Raja Ram Mohan Roy, a great social reformer was born on 22 of May in the year 1772 in a Brahmin family in Hooghly district of Bengal. He is universally accepted as the pioneer of reform movements in India. Imbibed with new ideas of humanism, this first Modern Man of India had worked hard for the religious, social, intellectual and political regeneration of the Indians. As a mark of respect to such a great reformer, the country celebrates his birthday every year on 22nd May.
At this juncture, it is the duty of each and every Indian to remember such a versatile personality who contributed a lot to the Indian society and recollect his valuable deeds.
A gifted linguist, Rammohan was well-versed in Bengali, Sanskrit, Persian, Greek, Latin, Hebrew and English. He was inspired by Vedantic philosophy, Christianity, Islam and modern western thought. He reinvestigated India’s past and discovered the false rituals, superstitions and other practices prevalent in Hindu society. He denounced the social and religious evils like image worship, rituals, polytheism, caste system, and untouchability.
He founded ‘Atmiya Sabha’ in 1815 which was transformed into ‘Brahmo Sabha in 1828 and later into ‘Brahmo Samaj’ in 1829. This Samaj preached that all religions are one; and there is a need to fight against all religious and social evils.
The women in the past were in a desperate plight. Indian women had been given a subordinate status to men for centuries. The fate of women depended on the caste that they belonged to. Some of the communities secluded women by the purdah system. They could not inherit the ancestral property. They were not permitted to get educated. Child marriage was wide spread in those days. Widows were not allowed to remarry. Polygamy was fairly common. The practice of ‘sati,’ where a woman immolated herself on her husband’s funeral pyre, was also widespread in many parts of India.
In such a situation Raja Rammohan emerged as a champion of women’s causes. His greatest contribution was to help the Governor General, Lord William Bentinck, declare ‘sati’ an illegal and punishable crime in 1929. He was against the low status of women in society. He favored widow remarriage, female education and women’s right to inherit property.
Rammohan Roy believed that India could progress only through Western education. He encouraged both Indian and Western learning.
"Selections from Gandhi : Complete Book Online." WELCOME TO MAHATMA GANDHI ONE SPOT COMPLETE INFORMATION WEBSITE. Web. 01 Oct. 2011. .
In Nehru’s India, women were victims of a “passive revolution” that subtly advanced bourgeoisie men of higher castes under a guise of parliamentary democracy. Though women have presided over the Indian National Congress, served as a prime minister, and represent a large part of India’s la...
Within the earliest of civilizations of India, pre-pubescent girls were offered to men as wives, which ultimately lead to the destruction of women’s domestic independence. As said in Document 1, “because girls married before they could finish their education, they were not qualified to perform ritual sacrifices. Furthermore, wives’ legal rights eroded.” Likewise, Indian women became politically subordinate to men. However, by modern standards, women’s social
In early Indian society, only males were allowed to inherit land/property, officiate family rituals, educations was almost only male. The society placed women under the rule of men. The Lawbook of Manu told men to treat women with dignity and respect but that women should still use men as there guides in life and that there purpose was to basically have children and keep the house nice for the family.
Mohandas Gandhi’s existence in this world inevitably changed it forever. There is no denying this. A man that came from beginnings that would have made change unfathomable, not only stood above the standards of his society, but also joined many others in his quest for a more equal and peaceful system. Not only, did he make an impact in his situation, but he set the standard for generations to come on what the process looks without war and fighting to bring about a massive change in laws and treatment of people. His methods were not only effective for himself, but those that would model his behavior for future endeavors.
At this time society was dominated by men, making women’s life extremely challenging and limited. The position and status of a woman ultimately depended on that of her husband. She was not given many rights unless it was allowed by her husband. Women had to withstand arranged marriages and there were times they encountered abuse from their spouse. What many people do not see in this society is that women longed for their own empowerment and they wanted to be given the opportunity to create their own success in life without being overshadowed by their husbands.
Mohandas Gandhi began life as the fourth son in his family— hardly the child typically expected to bring about greatness, even though his father was the small state’s Diwan, or prime minister. He was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, India. From an early age, he exhibited the gentleness and compassion that he would come to cherish later in life. One story about him says that he loved nature enough to climb a mango tree and bandage its branch. Like the vast majority of Indian families, Gandhi’s was a member of the Hindu religion and its associated culture. As was tradition for many at the time, he was wed at the age of thirteen to Kasturba, another child of the same age. A few years later, when he was sixteen, Gandhi’s father passed away. This left a deep impression on the boy, and he would always remember him with fondness, as we can see from his later ...
This is an essay about Mahatma Gandhi and his beliefs about the world, and his belief compared to what I believe and think about the world and how it works. I will be covering the points of non-violence, gods and higher power beliefs and the true behavior of people and what Gandhi and I believe about these points. Also the Hindu beliefs of Satya, Ahimsa, and Brahmacharya.
Indian society was patriarchal, centered on villages and extended families dominated by males (Connections, Pg. 4). The villages, in which most people lived, were admini...
Ram Mohan Roy: He argued for the construction of a society based on both modern European science and Indian devotional Hinduism
In the early Vedic period women enjoyed equivalent status & rights as enjoyed by their male counterparts .They were educated and had the freedom to choose their husbands. A system known as ‘Swayamvar’ actually during vedic period, women had superior position than the
The culprit behind the alteration of women's role in society was the enforced famine, which eventually resulted in the first of the women's rebellions against the French. Because the men were no longer providing money to purchase food, the women became the providers of the family. As their situation worsened and starvation became imminent, the women resorted to breaking the law. What's remarkable in light of the situation is that the women were united in their efforts rather than watching out for themselves. The hunger visible in their children eyes did not cause them to despair and lose their resolve, rather it helped to develop unity amongst them as they faced this hardship together. For instance, when Ramatoulaye killed the ram Vendredi, the meat from its bones was distributed to all those in need. So when the French soldiers came to collect her for breaking a law, they did not face one lone woman but an army of women prepared to fight.
However, partly due to their biological sexual difference and the socio-cultural surroundings to which they belong, the consequences of these above mentioned social evils are much more on women, especially subaltern women. Giving voice to such oppressed subalterns, the gendered subaltern (women of the deprived sections) and Indian women in general, Gayatri Chakvarty Spivak says: “For if, in the context of colonial production, the subaltern has no history and cannot speak, the subaltern as female is even more deeply in shadow.” During her analysis of Sati she concludes her essay “can the subaltern” with her declaration that “the subaltern cannot speak” (Ashcroft, Griffths, and Tiffins 218-219).
“The strongest physical force bends before moral force when used in the defense of truth.” - Mahatma Gandhi (Bondurant). Mahatma Gandhi was the main leader in helping India become independent through the principles of non violence, self-rule, and the unity of Hindus and Muslims. His full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, but he was given the name Mahatma later on in his life. He wanted to see an united India without the rule of the British Empire. He accomplished this with passive resistance or resistance by non violence because he wanted to show that violence is not always the best answer.