SOCIAL REFORMERS IN INDIA

               

                      

             SOCIAL REFORMERS IN INDIA 

1. RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY:

 

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a great social reformer.He is regarded as the father of Indian renaissance and maker of modern India. He believed in modern scientific approach and principles of human dignity and social equality. He put faith in monotheism.

             Ram Mohan wrote Gift of Monotheists in 1809 and translated into Bengali in the Vedas and the 5 Upanishads to prove his conviction that ancient Hindu texts support monotheism.

                            Roy put faith in monotheism. He wrote Gift of Monotheists in 1809 and translated into Bengali the Vedas and the 5 upanishads to prove that ancient Hindu texts support monotheism.

2. Debendranath Tagore and Brahmo Samaj :

        * He joined in the Samaj in 1842.

* He also headed the Tattvabodhini Sabha, founded in 1839.

* He worked on two fronts :

a) Within Hinduism, the Brahmo Samaj was a reformist movement.

b) Outside , it opposed the christian missionaries for their criticism of Hinduism and their attempts at conversion.

3. Keshab Chandra Sen and Brahmo Samaj:

*He joined in the Samaj in 1858 and made acharya by Debendranath Tagore. He opened the branches of Brahmo Samaj in the United Provinces, Punjab , Bombay , Madras and other towns . He was dismissed from the office of acharya in 1865.

* Keshab and his followers founded the Brahmo Samaj of India in 1866.

4. Prarthana samaj: 

The Prarthana Samaj was formed with the initiative of Kshab Chandra Sen and Atmaram Pandurang, in 1867, in Bombay. 

Mahadeo Govind Ranade joined in the Samaj in 1870. Some other leaders who joined in the samaj were R.G. Bhandarkar and N.G. Chandavarkar.

There was a four point social agenda also:

a) disapproval of caste system.

b) women's education

c) widow remarriage

d) raising the age of marriage for both male and females.

 

5.Young Bengal Movement and Henry Vivian Derozio: 

During the late 1820s and early 1830s , there emerged a radical, intellectual trend among the youth in Bengal, which came to be known as the Young Bengal Movement. Henry Vivian Drezio was the leader and inspirer of this progressive trend.

 Derezio was perhaps the first nationalist poet of modern India.

6. Ishwar  Chandra Vidyasagar: 

In 1850, he became the principal of Sanskrit College. H introduced western thought in Sanskrit College to break the self - imposed isolation of Sanskrit learning.  He was a crusader against child marriage and polygamy. He did much for the cause of women' s education. He was the secretary of Bethune School which was founded in 1849.

 

 

.