History Project II
History Project II
History Project II
PROJECT TITLE
Raja Ram Mohan Roy
SUBJECT
Legal & Constitutional History
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GRAMMERLY REPORT
The Thesis, I submit does not have any Grammarly mistakes and well researched based on
facts of the subject solely based on my understanding. This Thesis is not plagiarised from any
other authors but cited to support my thesis to give readers a better understanding on the
plethora of the topic
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First and foremost, I have to thank my research supervisor Dr. Viswachandra Nath Madasu
Sir. Without her assistance and dedicated involvement in every step throughout the process,
this paper would have never been accomplished. I would like to thank you very much for
your support and understanding over these past 6 Months.
I would also like to thank my university for nurturing me and contributing to utilize the state
of art library, Where I found some really informative books that deals with my thesis. Finally,
I would like to thank my seniors for their guidelines and mental support.
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.
FAME IN ENGLAND
CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
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INTRODUCTION
Raja Ram Mohan Roy is popularly known as the “Make of Modern India”. He was founder
of Brahmo Samaj, one of the first Indian socio-religious reform movements in India. He been
a major candidate in abolishing the practice of Sati.
Raja Rammohan Roy was a great intellectual and an independent thinker. He encouraged the
study of Science, English, Western Medicine and Technology. He was gifted the title “Raja”
by the then Mughal Emperor Akbar-II of India.
He was born on May 22, 1772 in village called Radhanagar in the district of Hooghly in
Bengal. His father Ramakanto Roy, was a Vaishnavite Hindu. Early in his life Ram Mohan
Roy was sent to Patna for higher studies. At the end of age fifteen, he had learnt Bangla,
Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit. Ram Mohan Roy was not in the favour idol worship and
orthodox Hindu rituals. He played a role firmly against all sort of social bigotry, conservatism
and superstitions.
He also went to Varanasi and studied the Vedas, the Upanishads and Hindu Philosophy
profoundly. When his father died in 1803, he returned to his home at Murshidabad. He then
worked as moneylender in Calcutta, and from 1809 to 1814, he also served in the Revenue
Department of the East India Company as Diwan. In the year, 1815 Ram mohan roy formed
Atmiya Sabha. He tried to initiate social and religious reforms in the society. He campaigned
for rights for women, including the right for widows to remarry, and the right for women to
hold the properties. He actively opposed Sati system and the practice of polygamy then
prevalent in India. He also believed that English-language education was better than the
traditional Indian education system. He opposed the use of government funds to support
school based on English education. He believed it to be integral part of social reform.
In the year 1828, Ram Mohan Roy founded the “Brahmo Samaj”. He wanted to use Brahmo
Samaj as institution to expose religious hypocrisies and to check the growing influence of
Christianity on the Hindu society. His efforts gave result in 1829, the Sati system was
abolished in India.
He also acted as ambassador for Mughal emperor Akbar-II to United Kingdom in 180 to
plead to raise his pension and allowance and to ensure the success of Bengal Sati Regulation,
1829. Shortly, he died in 1833 at Stepleton near Briston due to meningitis.
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AIM OF THE STUDY/ SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The Aim of the study is to give readers a better understanding on Raja Rammohan Roy
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Doctrinal
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PRE-MATURE LIFE OF RAJA RAMOHAN ROY
Raja Ram Mohan Roy came to life on May 22, 1772, to a prosperous upper-caste Hindu
family of zamindars or landlords in Radhanagar, Bengal, a province in the eastern part of
British ruled India. His father Ram Khant Roy was follower of Vaishnava Hinduism while
his mother Tarini Devi was a follower of the Shaivite sect. Thus, from his early days, Ram
mohan became aware of numerous sects in Hinduism and complexities they gendered.
From his young age, he was inclined towards to Lord Vishnu. He would never put down the
“Bhagavantha” down without completing the reading of Valmiki Ramayana but when he
came to know that his mother is fasting, he would have food for her sake, when he attained
the age 14, he thought of becoming of monk but his mother came in his way and stopped him.
Under the guidance of his father he received education and learnt the Persian language.
During the reign of Muslim rule in India the language used was Persian and Arabic also
important language to get employment or to correspond with the government. He then later
was sent to Patna to learn Arabic and lastly to Banaras to gain knowledge of Sanskrit, the
holy language of Hindus.
His teacher at Patna set him to study Arabic translations of some of the writings of Aristotle
and Euclid, it is maybe that the training thus given strengthened his mind in acuteness and
close reasoning, while the knowledge which he acquired of the Islam religion from the
Muslims whom he respected, contributed to cause that searching examination of the faith in
which was educated which led him eventually to the important efforts he made to restore it to
its early simplicity.
