Grade 8 – History - Chapter 8 – India Renaissance

8.1 The Position of Women

• During ancient times, women enjoyed equal status with men which gradually deteriorated in medieval times.
• At the beginning of the 19th century, the position of women was very miserable.
• They did not enjoy equal status and had no access to education.
• They were denied of social and economic rights.
• Many evil practices such as female infanticide, child marriages, marriages between young girls and aged men, ban on
widow remarriage, dowry system, purdah system and polygamy were responsible for the poor condition of women.
• Sati was one of the cruel practices in which a widow burnt herself on the funeral pyre of her husband.
• Woman chose such death were called 'sati', meaning virtuous woman.

8.2 The Caste System

• The caste system was another factor that harmed the social progress.
• It created social divisions in the society.
• It was based on inequality, exploitation, and injustice.
• The caste system placed Brahmins at the top of the social pyramid.
• They enjoyed all privileges and had the monopoly to perform rites and rituals.
• They also had exclusive access to all kind of learning and knowledge.
• At the bottom of the pyramid, were the Shudras and untouchables.
• These Untouchables were assigned the duty of serving all other castes.
• They were to perform low level jobs such as those of scavengers (garbage cleaner), tanners and other low-level jobs.
• Their Touch was considered impure and would spoil the upper castes.
• They were denied access to temples, schools, and water resources.
• They had to live far from the main village.
• They had no freedom for the choice of occupation.
• They could not mingle or dine with people from other castes.
• The rigid caste system was the biggest obstacle not only to political, social, economic, cultural progress of the society
but also to national unity.

8.3 Indian Renaissance

• The establishment of the British power led to the spreading of colonial culture and ideology that resulted in a critical
analysis of the native culture and institutions.
• The British rule in India from 1757 to 1858 witnessed an outburst of intellectual activity and change in the outlook
towards the social and religious ideas.
• This was largely due to the introduction of English education.
• It enabled the Indians to get familiar with Western ideas and knowledge.
• The faith and belief were taken over by reasoning and judgment.
• The educated Indians influenced by rationalism, began to inquire, and argue before accepting anything.
• The superstitious beliefs and practices were investigated by applying scientific knowledge.
• They felt an urgent need to reform the Indian society for nation's progress.
• A critical outlook on the past and new aspirations for the future marked a new beginning called Indian Renaissance with
a view to transform India into a modern nation.

8.4 Reformers of Eastern India

8.4.1 Raja Rammohan Roy

• The socio religious reforms accepted by the entire nation started with the efforts of Raja Rammohan Roy.
• He is called the Father of Modern India.
• He founded a reform association known as Brahmo Samaj in 1828.
• It criticized polytheism, idol worship and the abuse of the caste system.
• He wanted to improve the condition of Indian women and bring freedom and equality for them.
• He encouraged education for women and opposed the practice of sati.
• He tried to prove through his writings that the practice of sati was not permitted by the Hindu Shastras
• His campaign provoked the anger of the orthodox section of people against him.
• But in 1829, he succeeded in imposing a ban on sati under Governor-General Lord William Bentinck.
• He played an important role in improving the condition of widows.
• He also opposed polygamy.
• He advocated widow remarriage and opposed child marriage.
8.4.2 Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
• He was one of the greatest educationist and social reformers of modern India.
• He worked for the improvement of the status of women.
• He was influenced by Western ideas.
• He took a leading part in successful campaign to legalise remarriage of widows.
• He gave reference of ancient texts and suggested that widows could remarry.
• His agitation led to the passing of the Hindu Widows Remarriage Act in 1856.
• He strongly opposed child marriage and polygamy.
• He promoted the education of girls and set up nearly 35 schools in Bengal.
• His passion had to face the anger of the orthodox members of Indian society.
• He rejected the rigid caste system and opened the doors of his Sanskrit college for non-Brahmin students and admitted
students of lower castes.

8.4.3 Swami Vivekananda

• He was the most notable disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
• He tried to eliminate child marriages and illiteracy to bring social reform.
• He criticized evil social practices such as untouchability.
• He worked to raise the status of women and the masses by means of education.
• In 1897, he founded the Ramakrishna Mission and propagated that service to humanity is the true religion.
• The Mission set up many schools and dispensaries.
• It helped people in times of distress.

