RajaRamMohanRoy Sati

7/27/2019 RajaRamMohanRoy Sati

1/11

UNIT 4 RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY

Structure4.0 Objectives4.1 Introduction4.2 Roy as a Religious Reformer4.2.1 Influenas h a t Sh a p a i Him

4.2.2 Reinterpreting Hinduism4.3 Roy as a Social Reformer

4.3.1 On Caste System4.3.2 On Women's Rights4.3.3 On Sa t i4.4 Roy's Political Liberalism4.4.1 O n Liberty4.4.2 On Rights of the Individual4.4.3 O n Law and Judicial Administration4.4.4 On Sphere of State Action4.4.5 On Education4.4.6 On International Co-existence4.5 Let Us Sum Up

4.6 Some Useful Books4.7 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

4.0 OBJECTIVESThe Unit deals with the political thought of Raja Ram Mohan Roy. He was aneminent religious and social reformer of the 19th century India. He was the founderof Liberal tradition in lndian political thought. After going through this unit, youshould be able to :

appreciate the role of socio-religious reform movements in the making of modemIndia,understand the crusade started by Roy against the cruel and barbarous socialpractices, andexplain the meaning and significance of Liberalism in shaping modem Indianpolitical thought.

4.1 INTRODUCTIONRaja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833) was one of the makers of modem India. He isgenerally hailed as "the father of Modern India". Though Roy was modernist in hisapproach, he always tried to link modernity with tradition. He attempted the creativcombination of secularism and spirituality, of Western and Eastern philosophy. Hisattitude towards religion was eclectic. He wanted to present the concept of universalreligion by combining the best features of all leading religions of the world.

4.2 ROY AS A RELIGIOUS REFORMERA review and revaluation of religion was Roy's primary concern. He was of theopinion that rationality and modernity needed to be introduced in the field ofreligion and that "irrational religion" was at the root of many social evils. The socio-political progress of this country, according to him, depended mainly on the


2/11

' successful revolut ion in the rel igious thought and behaviour. He was interested notonly in reforming th e Hindu religion, but a lso t ried to remove the discrepanciesam on g the various rel igions of the world. He unde rtook a serious study ofcom para t ive religions and real ised in due course that t rue Hinduism, t rue Islam an dtrue Christ iani ty are not fundamental ly different from each other. He hoped that theuniversal religion for mankind could be established by combining the best elementsof all religions. Th is conc ept of universal religion mea nt not merely religioustolerance, but also t ranscend ing al l the sectarian barriers of sep arate religion. Roy,thu s attem pte d a spiritua l synthesis, stressing the unity of all religious experience . H tbecame a co nfirmed monotheist . In 1828 he established the B rahmo S am aj. TheSam aj acted a s a forum for re l ig ious and phi losophical contemplat ion anddiscussion. Roy's criticism of religious antagonised the priestly classes of allorganised religions. Time has, how ever, proved beyond do ub t the relevance or Roy'st hough ts a nd deeds.

4.2.1 Influences that Shaped HimBesides Bengali and Sanskri t , Roy had mastered Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Greek,Lat in and 17 other leading languages spoken in the world. Roy's familiarity withsuch diverse languag es, exposed h im t o a va'riety of cultural, philosophical an dreligious experiences. He studied Islam thoroughly. The rationality and the logicalconsistency of Ara bic l i terature in general and the mutaj ji l in part icular impressedRoy great ly. The Sufi poets l ike Sad di an d H aafiz made a deep impact on Roy'smind. The Q uaran ic concept of Tauhid o r Unity of God fascinated Roy.Thus, in this contex t , when R oy exam ined the H indu rel igious texts and practices, h ewas great ly disturbed. H e foun d polytheism, idolatory and irrat ional superst i tionsabso lutely into lerab le. He decided to fight against these age-old evils.A Sanskr i t scholar , Ram Mo han had s tudied the Hindu scr ip tures in depth and thushe got the inspirat ion to free the orthodox Hinduism from i ts obscurantis t elements.Roy also ha d .s tudied the teachings of the Buddha Dh amm a. It is said tha t in thecourse of his travels he reached Tibet. There he was pained to see how the principlesof Buddhism were blatantly violated and how idol-worship, which had no place inthe Dh amm a of Lord Buddha, had come to be accepted . He s tr .ongly cr it ic ised t h epractices.As a Dew an in the revenue depa rtme nt , when the Raja was required to go toRangpu r , he g ot a n op por tuni ty to s tudy the Tant r ik l it era ture a s well as the Ja ina 'sKalpasutras and other scriptures. He also mastered the English language andacquainted himself with political developments and ideas like rationalism andliberation in England a nd Eu rope . The knowledge of English not only faci l itatedRoy's contacts with Englishmen but also opened up a whole new world t o him. InRoy's own words, he now gave up his initial prejudices against the British andrealized that it was better to seek help from these enlightened rulers in amelioratingthe condit ion of the ignorant an d superst i t ious masses. He becam e a strong advocateof English edu cat ion an d a s uppo rter of Bri tish rule.

