Religion and the Social Reform Movement
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Several great personalities formed social movements with the need to build a clean society by forming public opinion against religious superstitions, evil traditions and customs prevalent in the society. They took the lead in building a rational and orderly society by countering the attitudes of neglect, injustice and deprivation towards women in society. The reform movement was an attempt to introduce the glorious heritage of India to everyone on the basis of modern education.
(a) Raja Rammohan Roy and the Brahma Samaj
The first person to bring national awakening to the people of India was Raja Rammohan Roy (1772-1833). For more information about Raja Ram Mohan Roy, visit here. He embraced the great harmony of ancient Indian culture, Islamic culture and Western (European) civilizations and ushered in a new era in India.
In 1797, European missionaries established the first printing press in Srirampur to spread Christianity. The two newspapers 'Digdarshan' and 'Samachar Darpan' published in Bengali by the Srirampur Mission Printing House published some derogatory comments against Hinduism, presenting Christianity as a great religion. Rammohan Roy strongly protested against the blasphemous attitude towards Hinduism. He published two manuscript pamphlets, the Brahman Sebdhi and the Brahman* Missionary Sambad, with a view to giving an appropriate reply to the Christian missionaries. Through these two booklets, he wrote several articles on the heritage and traditions of Indian Hinduism and proved that there was no ideological difference between the two religions. He promoted the errors of Hinduism as the wrong practices of the religious leaders of later eras. He paid attention to religious reforms with the aim of reviving Hinduism with an attitude of self-defense. In 1815, he established an institution called 'Atmiya Sabha' in Calcutta for the purpose of promoting the pure image of Hinduism. In 1828, he founded another institution called the Brahma Sabha. The Brahma Sabha later became known as the Brahma Samaj.
He studied ancient religious texts in depth with the aim of giving life and purity to Hinduism. He translated the ancient Indian Upanishads into their mother tongue and presented a simple analysis of Hinduism to the people. Through this work he promoted Bengali language and literature and created a strong stir among the people by exposing the vices practiced by the radical - conservative Hindu priesthood in the name of religion. After providing an in-depth analysis of the Vedas and Upanishads, the basic texts of Hinduism, he concluded that the ancient Hindus also believed in monotheism. He said that the worship of many gods and goddesses was unnecessary and explained the futility of idol worship to the Hindu community. According to Rammohan Roy, God is one and God has no form or shape. Luxury in the name of worshiping God is meaningless.
Raja Rammohan Roy was a versatile man. He was not limited to the reforms of Hinduism but also emphasized social reforms and the spread of education. He was strongly opposed to child marriage, veil, polygamy, etc. Widow marriage and non-caste marriage were socially recognized. He promoted widow marriage among unmarried young men as a dignified act. Roy's strong role in the complete abolition of sati in India will remain a significant event in social history. Governor General William Bentick (1828-35) was able to abolish this Sati practice through legal means with the support of Rai. He paid attention to the expansion of women's education and worked hard to give women property rights. Together with David Hare, he founded the Hindu College in Calcutta in 1817 to spread Western education in India. This college later became known as Presidency College (1855 AD).
Roy was able to involve some talented national leaders in the work of social upliftment. Among them were Dwarkanath Tagore, Prasanna Kumar Tagore, Henry Vivian Derzio and others. Professor Henry Vivian Dezio, who believed in Roy's ideals, formed an organization called 'Young Bengal' and gave membership to students of Hindu colleges. Derzio urged the students to protest against prevailing social injustices and stereotypes with the mantra of patriotism. Derzio can be considered the first nationalist. He wrote poems that portrayed the plight of the poor and weak in the society. Bankim Chandra was attracted to Derzier's poetry and composed the song Vandematam.
Raja Rammohan Roy was called as the father of modern India. From modernity, he could sprinkle equally into all areas.
(b) Arya Samaj:
Swami Dayananda Saraswati (1824–83), a scholar of Sanskrit, founded the Arya Samaj (1875) in Punjab. Like the Brahma Samaj, the Aryan Samaj believed in one God and preached the futility of worship of gods and goddesses and idol worship among the people. The Aryan society did not support externalism in the name of religious worship. He promoted child marriage, caste discrimination and polygamy as social diseases of Hindu society. He took the lead in widow marriage and women's education. The Aryan society supported seafaring and promoted the avoidance of all superstitions. According to Swami Dayananda, the religion contained in the Vedas is religion. He preached the message 'return to the Vedas' The Arya Samaj introduced a system of conversion. This is known as 'Shuddhi' In Hinduism, there was no custom or rule to initiate non-Hindu people into Hinduism. Swami Dayananda introduced the first conversion system and allowed people of other religions to convert to Hinduism at will. He took the lead in building a progressive Hindu society by preventing the advancement of Islam and Christianity. He established branches of the Arya Samaj in various parts of India and developed Hindu nationalism in India.