His detailed study of the various Scriptures led him to discover the fundamental unity of all
regions and universal brotherhood of man. Believers of God that lived in India during that
period worshipped idols and pictures of the same, and Ram Mohan wondered over the
existence of God in any such form. He did not believe in idol worship, he opposed them, and
also religious festival at home1. On the other side, his father who was a very firm believer in
idol worship, felt Ram mohan was doing mistake. He advised his son but Ra mohan did not
change his mind. Due to that differ in philosophies, Ram mohan left the house. He left the
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home at the age of fifteen when he left the parental home and wandered for two or three years
in Tibet and Himalayas. There he was learned Buddhist and Tantrik traditions.
Later, he got education in Sanskrit language and Sanskrit literature. After is marriage, he
travelled to Varanasi and studied the Vedas, the Upanishads and Hindu philosophies deeply.
When he got to know that his father died, he travelled to his home. His father passed away in
1803.
After returning from his home, again he payed his attention in studying the ancient books of
Hindus in Sanskrit and other different languages. And at the same time, he published his first
writing “Tuhfat-ul-Muwahhiddin” as a small pamphlet on monotheism and writing against
the idoltry of all religions. It showed that from a very early age, his lucid mind did not allow
to accept the principal beliefs and debate in favour of spiritual customs.
In the year 1803, he began to work for the East India Company in the Revenue Department.
He learned English under the guidance of Mr. Digby and read the books on contemporary
European writers on politics, history, law and economics. In 1809, he was transferred to
Rangpur as Dean to the collector of the district. Thereafter, he retired from his service in
1815 and settled down in Calcutta.
Ram Mohan Roy is a person who lived at the period of child marriage and practise of sati
which was highly practised amid the person in culture, Spouses were burnt along with the
dead partner whether she likes it or not. Girls were married off during the age of five or six
years. Raja Ram Mohan Roy was sickened and tired of these practices. Although he has huge
respect for Hinduism but he felt that Hindus have to realise about the practise of religion in a
correct way. He educated for equivalence between males and females, and alleged society
should also give up superstitious beliefs2.
Roy strained to bring alteration in the society and as a consequence he gathered few similar
inclined persons with same thoughts of Ram Mohan Roy. Finally, such close friends formed
an association called “Atmitya Sabha”. Various discussions took place here prominently
religious discussions took place. The members of the association had to give the practise of
idol worship. There mission was to blowout the culture’s view on religion among people.
While he was in Calcutta, he made a lot aids for the improvement of the deprived people. He
even went to shantytowns and spoken to them and assisted them out with money also food.
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Raja Ram Mohan Roy had three wives before the age of ten which was also a result of age-
old customs and practises. His first wife passed away in his childhood. He had two sons,
Radha Prasad, born in 1800, and Ramaprasad, born in 1812, with his second wife, who
passed away in 1824. He spent his rest of his life by the side of third wife.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy and his institution Brahmo Samaj, literally means communities of men
who worship Brahman, are inter connected. He played an important role in establishment of
Brahmo Samaj. The institution was set up on 20th August 1828, and formed a strong foot hold
for his expression of universal worship3.
At he beginning of the institution weekly services were organised, every Saturday. Later of
course, it transferred to Wednesday, a practise which was followed even today in Brahma
Mandir of Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan located in the district of Birbhum in State of
West Bengal. Earlier Ram Mohan Roy and his admires and followers used to attend the
prayers of in the sacred church of Christian set. Disciple of Ram Mohan Roy wondered why
they aren’t allowed having prayer hall of their own. Ram mohan approved this idea and did
his best contribution in constructing a Prayer hall called “Brahmo Samaj”.
The members of the institution, used to meet every Saturday. Vedic hymns and Upanishads
music were recited by scholars. Religious discourses were held where Ram mohan roy
chanted religious poems written by him. Muslim and Christian boys sang songs in Persian
and English. Many Hindus and people from foreign lands also attended these meeting.
“There is only one god. None equals him. He has no end. He is present in all living beings-
this faith of the Brahma’s. This was the message of Raja Ram Mohan Roy. The Brahmo
Samaj did not recognize difference of caste, race, creed or nationality. It stressed the idea of
universal brotherhood. Raja Ram Mohan Roy through Brahmo Samaj vastly accentuated that
all manhood is equal and had full faith in the brotherhood of man. The Brahmo Samaj fought
by many troubles which were spread in Indian society such as Polygamy, child marriages,
casteism, untouchability and casteism.
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Kalyani Mookherji, Raja Ram Mohan Roy pg 4
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Roy remained well known for stretched and efficacious movement for the abolition of sati,
self-sacrifice of widows on the funeral pyre of their husbands. He written numerous books to
tell people that the holy scripts of Hindus did not approve practise of Sati tradition and
appealed for a cause., humankind and sympathy of the people. The ritual of deadly practise of
Sati was the renowned social evil in the eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century.
The Practice of Sati was widespread in the Hindu society from a long time past. From
premature period it is known to have been in vogue.
