[Hi]STORY

Abhishek Kumar

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19TH CENTURY SOCIAL REFORMS
RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY

 1772-1883
 A gifted linguist, reformer, journalist, educationist
 Campaigned against sati
 Founded the Brahmo Samaj
 Believed in
o Modern scientific approach
o Human dignity
o Social equality
o Monotheism
 Believed that the Vedanta was based on reason
 Condemned the oppressive practices of the zamindars
 Demanded judicial equality between Indians and Europeans
 Demanded trial by jury
 Helped David Hare set up Hindu college
 1825- set up Vedanta College
 Obtained title Raja from Akbar II

BRAHMO SAMAJ

 Set up by Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1828

 Opposed by orthodox elements like Raja Radhakant Deb's Dharma Sabha
 Suffered set back in 1833 due to Ram Mohan's death
 Beliefs and practices:
o Prayers, meditations, Monotheistic, Based on the Vedas and Upanishads
o Against idol worship and rituals
o Attempted to incorporate teachings of other religions
o Emphasis on human dignity, Criticism of social evils
o No scripture over human reason
o No stance on karma, transmigration or reincarnation

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 o Criticized the caste system

DEBENDRANATH TAGORE

 1817-1905
 1839: Started Tattavabodhini Sabha
 To promote Vedanta based rational, humanistic form of religion
 Tattavabodhini: truth-seekers
 Journal: Tattavabodhini Patrika
 Merged into the Brahmo Samaj in 1843 to form the Brahmo Samaj

KESHAB CHANDRA SEN

 Made 'acharya' by Debendranath Tagore

 Popularized the movement, opened branches in Punjab, Bombay, Madras etc.
 Ideas too radical → Caused a split
 Sen and followers: Brahmo Samaj
 Tagore and followers: Adi Brahmo Samaj
 Got 13-years-old daughter inexplicably married, with all rituals in 1878
 Followers disenchanted, started the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj in 1878

PRARTHANA SAMAJ

 Founded by Atmaram Pandurang with the help of Keshav Chandra Sen in 1867.
 Aim to make people believe in one God and worship only one God.
 It became popular after Mahadev Govind Ranade joined.
 focused on:
o Education (especially women's)
o Non-confrontation with the Hindu orthodoxy
o Disapproval of caste system
o Widow remarriage
o Raise age of marriage
 1849 → Maharashtra → ‘Param Hans Sabha’ {Secret wing of Brahmo Samaj}

RAM KRISHNA PARAMHANS

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  1836-1886
 Ramakrishna mission based on his teachings
 Priest @ Kali temple, Dakshineshwar, Calcutta
 Sought salvation through traditional ways of renunciation, meditation and bhakti
 Acknowledged fundamental oneness of all religions
 Believed that there are many ways to God and salvation
 Founded Ramakrishna Math

SWAMI VEVEKANAND

 1862-1902
 Born Narendranath Dutta
 Chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramhansa
 Instrumental in spreading Ramakrishna's message and
 reconciling it with needs of contemporary Indian society
 Founded Ramakrishna Mission in 1897
 He infused a sense of pride in India's past and culture, and a rare sense of confidence in India's future

THE MATH AND THE MISSION

 THE MATH: A religious monastic order (for men)

 THE MISSION: A registered society in which monks Of
o Ramakrishna Math and lay devotees cooperate in conducting various types of social service
mainly in India.
o A worldwide, non-proselytizing, non-political mission.
 SIMILARITIES:
 Both are twin organization, though financially and legally separate.
 Headquarters at Belur, West Bengal
 Together have 180 centers all over the world now
 BELEIFS
 Emphasis on oneness of god, social action and humanitarian relief
 Belief in Vedas and Gita, experiences of Ramakrishna and teachings of other
religious leaders
 Disapproval of caste system and untouchability

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  Use of science and technology for good

DAYANAND SARASWATI

 1824-1883
 Scholar of the Vedas and Sanskrit language
 Authored Satyarth Prakash (Hindi)
 First to give the call for Swaraj
 Ascetic from childhood
 Disciple of Swami Virajananda of Mathura
 Founded the Arya Samaj in 1875, Bombay

