Social Reforms in 19th Century India PDF

# Social Reforms in 19th Century India ## Points to remember - The Caste system existed in India since ancient times. - In this system, society was divided into ‘high’ and ‘low’ castes which gave rise to social inequalities. - In the early 19th century, social customs and practices took on a new t...

# Social Reforms in 19th Century India ## Points to remember - The Caste system existed in India since ancient times. - In this system, society was divided into ‘high’ and ‘low’ castes which gave rise to social inequalities. - In the early 19th century, social customs and practices took on a new turn. - For the first time, books, newspapers, and magazines were printed. - Raja Rammohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1830. - The Brahmo Samaj criticized social evils such as the practice of sati, child marriages, idolatry, and other beliefs. - In the later part of the century, a large number of Dayanand Anglo-Vedic schools were started. - By the 1880s, Indian women began to enter universities. Some became teachers and doctors. - By the end of the 19th century, women themselves were working for reform. They wrote books, founded schools, edited magazines, and set up women's associations. - In the 20th century, Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose advocated education for India’s children and youth, believing it essential for India’s future progress. ## Glossary | Word | Definition | |---------------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | Hierarchy | A body of persons in authority, a graded or ranked series. | | Threshold | The point or place of entering or beginning. | | Crusade | Holy war. | | Contempt | Lack of respect for something. | | Flickering | To move unsteadily. | | Theists | Believers in the existence of God. | ## Time to Learn ### Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) 1. Which of the following statements about Raja Rammohan Roy is incorrect? - (a) He founded the Brahmo Samaj - (b) The Brahmo Samaj criticised child marriage, idolatry, polygamy, and sati - (c) He was a pioneer of Indian journalism - **(d) He opposed banning of Sati by Lord Bentinck** 2. When was the Hindu Widow Remarriage Act passed? - (a) 1956 - **(b) 1856** - (c) 1857 - (d) 1860 3. Who wrote the autobiography ‘Amar Jibon’? - (a) Savitribai Phule - **(b) Rashsundari Debi** - (c) Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain - (d) Sultan Jahan 4. Who coined the famous slogan ‘one religion, one caste and one God for mankind’? - (a) Ghasidas - (b) Narayana Guru - **(c) Jyotirao Phule** - (d) B.R. Ambedkar ## The Aligarh Movement - The Aligarh Movement was a movement led by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan to educate the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. - Its most significant achievement was the establishment of Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh in 1875, which later on became Aligarh Muslim University. - The objectives of the movement were: - to protect Islam against the onslaught of Orientalists and to prove that it was the one true religion. - to persuade Muslims to learn the English language and western sciences so that they might secure a substantial share in the administration of the country. ## The Singh Sabha Movement - The Singh Sabha Movement was a socio-religious movement within Sikhism. - Initiated by a handful of devoted Gursikhs, the Singh Sabha Movement sought to reform Sikh practice with the publication of numerous books, pamphlets, and newspapers. - The first Singh Sabhas were formed at Amritsar in 1873 and Lahore in 1879. - The Sabhas aimed to rid Sikhism of superstitions, caste distinctions, and practices seen by them as non-Sikh. - They promoted education among the Sikhs often combining modern instruction with Sikh teachings. ## The Brahmo Samaj - Founded in 1830 by Raja Rammohan Roy, it was later on led by Keshab Chandra Sen. - At its centre was the belief that there is one God, who is omnipresent and omniscient. - It attacked some Hindu traditions like the caste system, child marriages, sati (burning of the wife over her dead husband's pyre), idolatory, and other beliefs. - It tried to change the popular Hindu traditions and claimed that these were different from the real Hindu beliefs. ## Other Reform Movements - **Periyar**: Criticised the Hindu scriptures, especially the Codes of Manu, the *Bhagavad Gita*, and the *Ramayana*. He thought that these texts had been used to establish the authority of the brahmanas over the lower castes as well as the domination of men over women. These assertions did not go in vain. The forceful speeches, writings, and movements of lower caste leaders led to rethinking and self-criticism among upper caste nationalist leaders. Periyar started a political party called **Dravida Kazhagam** meaning ‘Union of Dravidians or South Indians’. The primary objective of the Dravida Kazhagam was to champion the cause of the Dravidians and the socially backward castes and work for their upliftment. In 1949, the party split into two. The breakaway party was called **Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam** and was headed by C.N. Annadurai. - **Henry Louis Vivian Derozio and Young Bengal**: Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was a fiery Indian teacher and poet. At the age of 17, he was appointed lecturer of Hindu College, Calcutta where he invigorated a large group of students to think independently. This group of students was called the **Young Bengal**, and they played a key role in the Bengal renaissance. Derozio’s intense zeal for teaching and his interaction with students created a sensation at Hindu College. His students came to be known as Derozians. In 1828, he motivated them to form a literary club called the **Academic Association**. In 1830, this club brought out a magazine called **Parthenon**. Apart from articles criticising Hindu practices, the students wrote on women's emancipation and criticised many aspects of British rule. - **The Ramakrishna Mission and Swami Vivekananda**: Founded in 1897 by Swami Vivekananda, the Ramakrishna Mission is a philanthropic organisation. The mission has headquarters at **Belur Math** near Kolkata and