After staying in Vijayanagar an Italian traveller in 1420-21, wrote at the same period as
numbers of married females had to die on the pyre of funeral of their husbands. “Akbar tried
to supress the practice among the Hindus and it is also told that earlier Jahangir too made a
law of death penalty for this offence but could not carry it out on action”. Few rulers of early
times strained to eliminate this devil practice coming from the generations. The Baji Rao of
Peshwa eliminated it in his dominions. In the tenancy of Lord Corn Wallis, some officers
were allowed to remove the devil practice by force but officers did not halt it earnestly.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy printed a lot books in languages of Bengali and also reinsulated into
language English for defence of Sati. In the year 1818 his territory was printed and in the year
1819 the next one in language of Bengali and also interpreted in 1820. Ram Mohan Roy once
told in his writings that of Hindu the ruling classes, Manu was the utmost, the greatest well-
known and trustworthy law donor might unaccompanied would be equivalent to any snooze
put together.
Raja Ram Mohan quoted the opinions of Bhagavat Geeta, Kathopaishad and Mandakpaishad
had in likes of his urgings and ideas. He accentuated that the science by which a god of
knowledge is obtained is greater to all other wisdom.
He distributed his auxiliary book in the year 1819 and spelled Sati as in inconsistency of the
shastra. He further told, "The convention, in this way, of coercively secures the ladies to the
fire and consuming them to death is conflicting with shastras, and very evil. It is of no
outcome to affirm this is standard in a particular nation on the off chance that it were all
around drilled the homicides would at present be criminal. The falsification, that might be
followed in the issues where no specific tenets are clarified in the shastras, isn't advocated by
the act of few individuals".
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Abolition of Sati
Ram Mohan Roy played an important role in abolishing System of Sati. When his brother-
Jagmohan Roy passed away, his spouse Alakamanjari had to observe “Sahagamana”
(meaning, she was alive burnt with the dead person). Every arrangement was made for
cremation. Ram Mohan Roy protested and pleaded his sister in law not to practice “sati”.
Everyone is against Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Alakamanjari was forced to the funeral pyre
with the corpse. The fire was set on pyre.
This part affected Ram Mohan Roy and therefore it developed zeal to contest with the devil
practice of Sati. A lot individuals opposed Roy, but he did not change his stand. Even the
folks of geo west, who saw all this pondered, when even the administration was frightened to
hinder in this stuff. Ram Mohan Roy kept his life at stake and fought against sati system. In
the end, he won and the government made “Sati” ritual as crime. Along with the movement to
fight against the evil system, he also fought for women’s rights and education and women’s
right for the property. He showed to the world that women also enjoyed equal rights along
with men in Hinduism.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy submitted request to the senator general in 1818 to stop this
wickedness barbaric practice. What's more, he spoke to the British government to treat Sati as
homicides and asked the discipline for convincing widows to copy themselves. He mentioned
the legislature to take measures and stop it.
He fought:" Those who have no dependence on the Shastras and the individuals who take
pleasure in the implosion of ladies may well ponder that we ought to contradict that suicide
which is prohibited by all Shastras and by every single man".
He even sorted out carefulness boards of trustees to keep a beware of individuals who urged
widows to submit Sati and himself attempted to convince the relatives of widows to surrender
their arrangement of altruism. In his manner he made an air and stirred edified popular
conclusion for the cancelation of the pitiless practice.
At last, Lord William Benetict, the senator general, proclaimed "Sati" as unlawful and
deserving of court on the date of fourth December 1829. The law gave that people who were
even related in any capacity with the commission of Sati to be viewed as hoodlums. At the
point when the preservationist Hindus challenged and sent a request to the British experts in
England against cancelation, Raja Ram Mohan Roy documented a counter appeal affirming
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of measure an engaging for its endorsement, and another guideline was came to presence. He
was likewise present in England when case was taken up by the Privy gathering in 1832.
Ram Mohan Roy gave a right elucidation of Hindus Scriptures to the general population a
right. He was likewise the best admirer of network improvement. He generally gave his best
for the upliftment of the general public. He underscored more on ladies' training and worked
for the advancement. He additionally took consideration on ideal to property for her dad. It
was the custom particularly winning in Bengal that if a man passed on, his widow in the
event that she had borne children, was not involved to any share. Raja Ram Mohan Roy made
an unassuming intrigue for the resistance of females' correct.
Visit to England
Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s visit to England was so important in perspective of breaking of taboo
in the Indian society. There was a time when a Indian going to the foreign lands was
considered wrong, and here was a religious connotation as well. Those days, it was
considered a sin and irreligious for Hindu to cross the sea masses.
It was Raja Ram Mohan Roy who actually forbidden this vey idea and went to the England.
The British Government granted the alliance to Akbar the second, the Mughal King of Delhi.
But it was really small amount. The King Akbar-II decided to Ram Mohan Roy to England to
increase the amount representing the Mughal King Akbar-II. Before Ra Mohan Roy left, the
King conferred him the title of “Raja”. Thus, Ram Mohan Roy was called Raja Ram Mohan
Roy thereafter. Another vital reason he went to England is for the complete abolition of Sati
System in India.
