Question

What was the need of social and religious reforms in india?

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

The social and religious reforms in India began because of our contact with the western world and an education that they had brought along. However hard it maybe to digest to some nationalists it's for sure that we as a society wouldn't have come out of the turmoil that we had created, hadn't we been brought in contact with the world that was outside. Intetesting thing is that we should not be needing western education to bring reforms when actual process of renaissance began in Bengal. Because Indians throughout history had been notoriously insulated society with an exemplary inertia for acceptance to the ideas from outside. Hence the illusion that Indian society, traditions, knowledge, culture etc is best came down to shatters as soon as West opened their eyes to the grim reality of social devastation.