Indian Society: Position of Women & Social Reform

• Colonization by the British exposed weaknesses in Indian society, leading to introspection among Indian visionaries.
• Social reformers aimed to address exploitation and discrimination against women and the inequalities of the caste system.
• Exposure to Western culture and rational thought played a role in prompting social reforms.

Position of Women in Indian Society

• Sati Pratha involved burning widows alive on their husband's funeral pyres.
• Female Infanticide refers to the killing of newborn female infants.
• Child Marriage involved marrying young children, often before they reached puberty.
• Widows faced social isolation, restrictions on remarriage, and poor treatment.
• Polygamy allowed men to have multiple wives, further marginalizing women.
• Thinkers and reformers emerged to combat these social evils and to advocate for women's rights.

Crusade Against Sati

• Sati Pratha was an illegal and inhumane practice, particularly prevalent in Bengal.

Raja Rammohan Roy's Role

• Roy argued that Sati had no sanction in ancient texts.
• Roy visited burning ghats to persuade relatives against forcing widows to commit Sati.
• Roy organized groups to prevent forced Sati and raised awareness through his writings.

British Government Intervention

• Initially, the British hesitated to interfere due to religious considerations.
• Governor-General William Bentinck banned Sati in 1829, influenced by reformers like Roy.

Brahmo Samaj

• Raja Rammohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1830.
• The Brahmo Samaj aimed to reform Indian society using Western rationalism, scientific approaches, and principles of human dignity and social equality.
• Roy advocated for modern Western education to promote freedom and equality in India.

Position of Widow and Widow Remarriage

• Due to child marriage and polygamy, many young women became widows at an early age.
• Widows faced severe restrictions, including prohibitions on remarriage, and limitations on their diet and social activities.

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's Contribution

• Vidyasagar condemned the misery and oppression of Hindu widows.
• He studied ancient texts to argue that widows could remarry.
• The Widow Remarriage Act was passed by the British government in 1856 as a result of his efforts.
• Widows gained the right to their husband's property in 1874, but could not dispose of it.

Child Marriage

• Child marriage was practiced as a perceived safety measure during foreign invasions, aiming to protect young girls from exploitation.
• Raja Rammohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and Dayanand Saraswati advocated for the abolition of child marriage.
• The Age of Consent Act (1891) initially restricted physical relations with girls under 12.
• The Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929 (Sarda Act) fixed the minimum marriage ages at 14 for females and 18 for males.

Female Infanticide and Foeticide

• Female Infanticide is the practice of killing a girl child after birth.
• Female Foeticide is the illegal practice of killing the fetus of an unborn baby girl.
• The Female Infanticide Act (1870) gave provincial governments the power to prevent the killing of baby girls and to punish offenders.

Women's Education

• Reformers believed that education was essential to improving the condition of women.
• Initial resistance to women's education stemmed from the belief that girls should not be exposed to the outside world.
• The Bethune School, the first girls' school, was founded in Calcutta in 1849.
• Vidyasagar organized 35 girls' schools in Bengal and advocated for higher education for women as the Secretary of the Bethune School.
• Jyoti Rao Phule started a girls' school in Poona.
• The Arya Samaj set up schools for girls in Punjab.
• Muslim reformers reinterpreted the Quran to promote women's education in Muslim households.

Women Step Into Writing

• In the late 19th century, more women became doctors and teachers and began writing about the role and status of women in society.
• Rash Sundari Debi wrote "Amar Jiban," the first full-length autobiography in Bengali.
• Kailashbashini Debi, Tarabai Shinde, and Pandita Ramabai wrote about women's exploitation, ignorance, hard domestic labor, and unjust treatment.
• Pandita Ramabai founded a Widow's Home in Poona to provide shelter for widows mistreated by their relatives.

Women's Role in the Freedom Struggle

• In the 20th century, women actively participated in the freedom movement.
• These included the Agitation Against the Partition of Bengal, the Non-Cooperation Movement and the Civil Disobedience Movement which was led by Mahatma Gandhi
• Full voting rights were granted to women after Independence
• The Indian Constitution guaranteed complete equality to men and women.

Challenges Faced by Reformers

• Traditional elements of society opposed reforms.
• Reformers faced debates and attacks for their progressive views.
• Educated middle-class Indians supported and drove the reform movements.

The Caste System

• Traditional Indian society was based on four varnas: Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra.

Caste Inequalities

• Lower castes were deprived of basic social and economic opportunities.
• Untouchability marginalized lower castes.
• Modern education and reformers worked to remove casteism.

Impact of British Rule

• Cities created job opportunities, leading to migration from villages.
• Interaction between castes in urban areas led to a decline in rigid caste separation.
• Lower castes found opportunities in the army (e.g., the Mahar Regiment).
• Reformers fought against caste and untouchability.

Role of Social Reformers and Social Changes

• Key figures include Rammohan Roy, Swami Dayanand, Ramakrishna Mission, and Prarthana Samaj, whom all condemned caste and untouchability.
• Reformers believed national progress required ending discrimination.

Key Social Reformers

• Jyoti Rao Phule was born in Poona (Maharashtra) in 1827 and founded Satya Shodhak Samaj in 1873 to improve the condition of oppressed people.

• Krishnan Rao Bhalekar (friend) started a weekly called Deenbandhu in 1879.

• Gopal Hari Deshmukh was a well-known writer of Marathi and conveyed the message of fighting the evils of the caste system.

• Swami Vivekananda's original name was Narendra Nath Datta and founder of the Ramakrishna Mission.

• Vivekananda opposed the caste system and untouchability.

• Kandukuri Veerasalingam was born in 1847, started a magazine named 'Vivekavardhini,' and founded the Rajahmundry Social Reform Association in 1878.

• E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker was known as 'Periyar,' advocated social equality and justice, became President of the Justice Party of Madras, and took over the Dravidar Karagam party.

• Sri Narayan Guru was born in 1856 in the Ezhava family and sought to eradicate social evils and disabilities imposed on lower castes.

• Mahatma Gandhi opposed the caste system, founded All India Harijan Sangh in 1932, and named the untouchables as Harijans.

• Bhim Rao Ambedkar was born in 1891 in Mhow village, belonged to a lower caste (Mahar Caste), started a temple entry movement, and demanded separate electorates for untouchables.

• Article 15 of the constitution prohibits discrimination based on caste, creed, sex, or religion.

• Article 17 abolishes untouchability, making it a punishable offense.

• Polygamy means having more than one wife at a time.

• Sati is the practice of a woman burning herself on her husband's pyre.

• Pioneers are innovators or initiators.

• Female foeticide is the act of killing a female fetus.

• Orthodox means traditional or conservative.

• A crusade is described as a vigorous campaign for social or political change.

Key Figures & Organizations

• Raja Rammohan Roy
• William Bentinck
• Brahmo Samaj
• Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
• Dayanand Saraswati
• Jyoti Rao Phule
• Arya Samaj
• Swami Vivekananda
• Ramakrishna Mission
• Gopal Hari Deshmukh
• Kandukuri Veerasalingam
• E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker (Periyar)
• Sri Narayan Guru
• Mahatma Gandhi
• Bhim Rao Ambedkar
• All India Harijan Sangh
• Martin Luther King Jr.