There were a ton people, around then, who protested enthusiastically to the visit of Raja Ram
Mohan Roy cruised to the England by the steamer named Albio, landing there on eighth
April, 1831. Notwithstanding, his distinction had gone before him. In 1816 when his first
English work on the point called Vedanta, An Abridgement of the Vedanta, turned out, it was
looked into at the length by the Monthly Repository of Theology and General Literature of
England. At the point when the range of Ram Mohan to Liverpool is outstanding, pretty
much every big name of the town is approached him.
A well known history specialist William Roscoe of the Medcis, who was truly debilitated
around then, sent his child mentioning Raja Ram Mohan Roy to meet him. Raja Ram Mohan
Roy immediately or reluctant and met roscoe. Roscoe child was available amid the meeting,
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left a profound gap of memory to his child. After finishing of the meeting roscoe told " I
favor god", that I have been permitted to live till this day. Roscoe not long after kicked the
bucket.
The object of Raja Ram Mohan Roy's visit to England was triple. To start with, he needed to
present a notice to the ruler of incredible Britain for the benefit of bar the Second the then
Emperor of Delhi. Also, to show a dedication to the House of Commons for the cancelation
of Sati, and thirdly, to be available in England amid the moving toward dialog in the House
of Commons on ht Renewal of the East India Company's Charter.
From Liverpool Raja Ram Mohan Roy went to London immediately with the goal that he
may be available in the House of Commons at the second perusing of the REFORM Bill. He
achieved London late at night and being drained he had tuned in. When he was in London
Jeremy Bentham the incomparable British rationalist, approached him at a lodging. Finding
that Raja Ram Mohan Roy had effectively resigned, Bentham left a note for him valuing him
in a decent way.
In London, Ram Mohan Roy drew in with recognized individuals and built up an
exceptionally private companionship and having exchanges identifying with governmental
issues. The Duke of Cumberland, the sibling of ruler of England, acclimated him to place of
rulers. He additionally became acquainted with about Lord Brougham, the legend of
nullification o subjugation and the more prominent figure of maintaining the well known
training. The Directors of the British Company called East India Company entertained Raja
Ram Mohan Roy on sixth July, 1831, at supper at he city of London bar. The Chairman of the
east India organization and portrayed the wellbeing of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, valuing him for
his tremendous and separated administrations he had rendered to the network of India.
Smash Mohan Roy was alloted a seat at the royal celebration of service of William IV among
the dignitaries, for example, ministers in the delegated heads of England. The Royal Asiatic
culture of London likewise mentioned him to remove a portion of its yearly gathering where
Mohan Raja Ram Roy proposed a statement of gratitude to Henry Thomas Colebrooke, the
incomparable Orientalist, h additionally met a philanthropic communist Robert Owen and
attempted his best to prevail upon him in this perspective.
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Success in Great Britain
When Raja Ram Mohan Roy arrived in England the political circumstance in Britain was in
condition of spasm because of Reform charge tumult. It was first presented in 1831, however
was vanquished in the house of Lords. The second bill additionally presented around the
same time yet again repulsed in house of Lords, however at long last it sat back in place of
lodge and gone by it in March, 1832, and the it was sent to place of masters. Individuals of
England were extraordinarily fomented and anticipated the choice of the rulers advanced to
the weight and change bill and going of the change bill in England
Raja Ram Mohan Roy has incredible regard and esteem towards of France, the land which
presented the idea of the freedom, clique and uniformity to the world. What's more, he called
France as : so rich adorned with the development of expressions and sciences, or more all the
land was honored with ownership of free constitution". As his a portion of the works had just
achieved the place that is known for French as ahead of schedule as 1818. In the year 1818,
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was in France, he ended up prominent through the composition of
Bishop of Blois. He had a crowd of people with the King of France on fourteenth October
1832. In 1832, an article by Monsieur Pauthier in Paris explained different parts of Raja Ram
Mohan Roy's works.
In course of the time the British government remembered he right of Ram Mohan Roy to
mean the Emperor of Mughal Empire as his uncommon emissary and furthermore perceived
the title "Raja" gave on him by the last mentioned. At a levee held at the St James Palace
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was allowed a crowd of people by the King William IV on September
7, 1831 and was later on the solicitation of ruler he even went to the meal on the event was
additionally graced by men of dignitaries, for example, Jeremy Bentham and some more. In
the occasion Raja Ram Mohan Roy entranced the gathering of people with his perfectly
drafted discourse
As the allowance of the emperor is not decided finally, it was settled to be given amount of 3
lakhs annually and Roy’s efforts to banish sati was also successful, so when the bill is passed
in the Parliament Raja happiness has no horizons.
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Pecuniary anxieties and the strain of the duty had made him go havoc. After some point of
time he fell ill and become bedridden. There were some who respected and loved him,
actually took care of him during his bad days, like relatives. Doctors with good name treated
him but his health did not improve.
