Socioreligious Reform Movements and Reformers in India

In the 19th century, India saw the birth of an entirely new vision amongst people. There were new reforms and new visions that enlightened the different sections of our society in India. This was the vision that was meant to shape the next course of events for the country. The vision was meant to guide millions of others on the same path for decades and even beyond that time. Here, we are going to talk about the socioreligious reform movements and reformers in India - a complete overview that was a part of that particular vision. This will definitely help the readers in understanding the changes that Indian society went through right after the reform movements happened. 

Social Reformers of India Who Made the Socio-Religious Reforms Possible 

The reform movements were a part of the reawakening of people that didn’t want to follow the intended path that was made for them. Although it did give rise to scrutiny and undesirable traits, these reforms are a part of the existence that we have today in the country. 

During the 19th century, it was said that most of the reform movements were in association with different religious beliefs. Hence, the socio-economic impact of such reforms is were pretty great as well. Mentioned below are some of the social reformers of India who shaped the society that we have today with their new vision and reform movements. We are also going to talk about how these socio-religious reform movements managed to change the face of society as a whole. 

Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was responsible for creating the Atmiya Sabha in 1815. Created in Kolkata, the Atmiya Sabha propagated monotheism and proper reform of the Hindu Society. In the year 1828, Atmiya Sabha got its new name as Brahmo Samaj. The group believed in a universal God as well as meditation, prayer, and reading the Upanishads were considered to be the medium of worshipping the Almighty. Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s Brahmo Samaj didn’t believe in the need for rituals, temples, priests, and sacrifices for worship. The main belief of the group was in social practices that were progressive in nature. 

Debendranath Tagore 

Debendranath Tagore founded the Tattavabodhini Sabha in the year 1839. He was also the publisher of Tattvabodhini Patrika. The amalgamation of Tattavabodhini Sabha and the Brahmo Samaj happened in the year 1939. Debendranath Tagore had a role to play in the compilation of several selected passages derived from the Upanishads that were known to be Brahma Dharma. 

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar contributed to Indian society by introducing the concept of Western thoughts into Sanskrit study. He also opened gates for the education of students who were not Brahmin by birth. One of the greatest contributions of Raja Ram Mohan Roy was in dedication to female emancipation. Re-marriage of widows was one of the specific issues that he devoted his whole life to. 

Dadoba Pandurang

Dadoba Pandurang was the founder of Paramhansa Sabha in the year 1840. This was the 1st well-known reform organisation of the 19th century, and that too in Maharastra. The main objective of the Paramhansa Sabha was the demolition of caste distinctions between the people. Due to his activities, Dadoba Pandurang became one of the well-known social reformers of India.

Mahadev Gobind Ranad

Mahadev Gobind Ranad was the one who co-founded the Prarthana Samaj along with Dr. Atmaram Pandurang. There were two other reformers who were working with Ranade, and they were DK Karue and Vishnu Shastri. Karue was the one who actually had a role to play in the launching of the Widow Remarriage Movement. Prarthana Samaj readily accepted the Upanishads and Vedas. However, they as a group were more inclined towards devotion as a whole. 

K Sridharalu Naidu

K Sridharalu Naidu was the founder of Veda Samaj that was effective in Madras. The Samaj was formed under the guidance of Keshab Chandra Sen in the year 1864. However, the name changed to become Brahmo Samaj in the southern area of India. This change happened in the year 1871. The Veda Samaj abstains from the patronising of dancing girls, polygamy, and child marriage. 

Swami Dayanand Saraswati

He was the one who started the entire Suddhi movement in order to bring back certain Hindu individuals who converted to some other religions. He also has a very important role to play in the exponential growth of communalism in the country during the 20th century. Hence, he was one of the well-known names when people talked about the national awakening of India. Some of the main goals of Swami Dayanand Saraswati included attacking superstitions related to religions, polytheism, and Brahmin Supremacy. He also condemned idolatry, superstitious practices and helped a lot in increasing the standards of women in modern society. 

Swami Vivekanand

Swami Vivekananda was considered to be one of the famous thinkers that our country had. He was also the founder of the Ramakrishna Mission in the year 1896. He established the headquarters for the Ashram in Bellur, which was situated near Calcutta. The Mission was a joint for carrying out several activities related to social work and humanitarianism in general. Swami Vivekananda had an active role to play in uplifting the destitute and poor. The main motto of the Ramakrishna Mission was providing social service to those who need it and spreading the importance of spiritualism.

HP Blavatsky

HP Blavatsky started the Theosophical Movement that was all-inclusive in the city of New York. The group came to India in the year 1879, and they had their headquarters in Adyar, which was situated near Madras. The Theosophical Movement encouraged the study of Upanishads as well as the Bhagwad Gita. It also promoted the importance of literature and oriental classics in India. Hence, HP Blavatsky has mentioned in the socioreligious reform movements and reformers in India - a complete overview. The society was then joined by Annie Besant, who joined in 1893. She was promoted to the position of the president of the society after some time. 

Swami Sahajanad

Swami Sahajanad was the founder of the Swami Narain Sect situated in Gujarat. One of the main focuses of the sect was to ensure that harmony and social unity were being propagated in the surrounding areas. It also encouraged the tradition of widow remarriage, all the while fighting to abolish the traditions that were degrading to the women. He had a very important role to play in the discouraging of traditions such as female infanticide and Sati. His contribution to society is what led to the abolishment of such evil traditions that portrayed women as a commodity that people could get rid of. 

Dadabhai Naoroji

With a progressive mindset like some of the Parsis in the Indian society, Dadabhai Naoroji founded Rahanumai Mazdayasanan Sabha along with others like Sorabjee Bengali, Naoroji Furdonji, and KR Cama. The main objective behind this foundation was to regenerate the Parsis and remove the Purdah system. He also worked towards the increase of marriage age and women's education and empowerment as a whole. 

These are some of the most influential social reformers of India whose works are still known to the people in this country. The sacrifices that they went through and the battles that they fought against old age traditions are still seen in the society that we live in. It is due to their constant efforts that India is what we see today. We hope that this article was able to provide you with a proper explanation of the social reformers and what role they had to play in the socio-religious reforming of Indian society.