Blackshirts are members of the anti-religious, atheist quasi-political organization Dravidar Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu, founded by "Periyar" E V Ramasamy.^[1] Periyar was pro British, anti-independence activist, who showed his disgruntlement with freedom struggle using black flags and shirts.^[2] Periyar wanted to uproot caste sentiments and superstitions prevalent in Tamil society. So, he chose the towel^{[clarification needed]} and to fight superstition, he chose the black shirt. The cadres of the Dravidian movement have followed it since.^[3] 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.^[4]