Conversation so far:
When was Periyar E. V. Ramasamy born?
17 September 1879
What did Periyar E. V. Ramasamy do as a child?
Periyar attended school for five years after which he joined his father's trade at the age of 12.
What did Periyar E. V. Ramasamy do at his father's trade?
a wholesale merchant at Erode
What was Periyar E. V. Ramasamy's hobbies as a child?
He used to listen to Tamil Vaishnavite gurus who gave discourses in his house enjoying his father's hospitality.
What were the gurus like for Periyar E. V. Ramasamy?
As a boy, he started questioning the contradictions and absurdities in the fables of Hindu deities spread by the Arya Race ie., Brahmins for subjugating Dravidian Race.

Question: what was Periyar's father like
Self-contained rewrite: what was Periyar E. V. Ramasamy's father like