Thamizhachi faced through Shoba Sakthi.
Shobha Shakti is an activist/author who operates from France. He is an Sri Lankan Tamil who has made a name by being very critical about the Tamil struggle in Eelam. He calls himself a Dalit/Dravidian activist or Periyarist and is closely connected to Dravidian groups in Tamil Nadu. Shoba Shakthi is a very active person in the arts and literary landscape and is always seen hanging in various literary circles and groups which are often termed as "Progressive" groups by themselves.
He identifies himself as an ardent Periyarist and often invites Periyarists from Tamil Nadu to visit France on various literature or political events related trips.
In the year 2008/2009, Thamizhachi had her first interaction with Shoba Shakthi. It was a telephone conversation and since both of them were staunch Periyarists, they were able to connect very well on an ideological level.
They later met on 3 different occassions and Thamizhachi in her article on Keetru clearly narrates the abusive behaviour she faced in all these three encounters.
Shoba Shakthi used Periyar as a front to slowly inject his ideas or fetishes about sex and relationships. He had at a point argued that "group sex and orgies" were a liberating act and the only way to liberate women. He refers to it is an ideological position of Thanthai Periyar. Thamizhachi said that she disagreed with him and had proven him wrong many times. Despite it, Shoba Shakthi always tried to impose this idea on every women he met through such groups. Thamizhachi suspected his true motives and was always cautious.
She also said that there were instances where a fully intoxicated Shoba Shakthi would call her in the middle of the night and ask her to talk with his friends who didnt believe that Shoba Shakthi knew Thamizhachi. He behaved in a very unprofessional way and eventually Thamizhachi started to distance herself from him.
Then one day he calls her again in the morning. This time he claimed to be in the same town where she was living and wanted to meet her at a hotel where he was staying. He sounded broken and depressed over the phone, and since she was worried about his well being, she decided to visit him.
When she went to meet him in the hotel he was staying, he was apparently in his bathing towel and as soon as she walked in, he put down his towel and stood their naked. Thamizhachi pushed him aside, scolded him and stormed out of the room. She later revealed all of this on her social media and exposed him. But no media or Dravidian social justice groups were interested in her accusations. They were all busy ignoring it and protecting Shoba Shakthi.
This happened in the year 2010-2011.
I have discussed this case in detail on the following podcast. Click here to listen to it
Now Fast forward to the year 2018.
This time in UK, another Periyarist group called Tamil Solidarity was caught in a scandal.
One of the women coordinators of the Tamil Solidarity group accused another coordinator of the group Pa. Nadesan,(who is currently its Joint National Chair) of sexual exploitation and had left the group.
Her accusation was that Nadesan was trying to get into relationship with the members while cheating another woman in Eelam with a fake promise of marriage. Once the member realised that he has merely exploiting women in the name of relationship for monetary gains, she immediately alerted the main coordinator of the group Senan and then left the group.
After that the activist who left the group got married via arranged marriage and is now a single parent. Her marriage life was also allegedly destroyed by Nadesan and Co who had interacted with her husband and created issues.
A few years later Nadesan had decided to marry. His marriage was conducted in the Periyarist way. When his marriage was happening the woman from Eelam whom he had loved and cheated for money started to publicly expose his deceitful behaviour. Two members of Tamil solidarity raised this issue within the group and they were slowly sidelined, bullied, harrased and were forced to leave the group as a result of this.
The lady who was cheated by Nadesan later revealed that throughout the years, Nadesan had been trying to brainwash her into accepting a relationship lifestyle that would open her mind into accepting group sex and orgies as a way of life.
This Nadesan and Senan are apparently very closely associated with Shoba Shakthi and it seems like all of them follow the same modus operandi when it comes to sexual exploitation.
Recently in a club house discussion, 3 ex members of Tamil Solidarity, (including one former coordinator who was a victim of Nadesan's sexual exploitation) confronted Tamil Solidarity's Membership coordinator and Campaign Organiser Mathan about these issues.
Mathan avoided it and started 'slut shaming' the former members. It seems like all the current coordinators of this Tamil solidarity group are in on this exploitative culture. It is said many members within that group still continue to face many such issues and are currently afraid of revealing themselves.
Groups like Tamil solidarity and activists like Shoba Shakthi are using politics as a platform to carry out their sexual exploitation activities in the name of Periyarism.
Currently activists like Thamizhachi have been vociferous in exposing the Dravidian sex cults in Tamil Nadu, like the Lulu gang which was involved in far worse cases of sexual exploitation, forced prostitituion and black mailing of married women. That gang led by a lady called Lulu, used Periyar to justify extramarital affairs and had encouraged women to share nude and other private photos on whatsapp and later used it to blackmail the women. This Lulu gang was exposed by Thamizhachi and many Dravidian leaders who were involved in this gang were exposed. Currently a court case is going on regarding this.
At this juncture it is very important for us to be aware of such Dravidian sex cults that exist amongst us. It is about time we exposed these sexual abusers who hide behind politics and Periyar.
We will continue to track Tamil solidarity's activities and expose them.
-Mr. பழுவேட்டரையர்
05/01/2024
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