Indian Renaissance -
Social and Religious Reforms in India
A. Fill in the blanks.
1. Sati was banned by Lord William Bentick with the support of progressive Indians like Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
2. The first Indian School for girls was established in Calcutta in 1849 by Drinkwater Bethune with the support of Vidyasagar.
3. Vidyasagar was a great champion of widow remarriage which was legalised by Lord Dalhousie.
4. The most ardent follower of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was Narendranath Dutta, later known as Swami Vivekananda.
5. Annie Besant started the Home Rule Movement in India.
6. The Prarthana Samaj was founded under the supervision of R. G. Bhandarkar and Mahadev Govind Ranade.
B. Match the following.
=
|
A |
B |
|---|---|
|
1. Raja Ram Mohan Roy |
a. Ramakrishna Mission. [4] |
|
2. Iswar Chandra Vidysagar |
b. Arya Samaj. [3] |
|
3. Dayanand Saraswati |
c. Prarthana Samaj. [5] |
|
4.Swami Vivekananda |
d. ban on sati. [1] |
|
5. Mahadev Govind Ranade |
e. widow remarriage. [2] |
C. Choose the correct answer.
1. Swami Dayanand Saraswati/Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar/Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Arya Samaj in 1875.
2. Veersalingam/Sri Narayana Guru/R. G. Bhandarkar was referred to as the 'Vidyasagar of South India'.
3. Dadabhai Naoroji/Mahadev Govind Ranade/Sayyid Ahmed Khan was an outstanding social reformer in Parsee society.
4. Swami Dayanand/Sayyid Ahmed Khan/Dadabhai Naoroji founded the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh in 1875.
5. The Sikh reforms launched the Akali Movement/Aligarh Movement/Arya Samaj against the corrupt management of the gurudwaras.
D. State whether the following are true or false.
1. Raja Ram Mohan Roy propagated widow remarriage. [F]
2. Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar supported Lord William Bentick in banning sati. [F]
3. Dayanand Saraswati believed that the Vedas were the fountainhead of all knowledge and truth. [T]
4. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was a priest in the temple of Goddess Laxmi at Calcutta. [F]
5. Swami Vivekananda believed that the regeneration of the society is the responsibility of every Indian. [T]
6. Jyotiba Phule was a social reformer in Maharashtra. [T]
E. Answer the short questions:
1. Mention any two evil social practices against which the Bramho Samaj launched a relentless struggle.
= Two evil social practices against which the Brahmo Samaj launched a relentless struggle are - i) Sati , and ii) Child marriage.
2. What effect would the social regeneration that took place in the 19th century have on India's future?
= The social regeneration that took place in the 19th century prepared the ground for the rise of nationalism and the growth of the national movement.
3. Who established the Ramakrishna Mission and why?
= Swami Vivekananda established the Ramakrishna Mission to transform Indian society through selfless social service, spread of education and removal of ignorance and social inequalities.
4. Mention any social reforms advocated by Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan.
= Two social reforms advocated by Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan are -
i) Aligarh Movement, and
ii) Removal of purdah and spread of education for women, and opposed polygamy.
5. Why was the Singh Sabha set up in Punjab?
= The Singh Sabha was set up in Punjab for the social and religious reforms among the Sikhs.
F. Answer the following questions briefly:
1. The central figure of Indian Renaissance was Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the Pioneer of the Modern Age in India:
In this context, answer the following questions:
a) Discuss briefly Raja Ram Mohan Roy's views and ideas on religious reform of Hindu society.
= Raja Ram Mohan Roy propagated the following ideas based on rationalism and the philosophy of the Vedas. He has gives the following conclusions :
i) There is only one God who is the creator and preserver of the universe(monotheism).
ii) All men are the children of the 'One God of all human beings' and, therefore equal(brotherhood of man).
iii) It is not necessary to worship idols and perform rituals and sacrifices. God could be reached through prayer and devotion.
b) What was the programme of the Brahmo Samaj?
= The Brahmo Samaj launched a relentless struggle against the following evil social practices:
i) Sati; ii) Caste distinctions and untouchability; iii) Child marriage; iv) Polygamy.
The Brahmo Samaj supported - i) Education for women; ii) Widow remarriage.
c) Explain Raja Ram Mohan Roy's views on education:
= Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a great scholar. He mastered several languages such as Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, English, Latin, Greek and Hebrew. He was a staunch believer in the philosophy of the Vedanta(Upanishads) which was based on rational thinking.