His friends induced by his companions to leave London and go to Bristol in early month of
September, 1833, for another change a he rest in the place of Miss Castle who was the ward
of his companion, Dr.Lant Carpenter, Priest of Bristol's Lewis Mead Chapel.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was enormously alleviated in the organization of this companion, yet
on nineteenth September, he luckily became sick with the sickness meningitis. He had high
fever with extreme migraine. In the ensuing days his conditions compounded. Miss Hre, a
sister of David, dealt with him amid murmur ailment period. Various up and coming doctors
took care of him, however with no karma. His condition weakened quickly. On the
September 27 of 1833, Raja Ram Mohan Roy has passed away there as it were. He was
covered in Bristol.
His expression of the consecrated "AUM"- one of the final words he was heard to absolute
proposed that the solitarity entryway of death just as in the swarmed through passage of life,
the review of divinity was the boss pre-control of his spirit"
Numerous years after, in 1842, when Rabindranath Tagore, the companion and supporter of
Raja Ram Mohan Roy, was in England. He had the box expelled from Stapleton to Arno's
Vale, the graveyard on the skirts of Bristol's the place on 29 May, 1843, his human stays
entombed there, a wonderful structure in Indian Style was raised over it. There is also a blue
plague commemorating him on his house in Bedford, London.
In September 2006 representatives from the Indian High Commission visited Bristol to mark
the anniversary of Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s death, during the ceremony Hindu, Muslim and
Sikh women sang Sanskrit prayer of thanks
Subsequent visit from Mayor of Kolkata, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, who was amongst the
representatives from the India High Commissioner, decided to raise the funds to restore the
tomb which was in need of restoration and repair. In the month of June, a businessman
Aditya Poddar donated 50,000 pounds towards the restoration of his grave.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a major shaper of modern India. Consciously influenced By
Christianity and by the social reform of many missionaries as much if not more than by their
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religious ideas, he was convinced culture and religious tradition was so rational and uphold of
spiritual life. While he remained rooted in Hinduism, Roy admired other religions such as
Christianity, what he saw in Islam, and believed and same fundamental truths inform all of
them. He held that the first principle of all religions is the “Absolute Originator”4.
Against the criticism that it contained very little of lasting worth, he set out to recover from
India’s heritage what could withstand the scrutiny of a rational mind. He wen further than
others in what he was prepared to abandon, which for him included the Vedas. For other
reformer, such as Dayananda Saraswati, the Vedas contained all religious truth as well as
ancient scientific knowledge, and were not to be thrown away. The organization he founded
was Brahmo Samaj, was leader in social reform, an important promoter of education and
India’s autonomy and eventually independence. Its basic ideals. Including the equality in
gender and its rejection of class-based privilege, have become integral part of the social
framework of Indian society, at last in theory.
Its been around 200 years since Raja Ram Mohan Roy has passes away. But his ideology is
imbedded in the minds of Indians. He was taught the people of India to give up the beliefs of
Indians and an individual who led Indians to modernity and showed the true essence of
Hinduism to Indians and to the world.
Famously called the “Maker of Modern India”, Religious, Social and Educational institute
reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a visionary who lived during one of India a better place
for the future generations to come.
Religious Reforms
Religious changes presented by him have helped India to pick up opportunity of articulation
from numerous points of view. Initially, his distinction with his dad in regards to the idea
symbol love took genuine turn. He was man who thought free. In the Upanishads and Vedas
there was compositions on opportunity of thought. Ram Mohan Roy appreciated the right to
speak freely and thought. He declared that basic living and high reasoning ought to take care
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of business proverb throughout everyday life. Also, lived as needs be to it. Ram Mohan Roy
dependably trusted that God did not live in any icon and didn't contradicted symbol love.
Subsequent to completing his examinations Ram Mohan Roy worked for British East India
Company at numerous spots in Bengal, before at last settling in Calcutta in year 1815. When
he settled he completed a few books by at that point. First among his books were written in
Arabic. It was an immediate assault on symbol venerate. After he moved to Calcutta, Raja
Ram Mohan Roy turned out to be associated with social and abstract works. He even, even
interpreted the Upanishads written in Sanskrit language into Bengali language. He even
distributed a few works in English rebelling against the universal custom Sati, and
furthermore enjoyed discussions with customary researchers on the privileges of Hindu
ladies.
When of foundation of Atmiya Sabha, he came to trust the nearness or idea of ubiquity of
God, who is in the object of religious worshipful sentiments is one and unified face to face.
He additionally expressed this was the very message of Vedic writing and of the Bible and
Holy Quran also. He began to advance messages about between religious understandings and
in the process composed a book on statutes of Jesus Christ and started to take a shot at life of
Prophet Muhammad. While he was currently unrest, he was firmly manhandled by
conventional Hindus, who ridiculed them as corrupt skeptics and present day blinded by
interests. He was not bolstered by the English too. They reprimanded that he opposed change
and that his high respect for Jesus did not extend to recognize his religion.
