Raja Ram Mohan Roy:The Herald Of New Age
Raja Ram Mohan Roy: The Herald Of New Age
Contemporary India:
India was a home of many cultures from ancient times. In 1707 , with the death of Mughal King Aurangzeb , central power in India was implicitly lost.There was rule of many local rulers ,zamindars etc.Hindu laws were based on Puranshastras and Muslim laws on Quran. Education was mainly traditional based on religious books and that too for very few .
In
general society was divided into many castes. There was huge inequality between upper and lower castes as strict rules of
casteism were followed. The condition of women was worst. The practices such as sati ,dowry, polygamy ,child marriage were legalized under the name of
tradition and religion.Without touch of modern
scientific eduction ,the religions were full of superstitions and were exploited by selfish and currpt priests.
Polygamy Child marriage superstition
Due to these
loopholes in Polity and society ,India fell in the hands of British Imperialism.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy
-Life:
Early
Age:
With the above
background , there was the birth of a boy named Ram Mohan in an orthodox
brahmin family of Bengal on 22nd of May 1772.He studied Vedas and Upanishads in
Banaras, Quran in Patana.By that
time he was versed in dozens of
languages such as English, Latin,Greek,etc. From 1803 until 1815, he
served as a clerk in the Company.
An event in 1811 gave a turn to his life. In 1811 his elder brother, Jag Mohan died.Alak Manjari, the sister-in-law of Ram Mohan Roy went for ‘Sati’ . There was no one to oppose her but Ram Mohan Ray. This event made a deep impact on him. With the great feeling of sorrow and compassion he decided to ruin the practice of Sati.
Religious
Reforms:
From his early life ,Raja Ram Mohan Roy was influenced by Vedanta philosophy of Upanishads which was based on principles of reason. In 1809 he wrote his famous work ‘Gift to Monotheist’ .He stressed on Monotheism, or worship of one God. He published Bengali translations of the Vedas and Upanishads to prove his point. His views were a blend of East and West philosophies and religions . In 1828 he formed a new religious society known as Bramho Sabha later Bramho Samaj.It opposed idol worship and evil practices such as Sati. To oppose the Bramho Samaj ,orthodex sections formed a religious society known as Dharma Sabha and insisted on the importance of rituals.
Gift to Monotheist Orthodox Dharma Sabha
Social
Reforms:
Stagnation
and corruption of Indian Society was a great
pain for Ram Mohan.Roy believed education
to be an implement for social reform. He wanted his countrimens to accept scientific approach and principles of human dignity and equality.
He was a true
companion of women's Rights.He persuaded
the British Government to pass a law banning the practice of Sati.In 1829 ,Lord
William Bentinck issued Bengal Sati
Regulation act, 1829 banning the practice of Sati .Ram Mohan opposed
polygamy ,child marriages and dowry.He critisized the subordination of women and demanded equal
property rights for them.He attacked on rigidity
of cast system and supported inter-caste marriages, women's education, and widow re-marriages.
Educationist
Rammohan Roy
possessed great love and respect for traditional philosophy, but at the same
time he believed modern culture would help to revive Indian society. He was one of the earliest propagators of modern education. In 1817, in
collaboration with David Hare, he
set up the Hindu College at Calcutta.He also set up the Vedanta College, offering courses as a synthesis of Western and
Indian learning. He was a pioneer of Indian
journalism.
He
was influenced with the modern ideas of equality
, liberty, democracy , and nationalism..
He died in Bristol ,England, on 27 September 1833 from a brain disease.
All his life Raja Ram Mohan Roy paid heavily for his daring outlook of religious and social matters. Orthodox people organised a social boycott against him ; even his mother joined them.But Ram Mohan was as fearless as a lion. He did not hesitate to support a just cause. He often clashed with his family,rich zamindars,powerful missionaries and with high officials and foreign authorities.Yet he never showed fear nor deviated from his chosen path. Indeed,he was the Herald of the New Age!!
Sources:
● Image
sources-Google
● History
NCERT books
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HTK6XnX-ns
Credits:-
Snehal Sanjay Thanekar
B.Tech Mechanical Engineering
MIS: 111810085
(Winner: The Memoir Contest)
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