📌 Topic 03 of 6 · Chapter 13 · Economic Impact & Social Reforms
Brahmo Samaj & Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Brahmo Samaj (1828), abolition of Sati (1829), widow remarriage, women’s education — Father of Modern India.
👑 Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772–1833)
Raja Ram Mohan Roy is called the “Father of Modern India” and “Father of Indian Renaissance”. He was the first Indian to engage with Western ideas while remaining rooted in Indian tradition. He initiated a wide range of social, religious, and educational reforms.
🏛️ Brahmo Samaj (1828)
- Founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1828 in Calcutta
- First meeting held at Jorasanko (Calcutta)
- Monotheistic — belief in one God; rejected idol worship
- Rejected caste distinctions
- Promoted rational thinking and social reform
- Later leaders: Debendranath Tagore (father of Rabindranath Tagore), Keshab Chandra Sen
- Split into: Brahmo Samaj of India (Keshab Chandra Sen, 1866) and Adi Brahmo Samaj (Debendranath Tagore)
🔥 Abolition of Sati (1829)
- Raja Ram Mohan Roy campaigned vigorously against Sati (widow self-immolation)
- He collected evidence, wrote articles, and petitioned the British government
- Regulation XVII (1829) — passed by Lord William Bentinck — abolished Sati
- This was a landmark achievement — the first major social reform legislation in India
- Roy’s personal motivation: He witnessed his sister-in-law being forced to commit Sati
📚 Other Reforms by Raja Ram Mohan Roy
- Widow remarriage: Advocated for the right of widows to remarry
- Women’s education: Promoted education for women
- English education: Supported English education and Western science
- Press freedom: Founded newspapers — Sambad Kaumudi (Bengali), Mirat-ul-Akhbar (Persian)
- Opposed child marriage and polygamy
- Translated Vedas and Upanishads into Bengali and English
- Died in Bristol, England (1833) — while lobbying for Indian causes
⭐ Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s Legacy: Roy’s reforms were revolutionary for his time. He challenged both Hindu orthodoxy (Sati, caste, idol worship) and Western colonialism (drain of wealth, press freedom). He is called the “Father of Modern India” because he initiated the modernisation of Indian society. His work inspired all subsequent social reform movements.
🏛️ Later Brahmo Samaj Leaders
| Leader | Period | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Debendranath Tagore | 1840s–1880s | Revived Brahmo Samaj; more spiritual; father of Rabindranath Tagore |
| Keshab Chandra Sen | 1860s–1880s | Promoted inter-caste marriage; women’s education; founded Brahmo Samaj of India (1866) |
| Sivanath Shastri | 1880s | Founded Sadharan Brahmo Samaj (1878); more democratic |
📝 Exam Tip:
• Brahmo Samaj = 1828 = Raja Ram Mohan Roy = Calcutta = monotheistic
• Sati abolished = 1829 = Regulation XVII = Lord William Bentinck
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy = “Father of Modern India” = “Father of Indian Renaissance”
• Debendranath Tagore = father of Rabindranath Tagore = Brahmo Samaj leader
• Roy died in Bristol, England (1833)
• Brahmo Samaj = 1828 = Raja Ram Mohan Roy = Calcutta = monotheistic
• Sati abolished = 1829 = Regulation XVII = Lord William Bentinck
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy = “Father of Modern India” = “Father of Indian Renaissance”
• Debendranath Tagore = father of Rabindranath Tagore = Brahmo Samaj leader
• Roy died in Bristol, England (1833)