Final answer:
Dravida Nadu was the proposed sovereign state for Dravidian speakers in the 1940s in response to perceived North Indian domination and to promote Dravidian identity and interests. The Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu led this advocacy, which shifted towards seeking greater autonomy rather than complete independence.
Step-by-step explanation:
The state that was proposed as a sovereign state for Dravidian speakers in the 1940s is Dravida Nadu. Although the concept of Dravida Nadu is not widely known today, it was part of the political discourse during the British colonial period and early years of independent India. Dravida Nadu was proposed as a country for Dravidian peoples—mainly those who spoke Tamil and other South Indian languages—to protect their interests against what was perceived as the domination of North Indian and Hindi-speaking peoples.
The Dravidian movement, which started in Tamil Nadu, was at the forefront of advocating for an independent Dravida Nadu. The movement was rooted in a resurgence of Dravidian pride, with its proponents asserting that the Dravidian cultures and peoples were distinct from those in the rest of India. The movement gained significant traction in the 1940s and initially sought an independent Dravidian state, although later, it focused more on achieving greater autonomy within the Indian union.