Answer
Self-Respect Marriages (SRMs) are a type of civil marriage introduced by the Tamil nationalist leader E. V. Ramasamy Periyar. The first SRM was held in 1929, and the practice was officially legalized in 1949. SRMs are based on the principles of equality, mutual consent, and secularism. They do not require the presence of a religious leader, and they are not subject to the same restrictions as traditional Hindu marriages.