ARYA SAMAJ

 Beliefs of Arya Samaj

o Belief in the infallibility of the Vedas
o 'Back to the Vedas' slogan*
o Critique of caste
o Criticism of later Hindu scriptures
o Attack on Hindu orthodoxy and superstition
o Yes, to widow remarriage and inter-caste marriage
o Equal status for women
o Opened DAV schools (first at Lahore)
o Gurukuls for traditional education
o Criticism of MAYA, MOKSHA, KARMA, NIYATI
o Patriotic, nationalist and modern beliefs
o Caste should be identified by occupation, not birth
o Shuddhi — reconversion to Hindu-ism (of proselytized Muslims and Christians)
o 1923, Swami Shraddhananda started Bharatiya Hindu Shuddhi Mahasabha

HENERY DEROZIO

 1809-1831
 Anglo-Indian poet and radical thinker
 First nationalist poet of India
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  Assistant headmaster of Hindu College, Kolkata
 Removed from Hindu College due to radicalism
 Died of cholera
 Inspired the Young Bengal movement

YOUNG BENGAL MOVEMENT

 Radical, intellectual youth trend

 Inspired by the French Revolution
 Led by Henry Derozio (followers also called Derozians)
 Believed in modernism, rationality, liberty, fraternity and equality
 Questioned authority, looked for truth, patriotic
 Advocated women's rights and education
 Opposed decadent customs and traditions

LIMITATIONS OF THE DEROZIANS

 Radicalism was bookish

 Narrow social base
 No real link with the masses
 No long-term impact
 Bad timing → society was not ready for such radicalism

SIR SYED AHMED KHAN

 1817-1898
 Scholar, educationist, philosopher, reformer, jurist, administrator, author, historian
 Worked in the judiciary; a member of the Imperial Legislative Council; knight
 Wrote ‘The Causes of the Indian Mutiny’
 Loyal to but critical of the British
 Started what came to be known as the Aligarh Movement
 Use British patronage to stimulate growth in Indian Muslims
 Hindu-Muslim interests similar, but Muslims first need to catch up with Hindus in terms of jobs and
education
 Quran is the ultimate truth
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  Islam needs to be reconciled with western scientific education
 Emphasis on social reforms and education for Muslims
 Women empowerment
 Belief in practical morality

ALIGARH MOVEMENT

 A liberal, moral social reform movement among Muslims

 Aimed at spreading education without weakening allegiance with Islam
 A liberal interpretation of Islam in harmony with a modern, scientific culture
 1875- Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College established at Aligarh
 Renamed as Aligarh Muslim University in 1920

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY

 Founded in New York in 1875 by Madam HP Blavatsky and Col. Olcott

 Inspired by Indian (Hindu) thought and culture
 In 1882, international headquarter established at Ayadar, Madras.
 Popularized by Annie Besant
 Beliefs:
o Relationship between God and soul is achieved through meditation, contemplation, prayer
etc.
o Faith in karma and reincarnation
o Universal brotherhood, humanity without distinction
o Inspired by Vedanta thought, Upanishads, etc.
 Impact:
o Common denominator for various Hindu sects
o United educated Hindus
o Glorified Indian thought and past thus gave self-respect and confidence to Hindus
o False sense of pride by glorifying outdated, repressive ideas?
o Impact limited to small fraction of westernized and western educated Hindus

ANNIE BESANT

 1847 - 1933
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  British social, theosophist, women's rights activist, writer, orator and supporter of Indian and Irish
self-rule
 Leading speaker for the Fabian society and the Marxist
 Socialist Democratic Federation (SDF)
 1898 — helped establish the Central Hindu College, Banaras (under BHU now)
 1907 — President of the Theosophical Society
 Member and first female President (1917) of the INC
 Launched Home Rule League movement

REFORMS N WESTER INDIA

BAL SHASTRI JAMBEDKAR

 1812-1846
 "Father of Marathi Journalism"
 1832: Started a weekly Darpan (1st Marathi newspaper)
 Took up issues of widow remarriage and outdated orthodoxy in Hindus
 Started the Native Improvement Society, which inspired the
 Gyan Prakash Mandalis (Students Literary and Scientific Society)

