Periyar E. V. Ramasamy vs Winnie Byanyima

Periyar E. V. Ramasamy led the Vaikom Satyagraha in Travancore, a non-violent protest demanding the right of lower-caste Hindus to use the road around the Vaikom temple. He was arrested twice, and the movement gained national attention.

Periyar founded the Self-Respect Movement in Tamil Nadu, advocating for the rationalism, atheism, and the destruction of caste hierarchy. The movement rejected Brahminical dominance and promoted Dravidian identity.

Periyar led protests against the introduction of Hindi as a compulsory subject in Tamil Nadu schools. The agitations forced the government to withdraw the policy, and Periyar became a symbol of Tamil linguistic pride.

Periyar took over leadership of the Justice Party, which later evolved into the Dravidar Kazhagam. He used the party to campaign for Dravidian nationalism, anti-Hindi policies, and the abolition of caste-based discrimination.

Byanyima was elected to the Constituent Assembly of Uganda, which drafted the 1995 constitution. She later served in the Parliament of Uganda, representing Mbarara district, and became a prominent opposition voice against President Yoweri Museveni's government.

Byanyima served as Executive Director of Oxfam International from 2013 to 2019. She led the confederation of 20 charitable organizations focused on fighting poverty and inequality, advocating for tax justice and climate action.

Byanyima was appointed as the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). She took leadership of the global effort to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, overseeing policy and resource allocation across member states.