8.5 Reformers of Northern India

8.5.1 Swami Dayanand Saraswati

• He founded the Arya Samaj in 1875.
• He rejected caste differences and rejected the supremacy of the Brahmins.
• He opposed child marriages and encouraged inter-caste marriages.
• He believed that Hindu society could be reformed by restoring Vedic rituals and institutions.
• He insisted that the study of Vedas and other Hindu scriptures be opened to people of all castes.
• According to him, only the Supreme Being should be worshipped and opposed the worship of gods and goddesses.
• Under his leadership, Arya Samaj maintained many educational institutions and founded Kanya Gurukuls to promote
education for women.

8.6 Reformers of Western India

8.6.1 Dr. Atmaram Pandurang, M. G. Ranade and R. G. Bhandarkar

• In 1867, Prarthana Samaj was established under the leadership of Dr. Atmaram Pandurang.
• M. G. Ranade and R. G. Bhandarkar were some of the leaders of the Prarthana Samaj, who inspired great strength in it.
• The Samaj supported theistic worship and social reforms.
• They preferred prayers and devotional songs instead of cumbersome rituals for worshipping God.
• It laid emphasis on the opposition to the caste system and introduction of widow remarriage.
• It also worked for the encouragement of female education, the abolition of purdah system and child marriage.
• M. G. Ranade started an all-India movement for social reform.

8.6.2 Mahatma Jyotirao Phule

• He was a famous reformer of Maharashtra, who bravely fought for the cause of women and oppressed people.
• He, with the support of his wife Savitribai, started a girls' school at Pune.
• He supported the remarriage of widows and even helped the widows to remarry.
• He worked for the removal of untouchability and for the rights of the depressed classes that resulted into the formation
of Satyashodak Samaj.
• He wrote a book called Gulamgiri meaning slavery, which he dedicated to the Americans who had fought to free slaves.

8.6.3 Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

• He is popularly known as Babasaheb, he belonged to the Mahar caste.
• Members of this caste were viewed as untouchables by the upper caste.
• Throughout his life, he fought for the rights of oppressed people.
• He worked persistently to eliminate untouchability and caste system.
• He founded All India Scheduled Caste Federation.
• He founded the Bahishkrut Hitkarini Sabha to spread education among the depressed classes and to represent their
grievances before the government.
 • He started a temple entry movement of the Dalits for the entry into the Kalaram Temple at Nashik.
• He led a satyagraha at Chavdar lake in Mahad to assert the right of the untouchables to draw water.
• He started journals like Muknayak, Bahishkrit Bharat, Janata and Samata to present the problems of the untouchables.
• He fought for the rights of the Dalits and to improve the conditions of women.
• While drafting the Indian Constitution, he made provisions for their welfare.

8.6.4 Mahatma Gandhi

• He had coined the term Harijans or Children of God for the untouchables.
• He long worked for the eradication of untouchability.
• He founded an All India Anti-untouchability League.
• In 1933, he started a magazine called the Harijan.

8.7 Reformers of Southern India

8.7.1 Sri Narayan Guru

• In South India, he was a critic of the caste system.
• He started a reform movement in Kerala for the freedom of the untouchables of Indian society.
• He established Shree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam to carry out social reforms.
• He believed the differences based on caste and religion as meaningless and gave the message of one Religion, one
Caste, and one God for mankind'.

8.7.2 Kandukuri Veerasalingam

• He was another great pioneer in the field of social reform of South India.
• He championed the cause of widow remarriage and female education in Andhra Pradesh.
• In 1874, he opened his first girls' school.
• He founded the Rajahmundry Social Reform Association in 1878.
• He devoted his life for the improvement of women's status.

8.7.3 E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker 'Periyar'

• He was a reformer from non-Brahmin caste to challenge the Brahmins' claims to power.
• He is popularly called 'Periyar', he fought against the authority of the upper caste.
• He worked to eradicate social evils such as untouchability.
• He started a social reform movement known as the Self Respect Movement.
• This movement denied the authority of the Brahmins.
• According to him, the Brahmins had dominated the original Tamil and Dravidian culture.
• He criticised the ancient Hindu scriptures and law books which not only established the authority of the Brahmins over
lower castes but also the domination of men over women.

