The syncretic religion of Hinduism built a caste system into its teachings. India’s first rationalist thinker, the Buddha, was only the first reformer among many. His teachings inspired modem freethinkers, including the notable 20th century rationalist, Periyar EV Ramasamy. Ramasamy’s main approach to breaking the caste system was establishing the right to equal education and affirmative action in India’s Constitution. Education became the launching point for pushes by coalitions of rationalists and others for further reforms in treatment of women and children. Ramasamy’s legacy includes Dravidar Kazhagam and its offshoot Periyar International, a rationalist organization that continues to fight for job rights, accurate and religiously unbiased translations of Hindu scriptures, elimination of the caste system, and the liberation of young Indian minds in a predominantly Hindu society.