(c) Prarthana Samaj
Keshav Chandra Sen (1838-84) initiated the reform movement in Maharashtra in 1867 by establishing the Prarthana Samaj on the model of the Brahmin Samaj. The prayer society focused on social reform. The event could have created a strong reformist stir throughout South India.
Justice Mahadev Govind Rana (1842-1901) took the main leadership of the Prarthana Samaj. He went among the people to build a dynamic society by emphasizing the ideologies of the religious gurus of the Maharashtra Nava Vaishnava movement like Namdev, Tuka Ram and Ram Das. Ranade's efforts led to the establishment of two famous institutions, the Widow Marriage Society and the Southern Education Society. The first program encouraged widow marriage and established cottage industries for the financial employment of neglected widows. The Southern Education Society established ashrams in various places to educate orphans and raise them. He established night schools to educate the illiterate and underdeveloped nations. The Prarthana Samaj reform movement inspired nationalist sentiments in the hearts of the people of South India.
(d) Ramakrishna Mission:
The Ramakrishna Mission was formed around the doctrines of Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1834-86). Ramakrishna Paramahansa was a simple man. He was able to fascinate his followers by analyzing religion with beautiful metaphors.
Swami Vivekananda was the founder of the Rama krishna Mission. His real name was Narendra Nath Dutta (1863-1902). After taking the vow of renunciation, he became known as Swami Vivekananda. Vivekananda, a prominent student of the University of Calcutta, was attracted to Ramakrishna Paramahansa and became his disciple. After the death of his Guru, he established a monastery (1887 AD).
Swami Vivekananda spread the true truth of Hinduism at home and abroad. His religious practice was characterized by (1) instilling patriotism in the minds of Indians, (2) instilling self-confidence in the minds of Indians and (3) developing a sense of spirituality in the minds of Indians. He wanted to create a sense of unity among Indians. His aim was to build a strong Indian nation on the world stage. He promoted the ancient heritage and glory of India at home and abroad.
Swami Vivekananda's brilliant speeches inspired nationalism in the hearts of the listeners. In 1893, he fascinated the American people with a fluent lecture on Hinduism at the World Religious Assembly in Chicago (USA). Vivekananda's thoughts inspired Indians to realize the heritage and abundance of the past, which resulted in nationalist sentiments in the minds of Indians.
(e) Thieosophical Society
Thie Sophical Society is an international organization. The organization was founded in 1875 in New York City, USA. The branch office of the institute was opened in 1885 in Madras.
The popularization of the Theosophical Society throughout India, centered on Madras, was due to the special efficiency of Mrs. Anne Besant (1847-1933), an Irish woman. Annie Besant, a member of the Sophical Society, arrived in Madras in 1893 on the work of the Society.
Annie Besant focused on restoring ancient Indian civilization and culture through social work. He established several model educational institutions with emphasis on Indian spirituality. The Central Hindu School, founded by Annie Besant in Varanasi in 1898, became the Banaras (Kashi in Hindi) Hindu University in 1916 under the patronage of Madan Mohan Malviya.
Mrs. Annie Besant embraced India as her motherland. He inspired Indians with his enthusiasm and breadth of thought. In 1916, Besant founded the Home Rule League to promote the need for self-government among Indians. Besant was the President of the National Congress in She was the first woman President of the National Congress.
(f) Aligarh Movement :
The Aligarh Movement is the movement to educate the Indian Muslim community with modern education through Aligarh educational institutions and instill nationalist sentiments among them. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1817-98) was a notable figure in the revival of Muslim society with modern thought. He established an English Model School in Ghazipur in 1864 to educate the Muslim community with Western education. In 1865, he founded the Science Society and translated some excellent books from English into Urdu. In 1875, he founded the Aligarh Mohammadan Anglo Indian College. In a short time, the institute became one of the centers of knowledge based on Western literature and culture.
Syed Ahmad Khan developed political consciousness among the Muslims through the institution he established at Aligarh. After the establishment of the National Congress, the Aligarh Mohammadan Anglo Indian College made a significant contribution to the development of another national institution like the Congress. Theodore Back, the President of the College, took a special lead in this regard. This program paved the way for Indian Muslims to come into contact with Western education and culture. Some of the educated people who received education at the program took leadership in the Muslim society and freed the society from many vices. The College ( Aligarh Mohammadan Anglo Indian College) became the Aligarh Muslim University in 1920.
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