Social reforms and religious renaissance in india
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Answer:
The urgent need for social and religious reform that began to manifest itself from the early decades of the 19th century arose in response to the contact with Western culture and education.
The weakness and decay of Indian society was evident to educated Indians who started to work systematically for their removal. They were no longer willing to accept the traditions, beliefs and practices of Hindu society simply because they had been observed for centuries. The impact of Western ideas gave birth to new awakening. The change that took place in the Indian social scenario is popularly known as the Renaissance.
Some of the people who struggled for social and religious reforms in the Renaissance in India:
Raja Rammohan Roy:
The central figure of this cultural awakening was Raja Rammohan Roy. Known as the “father of the Indian Renaissance”, Rammohan Roy was a great patriot, scholar and humanist. He was moved by deep love for the country and worked throughout his life for the social, religious, intellectual and political regeneration of the Indians. He organised a movement against the inhuman custom of sati and helped William Bentinck to pass a law banning the practice (1829). It was the first successful social movement against an age-old social evil. He opposed the rigidity of the caste system because it destroyed the unity of the country.
Henry Vivian Derozio
Henry Vivian Derozio started the Young Bengal Movement which condemned religious rites and the rituals, and pleaded for eradication of social evils, female education and improvement in the condition of women.
Debendranath Tagore:
In 1839, he founded the Tatvabodhini Sabha to propagate Rammohan Roy’s ideas. Debendranath Tagore supported the movements for widow remarriage, the abolition of polygamy, women’s education and the improvement in the condition of the peasantry.
Keshab Chandra Sen:
Keshab Chandra Sen carried on an intensive programme of social reform. He set up schools, organised famine relief and propagated widow remarriage.
Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar
He was a great humanist and had deep sympathy for the poor and the oppressed. Vidyasagar was a staunch supporter of women’s education. Vidyasagar’s greatest contribution lies in the improvement of the condition of widows. Through his efforts, twenty-five widow remarriages took place. He also spoke vehemently against child marriage and polygamy.
Swami Vivekananda:
Vivekananda’s main role was that of a social reformer rather than a religious leader. He propagated Ramakrishna’s message of peace and brotherhood and emphasized the need for religious tolerance which would lead to the establishment of peace and harmony in the country.
Annie Besant:
Annie Besant, an Irish woman who came to India in 1893, helped the Theosophist movement to gain strength. She propagated Vedic philosophy and urged Indians to take pride in their culture. The Theosophists stood for the revival of the ancient Indian religion and universal brotherhood.