Roy in the year in 1816 opened a school for young men, whose mechanism of guidance was
in English. In 1821 he began a week after week paper in Bengali language. From there on he
began a paper in language of Persian. He established the Brahmo Samaj (likewise called the
Society of God)1828 which lectured the adoration and love of the One God based on what its
makers guaranteed were the imaginative intelligence of Vedas and Ram Mohan Roy was the
first to remember it.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s career as an active religious reformer began only after began only
after he had settled permanently in Calcutta in his mid-thirties, though the “Tugfat-ul-
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Muwahhiddin” was written in 1804. The year 1815 is the most remarkable period in his life.
His many-sided attack against prevailing practices was launched at his period as by ths time,
he had studied the ancient classical literature of Sanskrit and Arabic and be cam acquainted
with the new forces that were emerging in the west. Sankara’s commentary was published in
1815. The Vedantasara in Bengali, the abridgment of Vedanta in English and Bengali and the
English translation of Kena Upanishad were published in 1817. He wrote against idolatry and
priesthood and in favour of monotheism. At the same time, he started publishing a Bengali
weekly “Sambad Kaumudi” which was followed in 1822 by a Persian weekly- the “Mirat-ul-
Akbar”.
In Sambad Kaumudi Ram Mohan Roy wrote tracts in Bengali and also translated them in
English in order to make the people understand that the practice of “Sati” was not sanctioned
by the Shastras. Lord William Bentick, with the help of Ram Mohan Roy declared the rite of
Sati is illegal and punishable by the Criminal Courts” by the regulation XVII on 4 th
December, 1829.
Educational Reforms
More than religion and Sati, Ram Mohan Roy’s attention was caught by education. He laid
stress on education an instrument for the liberation of men from all kinds of evils and
degenerating influence in life. He was a leader of modern education in India. Himself a great
scholar of Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian and English. He even advocated the learnings of western
knowledge and science. He founded the first English school” Anglo-Indian School” in
Calcutta in 1822. He also played major role in setting up of Hindu College in the same year.
He established the Vedanta college for inducing the principles of monotheism of Vedanta
along with Western Science and Philosophy.
Instructive Reforms of Raja Ram Mohan Roy improves the learning framework in the
country. The financial and political state of the nineteenth century India made the learning
and instruction vital in India. The learning of English and western training wound up
essential. Notwithstanding, the history specialists and researchers have opined that the
basically the financial framework was in charge of the presentation of English in instructive
Institutes. In British India, an arrangement of training was important which could win
vocation. Because of these conditions, the parts of training wound up more extensive in India.
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The Western training in India spread for the most part because of the endeavors of the
dynamic Indians components that advanced the social changes. Social changes of Ram
Mohan Roy not just freed India from the shackles of superstition's yet in addition presented
another arrangement of instruction in India. Raja Ram Mohan Roy trusted training to be an
execute for social change. He challenged the administration's arrangement to fortifying the
Sanskrit schools in the Presidency towns of Kolkata, Varanasi and Chennai and encouraged
the foundation of progressively oriental universities. He composed a letter to Lord Amherst
that training of Sanskrit language and Sanskrit writing would do nothing and no down to
earth use. Or maybe he mentioned him to advance the Western training in India. He felt that
the adolescents couldn't receive themselves as indicated by the changing social orders on the
off chance that they stick to the well-established Vedantic reasoning or teachings. Slam
Mohan Roy was the central promoter of the cutting-edge procedure of instruction and logical
and learning. The improvement of local individuals was the central rationale of Ram Mohan
Roy. In this way, he helped English individuals to advance an increasingly liberal and
illuminated framework and learning. In the new arrangement of training, he presented the
subjects of down to earth utilization of Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, and
Anatomy with other helpful sciences. The challenges of Ram Mohan Roy discovered
articulations when the legislature was consented to energize the investigation of English just
as the other oriental language. An allow was endorsed for the Calcutta Hindu College which
was set up with the aim of bestowing the instruction of Hindu schools additionally
accentuated the investigation of western humanities and the sciences.
Slam Mohan Roy shaped a relationship of English and Hindu researchers. He began a school
likewise and organized the instructing of current subjects like English, Science, Mathematics,
and Political Science. Not just had the presentation of western instruction, Ram Mohan Roy
additionally advanced the development and thriving of the ladies training. He altogether
trusted that except if the womenfolk were instruction, the general public would not be freed
from the disasters. In this manner, Raja Ram Mohan Roy advanced the western instruction,
and India amid the time saw an incredible advancement in the field of training.
Social Reformer
Social Reforms by Raja Ram Mohan Roy have helped India to leave the curse of social
forbidden and misbehaviors. He was raised in a rich family, and was observer to every one of
the angles Brahmins culture that has so extended in Bengal amid the rule of that time.
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Tolerably prosperous landowner, Ram Mohan Roy was hitched twice before he entered his
adolescents, this being standard among high position families, among whom kid marriage and
polygamy were both were normal.