subscribes to the ancient Hindu philosophy of Vedanta. The mission is named after Ramkrishna Paramhansa, the guru of Vivekananda. The mission conducts extensive work in healthcare, disaster relief, elementary, and higher education through its 114 centres spread across India. It uses the combined efforts of hundreds of ordered monks and thousands of householder disciples. Its motto is selfless social service. - **The Prarthana Samaj**: The Prarthana Samaj was established in 1867 at Bombay. The Prarthana Samajists were followers of Namdev, Tukaram, and Ramdas. Although the adherents of Prarthana Samaj were devoted theists, they did not regard the Vedas as divine or infallible. They drew their nourishment from the Hindu Scriptures and used the hymns of the old Marathi poet saints in their prayers. But beyond religious concerns, the primary focus of the Prarthana Samaj was on social and cultural reform such as the improvement of the lot of women and depressed classes, an end to the caste system, abolition of child marriages and infanticide, educational opportunities for women, and remarriage of widows. - **The Veda Samaj**: The Veda Samaj was called the Brahmo Samaj of the south. It was started by **Sridharalu Naidu**. He translated books of Brahmo Dharma into Tamil. - **The Satyshodhak Samaj**: Organised intercaste marriages ## The Non-Brahman Movement - In the early 20th Century, a new movement started against the Brahmans in the South. This **Non-Brahman Movement** challenged the power and authority of the Brahmanas. They claimed that the Dravidians were the original inhabitants and owners of the land. They were conquered by the foreigners – the Aryans – and the Brahmanas are their descendants. - Their leader was **E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker**. He founded the **Self-Respect Movement**. He believed that the untouchables were the true upholders of Tamil and Dravidian culture and campaigned for their cause. He fought against casteism and the prevalent social system. He wanted to eradicate untouchability completely and establish a society based on equality. ## Jyotirao Phule and the Satyashodhak Samaj - Jyotirao Govindrao Phule was an activist, social reformer, and revolutionary from Maharashtra in the 19th century. - He is most known for his efforts to educate women and the lower castes. - After educating his wife, he opened the first school for girls in India, in August 1848. - Jyotiba led a lifelong movement against brahminical religious authority as part of his struggle against upper caste domination. - Phule argued that in fact the Aryans were foreigners who defeated the local inhabitants of India, who, in course of time, became ‘low castes’. - According to Phule, the upper castes had no right to their land and power, in fact the land belonged to the so-called low castes, the indigenous people. - In September 1873, Jyotiba along with his followers, formed the **Satyashodhak Samaj** (Society of Seekers of Truth). - The main objective of the organisation was to liberate the Shudras and Ati-Shudras (untouchables) and to prevent their 'exploitation' by the brahmanas. - For his fight to attain equal rights for peasants and the lower caste and his contribution to the field of education, he is regarded as one of the most important figures in Social Reform Movement in Maharashtra. - In 1873, Phule wrote a book named **Gulamgiri**, meaning slavery. He dedicated his book to all those Americans who had fought to free slaves thereby establishing a link between the conditions of lower castes in India and the black slaves in America. - Phule was also concerned about the plight of upper caste women, the miseries of the labourer, and the humiliation of the low castes. - The movement for caste reform continued in the 20th century by leaders like Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in western India and E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker in the South. ## Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and the Temple Entry Movement - Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar was born on 14th April 1891 at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh. His family belonged to ‘Mahar’ untouchable caste of Maharashtra. - The life of Ambedkar was marked by struggles but he proved that problems can be surmounted with firm determination. - The biggest barrier in his life was the caste system adopted by the Hindu society which practiced untouchability. ## Social Reforms - The major effect of national awakening in the 19th century was seen in the field of social reform. - The newly educated persons increasingly revolted against rigid social conventions and customs. - They could no longer tolerate irrational and dehumanizing social practices. - In the revolt, they were inspired by the humanistic ideals of social equality of all individuals. - All the religious reformers contributed to the social reform movement. - Rammohan Roy translated an old Buddhist text that criticized caste. - The **Prarthana Samaj** adhered to the tradition of Bhakti which believed in spiritual equality of all castes. - The **Paramhans Mandali** was founded in Bombay in 1840 to work for the abolition of caste. - Many of these reformers were people of upper castes. - Often these reformers would violate caste taboos on food and touch to get rid of the hold of caste prejudice in their lives. - In addition, certain other organisations like the **Social Conference** and the **Christian Missionaries** worked actively for social reform. - The missionaries set up schools for tribal groups and ‘lower’ caste children. - At the same time, the poor people began leaving their villages in search of jobs that were opening up in the cities. - There was work in the factories that were coming up and jobs in the municipalities. - The drains had to be dug, roads laid, buildings constructed, and cities cleaned. - This required coolies, diggers, brick layers, sweepers, sewage cleaners, and rickshaw pullers. - Where did this labour come from? - The poor people who belonged to low castes began moving to cities where there was a demand for labour. - Some went to the plantations in Assam, Mauritius, Trinidad, and Indonesia in search of work. - The work in the