state the impact of the reform movements on india
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Impact of the Reform Movement
As a result of reform movements significant advances were made in the field
of emancipation of women. Legal measures were introduced to elevate their
status. The practice of sati and infanticide were made illegal. In 1856 a law
was passed permitting widow remarriage .Another law passed in 1860 raised the
marriageable age of girls to ten which was a significant advance in those days.
Many superstitions also began to disappear. The reform movements that grew
differed from each other in many parts but they all helped in awakening the
people to the need for change. The reform movements contributed a great deal to
the birth of Indian nationalism. These were country-wide movements influencing
people everywhere and not just in isolation.
The reform activities united people and the attack on institutions like caste
which hampered social unity created a sense of oneness in the people. But most
of these reform movements had certain limitations. The questions to which they
gave primacy concerned only small sections of Indian society. Some of them
failed to emphasize or even recognize that colonial rule was inimical to the
interests of the Indian people. Most of them worked within the framework of
their respective communities in a way tended to promote identities based on
religion or caste. Many of these limitations were sought to be overcome during
the course of the national movement with which many social and religious
reformers were closely associated. Indian nationalism aimed at the regeneration
of the entire Indian society irrespective of caste and community. It was no
longer necessary to confine the movement of social reform to one’s own
community.
social and economic. These reforms brought in positive changes to our society and economy, doing away with outdated policies and laws. It resulted in development of the country as a whole.
The early, leading reformers of Indian society were Swami Vivekananda, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Baba Amte, Acharya Vinobha Bhave etc. Their foresight and leadership, brought in several reforms, that aided the growth and development of India.