At the point when the act of Sati was annulled in 1829, the credit for its cancelation was
given to the Governor General, Lord William Bentick. Be that as it may, as a contemporary
English onlooker, herself a lady, called attention to the enactment couldn't have been realized
however for the ground-breaking however unacknowledged guide of the incomparable Hindu
savant Ram Mohan Roy. Roy's extraordinary commitment towards this change was to show
that sati was not a religious obligation authorized or maintained by Hindu scriptural customs.
Through the 1820s, Roy's thoughts were being engendered through his Bengali paper, which
was known as the Sambad Kaumudi", or the Moon of the Intelligence".
In December 1921, the Calcutta Journal, a periodical of the English in India, composed of
Roy's paper that "She will be the methods for the good and scholarly remodel of India", after
nine years, A London magazine portrayed the Sambad Kaumudi as "the Morning Chronicle
of India, pushing opportunity, common and religious contradicted to debasement and
oppression, and working, we are cheerful to state viably and say widely, to annihilate the
excessive customs of the Brahmins, advertisement stir the Hindus to a feeling of the
corruption and wretchedness into which they have been dove".
In 1830, Raja Ram Mohan Roy was sent by the then much debilitated Mughal Emperor to
England, to request of the King to expand his stipend and perquisites. Raja Ram Mohan Roy's
visit to England had a great deal effect in the social structure of India. There he met with
authorities of the East India Company, campaigned with the individuals from Parliament, was
allowed a crowd of people with the King and composed and distributed books on Indian
financial aspects and laws. He traded sees with British Utilitarian's and English Sociologists
and furthermore ventured out to Paris. His biographer Sophia Dobson Collet comments in a
positive manner. In London, he viewed with the enthusiasm from the side lines as Parliament
passed the Reform bill of 1831, which stretched out the establishment to a more prominent
number of British men.
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Raja Ram Mohan Roy was an incredible social reformer. His essential methodology was to
social changes with respect to religion and culture. He contradicted the hindrance of station
framework and its hurtful impact on the social and political life in India.
As indicated by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, social and political issue were between connected. He
trusted that rank hindrance was in charge of numerous social indecencies. It separated
network and furthermore stagnated the nation's improvement. He contended that if a
Brahmin, anyway poorly instructed or undying, would get the regards of the general
population, however a Shudhra would dependably stays in the base, in spite of the fact that he
was accomplished, profoundly refined and has a decent character.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy felt that India has been the stool of remote theory trespassers by
uprightness of the nearness of the position structure. He wrote in his Brahmanical Magazine,
"We have been exposed to such affront for around nine centuries and reasons for such
debasement has been over abundance in human advancement and forbearance from the
butcher even of creatures, too our division into station, which has been the wellspring of need
of solidarity, among us.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy constantly restricted station framework and never dreaded contend
against it. He composed a tract in 1827, it contained the fundamental standards and
contentions to the establishments of station framework. He said that" a Brahmin was he who
had the encounters of Gods". As indicated by him the nature of man was settled by his
character and accomplishments
He felt much that Indian advancement was so moderate on account of the unbending rank
framework which kept man separate from man organization from faction, region from
territory. He plainly observed that with an inflexible rank framework, national solidarity
couldn't be accomplished and political liberation would dependably stay far off. Raja Ram
Mohan Roy was completely against this indispensable fiendishness and was the primary man
to wreck the foundations of position framework. He needed to shape position and statement
of faith and those ills of late development, which he needed to counter by methods for blend
of Eastern and Western Idealism.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy contacted and impacted each part of human life. He buckled down and
devoted as long as he can remember for advancement of society and nation moreover. Bengal
was one of the territories moaning under the scourge of Sati, youngster marriage and
polygamy. The arrangement of polygamy was spread uncommonly in the higher class of the
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general public. Because of arrangement of polygamy, position of ladies in the general public
was poor. Raja Ram Mohan Roy additionally battled perpetually against youngster relational
unions and for female training, assaulted polygamy and pushed remarriage of widows.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy said in his own words," The allegation of the needs of ideals
information is an unfairness, see what torment, what insulting, what scorn and what pains
their uprightness empower them to help! How may Kulin Brahmins are there who wed ten to
fifteen spouses for cash that never observe the grater number of them after the day of
marriage, visit others just three or multiple times, over the span of their lives. Still among
those ladies, most, even without seeing of accepting any help from their spouses, living
subject to their components or siblings, and enduring much trouble, keep on protecting their
qualities and when the Brahmins or those of different clans, carry their wives to live with
them what hopelessness do the ladies endure? At marriage ladies the spouse was perceived as
half of the husband, however in after lead they are dealt with more terrible than second rate
creatures. For the ladies is utilized to take every necessary step of slave in the house, for
example, , in her turn, to clean the harmony in all respects early morning, regardless of
whether cold or wet, to scour the dishes to wash the floor, to cook night and day, to get ready
and serve nourishment for her better half, father, mother by marriage, sister-in-law, brother
by marriage and companions and relatives. Where Brahmins and Kayasthas are not affluent,
their ladies are obliged to take care of their in laws and to plan cow excrement cakes to
consume. In evenings they bring water from the stream or tank and during the evening play
out the obligation of modest hirelings in making the beds. In the event of any blame or
exclusion in performing of those employments they get wounds treatment.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy condemned harshly the acts of polygamy. He even energized the
entomb rank relational unions. Rank framework was pervasive in the whole society of
Bengal. And furthermore, casteism was in the most exceedingly terrible position.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy had substantially more respect of ladies. He generally improved the
situation for the upliftment of ladies in the general public. He completely censured station
based relational unions. It likewise prompted stop of selling of polygamy and other
shrewdness rehearses by the presentation of intercaste marriage the campaign of Sati would
likewise be besotted". He likewise bolstered the Shiva marriage" and stated, "There is
segregation of age and position or race in Shiva marriage". Raja Ram Mohan Roy likewise
restricted the tyke marriage.
