Question

What social ideas did Rammohan Roy support?

Answer 1

Hint: Raja Rammohan Roy was an accomplished social, religious and educational reformer. People like him are described as ‘reformers’ because they felt that it was necessary to bring changes in society, and unjust practices required to be done away with.

Complete answer:
Raja Rammohan Roy is named as the “Father of Modern India's Renaissance”. He was an accomplished social, religious and educational reformer, and is famous for his grounbreaking role in opposing practices such as Sati, child marriage and social divisions and for advocating education.

In 1828, he founded a reform association referred to as the ‘Brahmo Sabha', later came to be known as the ‘Brahmo Samaj', in Calcutta. Its aim was to fight the social evils that were prevalent in the society. It was known as the first intellectual reform movement of modern India.

He was eager to spread the knowledge of Western education and also wanted to bring about greater liberty and equality for women in the country. He had written about the way women were forced to bear the load of domestic work, restricted to the home and the kitchen, and not even permitted to move out and get educated.

He was particularly moved by the difficulties faced by the widows in their lives, and hence initiated a campaign against the practice of ‘sati’. He was quite proficient in Sanskrit, Persian and various other Indian and European languages. He showed through his writings that the practice of widow burning had no written approval in ancient texts. In the 19th century, many British officials had also started criticising the traditions and customs of India. Hence, they were more than willing to listen to Rammohun, as he was reputed to be a learned man. Finally in 1829, the governor of the Bengal Presidency, Lord William Bentinck, formally banned the practice of sati.

Note: The later reformers also used the strategy adopted by Raja Rammohan Roy. They searched for a verse or sentence in the ancient sacred texts that supported their viewpoint and used that to challenge practices that appeared harmful. They then recommended that the practice as it existed at present was against the early tradition.

For example, Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar, one of the most famous reformers, used the ancient texts to propose that widows could remarry. British officials adopted his suggestion, and in 1856, a law was passed that permitted the widow remarriage.