Thousands of women waited at the Ottraivadai Naadaga Kottagai (drama theatre) on Walltax Road in Chennai on 13 November 1938, joined by a few hundred men. The Kottagai was hosting Tamil Nadu’s first Women’s Conference. The historic event also bestowed the title of ‘Periyar’ on EV Ramasamy Naicker, who would go on to become the ideological leader of Tamil Nadu.