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In the financial circle Raja Ram Mohan Roy upheld the reason for the cultivators who, he
felt, showed been set helpless before Zamindaris under the changeless settlement. He was the
first to attract thoughtfulness regarding the monetary channel of India continued
methodicallly by the British rulers. He upheld the setting up of the ventures by the English in
Bengali wide open with the goal that workers moaning under the consistent oppression of
Zamindaris could get business.
He felt that socio-religious changes would prompt the political progression of India. The way
he demonstrated was the sacred headway of India. The way he demonstrated was the sacred
strategy that was at first pursued 50 years after the fact by the India National Congress. He
was first in India to observe world officers and took intrigue global occasions. In addition, he
was the main individual in his time in the entire universe of man to understand the
criticalness of present day age.
Nehru portrayed him Roy as "new sort" of mastermind joining old with new. To Fredrick
Max Muller "he was an unselfish, a fair and a strong man an extraordinary man in the most
astounding feeling of the world".
Rabindranath Tagore described him as “the great path maker of this century”
A Unitarian Journalist
Ram Mohan Roy established the Unitarian Mission Press in 1824 in Calcutta. At this time, he
came into conflict with the Christian Missionaries and published a series of pamphlets- “The
Precepts of Jesus”, Appeals to the Christian Public”, The Ideal Humanity of Jesus,” Appeals
to the Christian Public”, “The ideal Humanity of Jesus”, He argued against the doctrine of
Atonement. He also opposed the doctrine of Trinity5.
Ram Mohan Roy published his Brahmanical magazine at this time and the Calcutta Unitarian
Committee was formed by him in 1821 as protest against the Christian Missionaries. This did
not get sufficient response from the public and soon Roy thought of establishing an institution
in the light of Unitarianism and on the month of August 20, 1828, he founded Brahmo Samaj
which meant to be an absolute assembly who believed in the unity of God and discarded the
worship of idols.
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Readers Delight, Biography of Raja Ram Mohan Roy Social Reformer & Maker of Modern India 46
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CONCLUSION
Ram Mohan Roy was a great reformer of that time. He played a vital role in abolition of Sati
practise, child marriages and other orthodox Hindu practises. He left home when he was kid
and grown up strongly believing the non existence of God. He studied several languages and
had great interest towards knowledge. He read Vedas, Bible and even Quran from his
interest. In 1815, he founded Atmiya Sabha or Association of Friendship, where people of
likeminded would gather and discuss about things. He even set up a first Hindu college in
Calcutta in 1817. Due to his active role in society he was famous amongst English men and
he also been loyal to British because he believed that British can banish the orthodox beliefs
of Hindus. In 1828, he founded Brahmo Sabha, on the purpose of gathering revolutionary
minds and fight against foolish ideology of orthodox Hindu people. Even though he married
thrice in his childhood, he strongly opposed the practise of Polygamy and strongly
encouraged inter caste marriage. He believed caste is the biggest obstacle for India’s growth
and unity. In 1830, Ram Mohan Roy represented Mughal Emperor in British Parliament for
raise of monthly pay, as a result his income raised to 30,000 rupees. And at the same time, he
was granted title “Raja” for representing the Emperor of Delhi. He travelled a lot in Great
Britain and ensured the passage of Bengal Sati Regulation, 1829 in British parliament. A big
victory for relentless efforts on revolutionary ideas. Raja Ram Mohan Roy was named as
“Modern Reformer” by historians and academicians for his efforts in 18 th century. Raja Ram
Mohan Roy was very appreciated among British people for his revolutionary efforts. He also
used to write books relating to Hindu culture and showcasing the world, the true Hinduism.
He died in Stapleton on 27th September, North East of Bristol, England from Meningtis
disease. Even after his death in England his seeds of reformatory ideas spread over India
particularly Bengal, where he is regarded as reformer of the Society. In a latest survey
conducted by organization, Raja Ram Mohan Roy ranked 8th among most respected people
among Bengal People.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Biography of Raja Ram Mohan Roy (Social Reformer & Maker of Modern India) by
Reader’s Delight.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy by Kalyani Mookherji
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