2. With reference to Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, discuss his contribution in the following fields:
a) Contribution of Vidyasagar in the field of education in Sanskrit College:
= Vidyasagar denounced caste discrimination and, as the Principal of the Sanskrit College, he admitted non-brahmana students. He was strongly opposed to the monopoly which the brahmanas had in the study of Sanskrit and the ancient Vedic texts. He introduced the study of Western philosophy in the Sanskrit College.
b) Contribution of Vidyasagar in the field of woman's education:
= Vidyasagar's most outstanding contribution to social reforms was his efforts to improve the status of women in society. Vidyasagar was a staunch supporter of women's education and helped Drinkwater Bethune in establishing the first Indian school for girls in Calcutta in 1949. As inspector of schools, he opened 35 schools for girls.
c) Contribution of Vidyasagar in the starting of widow remarriage:
= Vidyasagar started a bold movement advocating the remarriage of widows. Lord Dalhousie passed the Widow Remarriage Act in 1856. The first legal Hindu widow remarriage was celebrated in Calcutta in December 1857, with the support of Vidyasagar. It was a great victory for the champions of woman's emancipation.
3. Many great humanists and social reformers propagated their ideas in an effort to arrest the stagnation of Indian society. In this context, discuss:
a) Contribution of the Arya Samaj in Indian society:
= Swami Dayanand founded a society called the Arya Samaj in 1875 which launched an attack on the following social practices:
i) Caste system and untouchability; ii) Child marriage.
The Samaj supported and encouraged - i) Education for women; ii) Widow remarriage.
b) Vivekananda's beliefs and achievements:
= Vivekananda believed that Indians were themselves responsible for the decadence and degradation of their society and, therefore, its regeneration was also the social responsibility of every Indian.
He established the Ramakrishna Mission which sought to transform Indian society through selfless social service, spread of education and removal of ignorance and social inequalities.
c) The Prarthana Samaj:
= The Prarthana Samaj was founded in Bombay under the supervision of R. G. Bhandarkar and Mahadev Govind Ranade. In worked on the same lines as the Brahmo Samaj. The Samaj advocated various reforms aimed at the modernization of Indian society. It worked for the abolition of the caste system. It stressed on - i) Inter-caste marriage; ii) Rising the marriageable age; iii) Abolition of polygamy; iv) Abolition of polygamy; v) Women's education; and vi) Welfare of the so-called 'outcaste'.
4. Write short notes on the following:
a) Raja Ram Mohan Roy's achievements in the field of education:
= Raja Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a great scholar. He mastered several languages. He was a wise man who had immense knowledge in every spare of every religious books. He had knowledge in Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. A comparative study of Vedas, the Koran and the Bible convinced Raja Ram Mohan Roy about the basic unity in the fundamental truths of all religion.
b) Jyotiba Phule:
= Jyotirao Govindrao Phule (also known as Jyotiba Phule) was a dedicated social reformer in Maharashtra. he was popularly known as Mahatma Phule. He challenged the superiority of the brahmanas and the authority of the scriptures. He organized Satyasadhak Samaj in 1873 to moblize the low-caste members and oppressed sections of society in a movement for equality. he also pioneered the education of girls.
c) Reform among Parsees:
= The reform movement among the Parsees was led by Dadabhai Naoroji and other like-minded people.
The Religious Reform Association was set up and it started a movement against religious orthodoxy. Education of women, rising the marriageable age of girls and widow remarriage were some of the major concerns of the reformers.
5. With reference to the reform movements in various parts of India, discuss:
a) Reform movement in South India:
= Reform movement in South India was led by Kandukuri Veeresalingam. He started movement against the deplorable condition of women in general, and the social taboo against widow remarriage and education for women in particular. He was referred to as the 'Vidyasagar of South India'.
Sir Narayana Guru was the social reformer in Kerala. He struggled against the caste system. His remarkable crusade was based on the principle of 'one caste, one religion, one God' for mankind.
b) The Aligarh Movement:
= Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan started the Aligarh Movement. He believed that only through Western education and knowledge of English could the Muslim community progress and scientific temper be developed. His greatest achievement was the foundation of the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh in 1875. He focused on the backwardness condition of the women. He advocated the removal of purdah and spread of education for women, and opposed polygamy.
c) Reforms among the Sikhs:
= The Singh Sabha was set up in Amritsar and Lahore for the religious and social reforms among the Sikhs. It set up the Khalsa College in Amritsar and Lahore and opened many schools and promoted the Gurumukhi script and Punjabi literature.
The Sikh reformers launched the Akali Movement led by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee(SGPC) against the corrupt management of the gurudwaras and freed them from the control of the mahantas.