JYOTIRAO PHULE AND THE SATYASHODHAK SAMAJ

 1827-1890
 Low caste, mali
 Worked for gender (widow remarriage, girl’s education) and caste-based social reforms
 Wrote Satvajanik Satyadharma Gulamgin
 Founded the Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873
 Aims: social service and education for women and lower castes

DADABHAI NAUROJI

 1825-1917
 Parsi intellectual, educator, trader, economist, social and political leader
 First Asian to be a British MP (Liberal Party member)

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  Founded INC with A.O Hume and D.E Wacha
 Wrote Poverty and UnBritish Rule in India
 Drain of wealth theory
 Member of the Second Intemational
 Agitated for legal status, fair inheritance and marriage laws for Parsi's.

PARAMHANSA MANDALI (ORG.)

 1849, Maharashtra
 Started by Dadoba Pandurang
 Monotheistic, wanted to break caste rules
 Meetings had food cooked by lower caste people, eaten by all
 Advocated women's education and widow remarriage
 Branches of the Mandali existed in other parts of Maharashtra as well

GOPAL KRISHNA GOKHALE

 1823-1892
 'Lokahitawadi'
 Advocated rationalism, secularism, modernity and humanism for Indian society
 Social and religious equality

GOPAL HARI DESHMUKH

 1866-1915
 Social and political leader
 Moderate INC leader (President 1905, Banaras)
 Founded the Servants of India Society in 1905 to
o Train national missionaries for the service of India
o Constitutionally promote interests of Indian people
o Spread education in India
 Associated with English weekly newspaper Mahratta; daily newspaper Jnanaprakash

REFORMERS IN SOUTHERN INDIA

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SRI NARAYAN GURU DHARMA PARIPALNA

 Founded by Sri Narayan Guru Swamy in 1902

 Aimed to uplift lower castes
 Sri Narayan Guru from Ezhavas caste (toddy-tapers) of Kerela
 Issues taken up:
 Right of admission to public schools
 Recuritment to government services
 Access to roads and temples
 Political representation

JUSTICE MOVEMENT/ PARTY

 Founded 1917, dissolved 1944

 Madras Presidency
 CN Mudaliar, TM Nair and P. Tyagaraja/Theagaraya
 To secure jobs and representation for non-brahmins in the legislature
 1920 — won the first direct elections in Madras Presidency
 Important player for securing reservation for lower castes in the legislature
 Precedent for present-day Dravidian parties like DMK and AIADMK
 Mudaliar: non-Brahmin but elite caste which speaks Tamil

PERIYAR EV RAMASWAMY

 1879-1973
 Founded the Self Respect Movement in 1925
 EVR member of INC for 6 years, but quit as he felt that INC served interests of the Brahmins
 1939: became head of the Justice Party
 1944: changed the name of the party to Dravidar Kazhagam
 The party split in 1949 to form another faction, DMK
 Propagated rationalism, self-respect, women's rights and eradication of caste

SELF -RESPECT MOVEMENT

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  Aimed to achieve equal human rights for backward castes
 Encouraged backward castes to have self-respect
 Wanted to remove the idea of 'superior' and 'inferior' caste
 Believed that true freedom would come with self-respect, not with political freedom
 Did not draw inspiration from the Vedas
 Emphasis on rational behavior, social and economic equality, equality of caste, gender and religion
 Facilitated weddings without priests
 Influential in Tamil Nadu, and in overseas areas with a Tamil diaspora

TEMPLE ENTRY MOVEMENT

 1888: Sri Narayan Guru, a lower caste, installed an idol of Siva at Aravippuram in Kerala Inspired
the Temple Entry Movement
 Many separate trends and leaders
 1924: Vaikom Satyagrah led by KP Kesava in Kerala to open roads and temples to untouchables
(Gandhi supported this)
 1936: Maharaja of Travancore issued a proclamation that mandated all government-controlled
temples to be open to all Hindus.
 1938: C Rajagopalachari did the same in Madras

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