SOCIO-POLITICAL THOUGHT OF RAM MOHAN ROY
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a social thinker. His role in eradicating the practice of Sati among the orthodox Brahmins was historic. By founding the Brahmo Samaj, Roy tried to articulate his belief in the Islamic notion of 'one God'. In his conception, social reform must precede political reform, for the former laid the foundation for freedom in the political sense. Given his priority, it appears that Roy did not pay enough attention to his political views. Although he despised colonialism, he appeared to have endorsed the British rule, presumably because of its historical role in combating the prevalent feudal forces. British rule was not only at least culturally better than the preceding feudal rulers, but it would also contribute to a different India by injecting the values that it represented. His admiration for British rule was based on his belief in its role in radically changing the traditional mental makeup of Hindus. Continued British rule, he added, would eventually lead to the establishment of democratic institutions in the form of Great Britain. Like any other liberal, Roy too realized that a critical acceptance of British liberal values was the best possible means of building democratic institutions in India. In other words, he praised British rule as a blessing in disguise because it would eventually implant democratic rule in India. Another area for which Ram Mohan's role was decisive was the expression of the demand for freedom of the press. Along with his colleague Dwarkanath Tagore, he presented a petition to the Privy Council for freedom of the press which he said was essential to the democratic functioning of the government. Freedom of the press would not only provide a tool for airing grievances, but it would also enable the government to take steps to redress them before they harm the administration. Viewed in a liberal mold, it was a remarkable step forward in that respect for two reasons: (a) the demand for freedom of the press was an important development in India's growing, though limited, democratization among the indigenous elite, and (b) the idea of press freedom, if sanctioned, would act as a safety valve for the colonial ruler due to the display of grievances in the public domain (Pantham 1986).
Ram Mohan Roy played a progressive role in a particular historical context. In conceptualizing his historical role, Roy appears to have valued his experience of British colonialism more than his immediate feudal past. By downplaying the obvious destructive effect of foreign rule on Indian society, politics and economy, he explicitly favored a system of administration owing to his unshakable faith in the British Enlightenment in significantly changing the prevailing Indian mindset. One may find it difficult to digest his invitation to the British planters in India despite their brutalities and ruthlessness vis-Ã -vis the Indian peasants if discussed in isolation. But it was perfectly arguable if one is attracted by his argument justifying the continuation of the empire on the basis of its economic strength. Roy argued that the more 'wealth' the planters earned, the better their defense for continuity in India. In view of his historical role, it would not be wrong to argue that Ram Mohan Roy discharged his responsibility in accordance with the historical necessity of his role in the particular context of the development of India as a distinct socio-political entity. It would, therefore, be historically inaccurate to identify him as a pro-imperial thinker simply because nationalism did not acquire the characteristics of the later period. Since his views - whether supporting the British or criticizing the rulers of the past - were both historically conditioned and constructed, he wrote his historical role in the best possible way, taking into account the dilemmas of the time and the social The aspiration of those groping for alternatives was shown. and the political gloom of early colonialism.
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