new locations was often very hard. ## Social Equality and Justice - By the second half of the 19th century, people from within the ‘lower’ castes began to organise movements against caste discrimination. - They also demanded social equality and justice. - **Ghasidas**, who hailed from a low caste, started the **Satnami movement** in central India. - He worked among the leather workers and organised a movement to improve their social status. - In eastern Bengal, **Haridas Thakur's Matua sect** worked among the Chandala cultivators. - Haridas questioned the Brahmanical texts that supported the caste system. - In Kerala, **Shri Narayana Guru** organised a life-long struggle against the caste system. - He coined the famous slogan: “One religion, one Caste and one God for mankind.” - In South India, the non-brahmanas organised the **Self-Respect Movement** during the 1920s to fight the disabilities which brahmanas had imposed upon them. - Numerous Satyagraha movements were organised all over India jointly by the upper and depressed castes against the ban on the latter's entry into temples, and other such restrictions. ## Women Write About Women - By the end of the 19th century, women themselves were working for reform. - They wrote books, founded schools, edited magazines, and set up women's associations. - From the early twentieth century, they formed political groups to push through laws for female suffrage, better health care, and education for women. - In the twentieth century, Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose advocated education for India's children and youth, believing it essential for India's future progress. ## Education of Girls - Vidyasagar was deeply interested in the education of women. - As secretary to the **Bethune School**, he was one of the pioneers of higher education for women. - As a Government Inspector of Schools, his greatest contribution was the thirty-five schools in Bengal that he set up between 1857-1858 with his own money. ## Raja Rammohan Roy - The crusade against social evils was against the inhuman custom of sati. - He visited the burning ghats at Calcutta to try to persuade the relatives of widows to give up their plan of immolation. - He organised groups of like-minded people to keep a strict check on such performances and to prevent any attempt to force the widows to become sati. - When the orthodox Hindus petitioned to Parliament to withhold its approval of Bentinck’s action of banning sati (in 1829), he organised a counter-petition of enlightened Hindus in favour of Bentinck’s action. - Rammohan Roy was a stout champion of women's rights. He condemned the subjugation of women and opposed the prevailing idea that women were inferior to men in intellect. - He attacked polygamy and the degraded state to which widows were reduced. - In fact, to raise the status of women, he demanded that they be given the right of inheritance and property. - Rammohan Roy was one of the earliest propagators of modern education. - In 1817, David Hare founded the famous **Hindu College**. - Rammohan gave his most enthusiastic assistance to Hare in this and his other education projects. - In addition, he maintained at his own cost an English School in Calcutta from 1817 in which, among other subjects, mechanics and the philosophy of Voltaire were taught. - In 1825, he established a **Vedanta College** in which courses both in Indian learning and in western social and physical sciences were offered. - Rammohan Roy was a pioneer of Indian journalism. - He brought out journals in Bengali, Persian, Hindi, and English to spread scientific, literary, and political knowledge among the people. ## Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar - Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s greatest contribution was to the cause of widow remarriage and education of girls. - His efforts led to the passing of the **Hindu Widow Remarriage Act of 1856**, legally allowing widows to remarry. - He was also a fervent opponent of polygamy. - Those who were against the remarriage of widows opposed Vidyasagar, and even boycotted him. - By the second half of the 19th century, the movement in favour of widow remarriage spread to other parts of the country. - In the Telugu-speaking areas, Veeresalingam Pantulu formed an association for widow remarriage. - In the north, Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the **Arya Samaj** in 1875, a reform association that supported widow remarriage. ## Social Customs and Practices - From the early 19th century, social customs and practices took on a new character. - For the first time, books, newspapers, magazines, leaflets and pamphlets were printed. - Thus ordinary people could read these and many could also write and express their ideas in their own languages. - All kinds of issues such as social, political, economic and religious were now debated and discussed by Indian reformers and reform groups. - The discussions could now reach out to a wider public. - One such reformer was Raja Rammohan Roy. - In 1829, Rammohan founded the **Brahmo Sabha** which became famous as **Brahmo Samaj** in 1830. - His main aim in founding the Samaj was to solve the problem of English educated ordinary families of Bengal which were greatly disturbed by the propaganda of Christian missionaries. - The missionaries vehemently criticised the doctrines and practices of Hinduism. - **Brahmo Samaj** laid emphasis on the worship of one formless God. - In the worship, only excerpts from the Vedas and Upanishads were recited. - The Brahmo Samaj criticised social evils such as the practice of Sati, child marriage, idolatry, and other beliefs. - The best example of his life-long crusade against social evils was against the inhuman custom of sati. - He visited the burning ghats at Calcutta to try to persuade the relatives of widows to give up their plan of immolation. - He organised groups of like-minded people to keep a strict check on such performances and to prevent any attempt to force the widows to become sati. - When the orthodox Hindus petitioned to Parliament to withhold its approval of Bentinck’s action of banning sati (in 1829), he organised a counter-petition of enlightened Hindus in favour of Bentinck’s action.