named Krishnaswamy and two sisters named Kannamma and Ponnuthoy. [1] [18]  He later came to be known as "Periyar" meaning 'respected one' or 'elder' in  Tamil . [1] In 1929, Periyar announced the deletion of his caste surname  Naicker  from his name at the First Provincial Self-Respect Conference of Chenggalpattu. [19]