Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a social reformer that brought about many important changes in India. Learn about his life and accomplishments in this essay.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was born in May 1772 in the Hooghly District of the Bengal Presidency. He was a religious and social reformer that paved the way for progress in Indian society.
Born in British-ruled Bengal, Ram Mohan Roy was well accustomed to the laws and regulations placed on the citizens of the Indian community during the time.
He was also acutely aware of the many superstitions and absurd religious practices in the subcontinent. Roy was born into an orthodox Hindu family, yet unorthodox religious ideas were a part of his life early on. He studied the Vedas and the Upanishads, as well as the Quran and the Bible.
Roy travelled widely and could speak several languages, including Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian. Ram Mohan Roy was much ahead of his time and envisioned a progressive and prosperous India. He is sometimes referred to as the ‘Father of Modern India’ or the ‘Father of the Bengal Renaissance.
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Ram Mohan Roy is famous for his fight against the Indian ritual of sati. Sati was an Indian practice whereby a widow would throw herself into her husband’s burning pyre. After the death of his brother, his sister-in-law committed sati.
This incident deeply affected Roy, and he was determined in his fight to stop the sati tradition.
Roy’s efforts led to the abolition of the sati tradition in 1829. He also fought against other social evils, such as casteism and child marriage.
Roy founded the Brahma Samaj in 1828. It was a monotheistic religious movement that took place during the Bengal Renaissance. The movement came as a reaction to the Brahmanism of the time. It paved the way for modern and progressive thinking in India.
Roy was also an educational reformer. He founded the Anglo-Hindu school in 1822 and the Vedanta College in 1826. Roy was against teaching classical Indian literature, as he believed it would not successfully prepare individuals for modern-day life in India.
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He advocated for a western curriculum to help the youth meet the demands posed by modern life. Roy was a scholar and intellectual that significantly contributed to the making of modern India.
Ram Mohan Roy passed away on 27th September 1833.
FAQs
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When was Raja Ram Mohan Roy born?
He was born in May 1772 in the Hooghly District of the Bengal Presidency.
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What languages could he speak?
He could speak Sanskrit, Arabic, and Persian.
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How did his work impact ‘sati’?
Roy’s efforts led to the abolition of the sati tradition in 1829.
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What else was Raja Ram Mohan Roy known for?
Roy was also an educational reformer. He founded the Anglo-Hindu School in 1822 and the Vedanta College in 1826.
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