8.7.4 Other Activities in South India

• The Veda Samaj was founded in Madras (Chennai) in 1864.
• It was inspired by the principles of the Brahmo Samaj.
• The samaj condemned caste system, rituals of orthodox Hinduism and superstitions.
• It promoted women's education and the remarriage of widows.

8.8 Reaction of Upper Castes

• Movements led by lower caste leaders, powerful speeches and writings made the upper-caste leaders to rethink.
• But orthodox Hindu society also reacted by establishing associations such as the Brahman Sabha in Bengal and Sanatan
Dharma Sabhas and the Bharat Dharma Mahamandal in the north.
• The primary objective of these organisations was to support caste divisions as a foundation of Hinduism and
demonstrate how this was allowed by scriptures.

8.9 Muslim Reform Movement

• Among the Muslims, the social reforms were initiated by Abdul Latif, the founder of The Muhammadan Literary Society.
• Another important educationist and social reformer was Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.
• He opposed the ignorance, superstitions, purdah system, polygamy and the Muslim system of divorce (Talaq).
• He also emphasised the value of education for women.
• He opened the Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College, which later came to be called the Aligarh Muslim University.
• He also founded the Translation Society for translating books from English into Urdu.
• He believed that acceptance of Western education and science would be useful for the progress of Muslim society.
8.10 Sikh Reforms
• Religious reforms among the Sikhs were initiated by the establishment of the Singh Sabha all over the country for the
strengthening and purification of Sikh life.
• It worked to promote education in the Sikh society.
• The leaders of the Sabha established Khalsa College at Amritsar in 1892.
• It wanted to free Sikhism from the prevailing superstitions and caste differences and to bring modernisation.
• Later, the reforms ere continued by the Akali Dal which started a powerful movement to reform the Gurudwaras.
• The Mahants who looked after the Gurudwaras viewed the religious place as their personal property.

8.11 Parsi Reform Movement

• Religious reform among the Parsis began with the efforts of educated Parsi men.
• In 1851 the Rahnumai Mazdayasnan Sabha (Religious Reform Association) was founded with the object of restoring
Zoroastrian religion and reforming Parsi community.
• The purdah system abolished.
• Several social reformers such as Behramji Merwanji Malabari also opposed the child marriage.
• The spread of education, especially among girls also made good progress.

8.12 Women Reformers’ Struggle for Women's Freedom

• Several men reformers supported the cause of women and fought for their freedom.
• In due course of time women began to take initiative and raised their voices against the existing evil practices and
customs that caused great injustice to them
• By the late 19th century, Indian women began to enter universities and trained themselves to be doctors and teachers.
• They began to write, and their writings supported social reform and political awakening.
• Through their writings they expressed their anguish against the inferior position of women in Indian society

8.12.1 Tarabai Shinde

• Stree-Purush Tulana written by her criticised the social differences between men and women.

8.12.2 Savitribai Phule

• She contributed to the cause of women's education despite strong opposition from the society.

8.12.3 Pandita Ramabai

• She was a great Indian reformer and wrote a book which showed the miserable condition of upper-caste Hindu women.
• She founded the Arya Mahila Samaj
• She also established the Sharda Sadan to provide shelter and help to widows by training them to support them
economically.

8.12.4 Role of Muslim Women

• Many Muslim women played notable roles in promoting women education.
• The verses from the Quran were reinterpreted by reformers such as Mumtaz Ali to support women's education
• Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain set up schools for Muslim girls in Patna and Kolkata.
• She criticised conservative ideas and opposed the inferior place given to women by the religious leaders of every faith.

8.12.5 The Theosophical Society

• In 1875, the Theosophical society was founded in the USA by Madame H.P. Blavatsky and Colonel H.S. Olcott.
• In India, its headquarters was situated at Adyar, Chennai.
• The society grew under the leadership of Annie Besant, a reform-minded English woman.
• The Society played a significant role in social and religious reforms especially in South India.

8.12.6 Other Women’s Organisations

• Several independent women organisations such as Bharat Mahila Parishad and All India Women's Conference formed.
• These organisations soon reached national level through which women advocated their issues such as the right of
inheritance, the right to vote, etc.

8.12.7 Impact of Women Reforms

• From the early 20th century women took active part in the national movement.
• Many great Indian leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose supported the demand for greater
equality and freedom for women.
• The struggle resulted when the principle of equality of men and women was stated in the Constitution of India.