Question

What is Raja Ram Mohan Roy's contribution to social upliftment?

Answer 1

Hint: Raja Ram Mohan Roy was an Indian reformer who was one of the founders of the Brahmo Sabha, which was the forerunner of the Brahmo Samaj, a social-religious reform movement in India. Mughal Emperor Akbar II bestowed the title of Raja upon him. Politics, public administration, education, and religion all benefited from his influence.

Complete answer:
Social Contributions by Raja Ram Mohan Roy:
- He worked to improve the condition of the Indian woman.
- He saw reforming religious organizations as vehicles for social and political change.
- In 1814, he founded the Atmiya Sabha, 1821, the Calcutta Unitarian Association, and in 1828, the Brahmo Sabha or Brahmo Samaj.
- He advocated for women's rights, such as the ability of widows to remarry and the right of women to own property.
- Sati was abolished in 1829 by Lord William Bentinck, the then Governor-General of India, and the practice of polygamy was outlawed.
- Raja Ram Mohan Roy was an outspoken opponent of the caste system, untouchability, superstitions, and intoxicants.
- He railed against child marriage, polygamy, female illiteracy, and widows' plight.
- He emphasized the importance of rationalism and a modern scientific approach.
- He campaigned against what he saw as the faults of Hindu society at the time.
- He founded the Bengali monthly journal Sambad Kaumudi, which consistently criticized Sati as barbarous and incompatible with Hinduism's teachings.

Note: Raja Ram Mohan Roy was well-known for his attempts to put an end to sati and child marriage. Many historians believe Raja Ram Mohan Roy to be the "Father of the Bengal Renaissance”.