RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY

RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY IS THE PERSON TO WHOM THE

RENIASSANCE AND REFORMATION OF INDIA BE IT
RELIGIOUSLY, SOCIALLY, POLITICALLY OR INTELLECTUALLY, IS
TO BE CREDITED. HE IS RECOGNIZED AS THE INAUGRATOR OF
MODERN AGE IN INDIA. HE IS ALSO ENTITLED AS THE FATHER
OF INDIAN RENIASSANCE BY RABINDRANATH TAGORE.
ROY WAS AN EXCELLENT SCHOLAR AND A GREAT LINGUIST. HE
WAS A POLYLINGUIST WHO IS WELL-VERSED IN NUMEROUS
LANGUAGES LIKE SANSKRIT, ARABIC, PERSIAN, ENGLISH, LATIN,
GREEK AND HEBREW. HE HAS ALSO STUDIED THE RELIGIOUS
SCRIPTS AND TEXTS LIKE THE VEDAS, THE GITA, THE QURAN,
THE BIBLE ETC. HE COMPARATIVLEY STUDIED ALL OF THESE
BOOKS AND TEXTS AND CONCLUDED THAT THEY ALL PREACHED
THE SAME IDEOLOGY AND TEACHINGS. HE, ALIKE SWAMI
VIVEKANAND, BELIEVED IN THE VEDANTA PHILOSOPHY WHICH
WAS BASED ON RATIONALITY AND PRACTICALITY.
RELIGIUOS REFORMS:

1. Brahmo Samaj believe in the existence of One Supreme

God—"a God, endowed with a distinct personality &
moral attributes equal to His nature, and intelligence
 befitting the Author and Preserver of the Universe," and
worship Him alone.
2. Brahmo Samaj believe that worship of Him needs no
fixed place or time. "We can adore Him at any time and
at any place, provided that time and that place are
calculated to compose and direct the mind towards
Him."
3. He also condemned idol worship, rigidty in caste system
and the baseless religious customs. He even criticized
the corrupt priestly class as they were responsible for
the arising superstitions among the people.
4. The foundation of Atmiya Sabha in 1815 by Raja Ram
Mohan Roy is considered as the beginning of the
modern age in Kolkata.
5. They used to conduct debate and discussion sessions
on philosophical topics, and also used to promote free
and collective thinking and social reform as Roy strongly
believed that religious reforms will help to spread social
awareness

SOCIAL REFORMS:
1. In 1828, he set up the Brahmo Sabha, a movement of
reformist Bengali Brahmins to fight against social evils.
2. This community rejected and opposed the social evils
such as sati, child marriage, polygamy, untouchablity
and caste distinctions.
3. His relentless struggle against sati finally turned out to
be profitable as Roy, with the help of governor- genral
Lord William Bentinck, successfully abolished the sati
pratha in India in the year 1829.
4. Along with sati, Roy even demanded for property
inheritance right for women.

EDUCATIONAL REFORMS:
1. Raja Ram Mohan Roy was an important instrument in
promoting western education which helped in social
reforms as well as spread rational, scientific and logical
knowledge.
2. Roy helped David Hare and co- founded the Hindu
College in Calcutta in 1817 which was later known as
Presidency College and he even established the
Vedanta college in 1825
3. in 1830, Raja Ram Mohan Roy even helped Rev.
Alexander Duff in establishing the General Assembly's
Institution which is now known as Scottish Church
College, by providing him with the venue vacated
by Brahma Sabha and getting the first batch of students.
4. His most popular journal was the Sambad Kaumudi. It
covered topics like freedom of the press, induction of
Indians into high ranks of service, and separation of the
executive and judiciary. He also brought several other
journals in Bengali, Hindi, Persian and English.
5.