Raja Ram Mohan Roy – a Social Reformer

Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was an Indian social-education reformer, also known as the “Maker of Modern India” and “Father of Modern India” and “Father of the Bengal Renaissance”. Who contributed a lot in eliminating the social evils prevalent in the society during the 18th century. He made every possible effort to make his motherland a better place for the coming generations.

About Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a great historical figure. Who made commendable efforts to change India and showed courage to challenge old Hindu traditions. He carried out many social reforms to change the society and also made many efforts to improve the status of women in India. Rai fought against the practice of Sati. He was also a great scholar. Who translated many books, religious and philosophical works and scriptures into Bengali and translated Vedic texts into English.

Early life and education of Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was born on May 22, 1772, in a Bengali village called Radha Nagar, in a Bengali Brahmin family rich in old ideas. His father's name was Ramakant Rai and mother's name was Tarini Devi. His mother was living in the darkest era of Indian history. At that time, the country was suffering from many socio-economic and political problems, which created controversies in the name of religion.

His early education started with Sanskrit and Bengali languages in a school in the village. After which, for the purpose of completing further studies, he was sent to Madras, Patna, where he learned Arabic and Persian. Later, he moved to Kashi to learn the complexity of Sanskrit and Hindu texts such as the Vedas and Upanishads. He learned English language at the age of 22.

Later life of Raja Ram Mohan Roy

He studied Christianity and other religions extensively. From this study, while working for the East India Company, he realized the need to reform some Hindu traditions and superstitions. Additionally, he was born in a religiously diverse family, which may have forced him to control his thinking. Roy was against idol worship and propagated the idea of the unity of God through the Brahmo Samaj.

He was the founder of Brahmo Samaj in Kolkata in 1828. His efforts actually led to the restoration of the ethical principles of the Vedanta school of philosophy. He also co-founded the Calcutta Unitarian Society.

Mughal emperor Akbar II gave him the title of 'Raja'. Raja Ram Mohan Roy was the first educated Indian to travel to England and he went to England as the ambassador of the Mughal emperor Akbar II.

Social Reformer

Bengal was buried under the bad customs and bad practices of the society. There was a great proliferation of complex rituals and polite moral codes, in which bad ancient traditions were clearly understood and largely amended. Rai was against traditional Hindu practices and raised his voice against the practice of Sati, polygamy, caste rigidity and child marriage. His biggest achievement was to stop the practice of “Sati”. This was a practice in which a widow had to destroy her own body during the last rites of her deceased husband by sitting on the funeral pyre along with her husband. He had to struggle for years to legally ban this practice.

He founded the Brahmo Samaj along with other enlightened Bengalis. The Samaj was a highly influential socio-religious reform movement that raised its voice against evils like the caste system, dowry, atrocities against women, etc.

Academic Contribution

He made remarkable efforts in the education system of India. To bring modernization in the education system, Raja Ram Mohan Roy established many English schools. He revolutionized the education system of India by establishing a Hindu College in Calcutta in 1817, which became one of the best educational institutions in the country. Rai urged that science, technology, Western medicine and English should be taught in Indian schools. He started studying them in Indian schools to promote technology, western medicine and English.

Published Work

To educate the people politically, Raja Ram Mohan Roy also published magazines in different languages including English, Hindi, Persian and Bengali. Notable magazines published by him were Brahmaniki Patrika, Samvad Kaumuddi and Mirat-ul-Akbar. His most popular magazines covered socio-political issues in India, which helped Indians rise above their present condition.

In those days, it was necessary to obtain government permission before publishing news and articles. Raja Ram Mohan was against this idea, and he opposed it on the basis of the argument that newspapers are supposed to reflect the truth and the truth should not be suppressed on this basis. The government is not liking it.

Death of Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Raja Ram Mohan Roy died of meningitis on 27 September 1833 in Bristol. The British government named a road Bristol in memory of Raja Ram Mohan.

A lot of progress is being made by Indians in many fields, but the status of women still lags behind this progress. To remove all kinds of evils from the society, a social reformer like Raja Ram Mohan Roy needs to be born again in India.