Blackshirts (India)

Blackshirts are members of the anti-religious, atheist quasi-political organization Dravidar Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu, founded by "Periyar" E V Ramasamy. Periyar was pro British, anti-independence activist, who showed his disgruntlement with freedom struggle using black flags and shirts. Periyar wanted to uproot caste sentiments and superstitions prevalent in Tamil society. So, he and to fight superstition, he chose the black shirt. The cadres of the Dravidian movement have followed it since. This has its origins in the banning of black flags as a protest tool in Tamil Nadu. To circumvent this ban, members wore black shirts. Black shirts and black flags were also seen as a symbol of anarchy in southern India especially in Tamil Nadu during the early 20th century.