Roy admired the Bible as much as he did the Vedanta and the Quran. Many of hiscri t ics thoug ht that two majo r features of Roy's B rahm o Samaj, namely, theoppo si t ion to idol-worship, and th e pract ice of col lect ive prayer were borrowed fromChrist iani ty. Roy was charged of Christ ianising H industan in a surrept i t ious manne r.It is true th at R oy advised Ind ians to imbibe Christ 's ethical teachings. Roy himselfadm it ted, "I found the doctrine of Christ more conductive to moral principles andbetter adopted for the use of rat ional beings than any other which have come to myknowledge." H e also compiled "The Precepts of Jesus" with a view to proving ho wthe teachings of Christ could be bet ter adapted to rat ional man's use. At the sametime it has to be noted tha t he was no bl ind adm irer of the Christ ian faith. H erejected the doc trine of Christ 's divinity (arguing tha t if Christ is divine, so is Ra m a)and the doc trine of Trini ty preached by the missionaries.Fro m what h as been said above, i t sho uld be clear tha t i t is unfair to charge R oywith seeking to Christianise 'rlduism. Ra ther i t was Roy's a rden t desire to revive

Raja Ram Mohan Roy


3/11

Idpology of Socio- Hinduism in its pristine, pure and universal form. He pleaded for an AdvaitaPolitical Reform in philosophy which rejected caste, idolatory and superst~ousites and rituals.the 19th Century

Thvs, Roy was someone who had gone beyond narrow divisions of religious faiths.He embraced all that was the most valuable and the most inspiring in Hinduism,Christianity and Islam.4.2.2 Reinterpreting HinduismRoy devoted all his energies to fighting sectarianism and other medieval tendenciesprevailing in the Hindu society, such as polytheism, idolatory and superstitions. Hewas a firm believer of the Advaita philosophy which left no scope for suchtendencies. Roy was quite sure that unless the Hindu society underwent a religiousand social transformation, it would not become fit for political progress. Accordingto him, the then prevailing religious system of the Hindus was ill-suited for the ,promotion of their political interests. The multitude of religious rites and ceremoniesand the unnatural distinctions of caste and laws of purification, Roy argued, haddeprived the Hindus of any kind of common political feeling. Hindus must acceptsome changes in their religion at least for the sake of their political advantage andsocial comfort. Reinterpretation of Hinduism, to Roy, was thus the starting point fothe programme of socio-political reform. Roy sought to combine the deepexperiences of spiritual life with the basic principle of social democracy. Hedenounced all superstitions and the evil practices based on them because he wasconvinced that these longstanding customary practices really did not form the core otheir religious faith. They, in fact, had no place or support in the religious texts ofthe Hindus. Roy wanted to draw the attention of his countrymen to the ancientpurity of their religion. To him, this purity was well reflected in the Vedas and theUpanishads.In order to prove that blind faith and superstitious beliefs and practices had no basisin the pure Hindu religion, Roy undertook the difficult task of translating theUpanishads into English and Bengali. He gave elaborate notes and comments withthese translations and distributed them free of cost amongst the people. -At the age of 16, Roy wrote a book challenging the validity of the practice of idol-worship, which according to him was the root cause of many other social evils. It leto the multiplication of deities and aiso a multitude of modes of worship. This, inturn, had resulted in dividing the society into innumerable castes and groups, eachworshiping an idol different from others. The process of division and subdivision waunending. Roy considered idolatory to be opposed to reason and common sense.Besides, it had no sanction in the ancient religious texts. Roy preached monotheismand a collective prayer from the platform of the Brahmo Samaj.Roy fought against the superstitions which had resulted in evolving many inhumanand cruel customs and traditions in Hindu society. He tried. to convince the peoplethat the superstitions had nothing to do with the teachings of original Hinduism.Roy not only preached but also practised what he preached. Travelling across theocean was considered to be a sin by the orthodox Hindus. Roy was the first Hinduto break this superstition. He himself undertook overseas travel. This courage ofconviction on his part made Roy's efforts more effective.Check Your Progress 1Note : ) ,Use the space below for your answer.

ii) Check your answer with the answer given at the end of the unit.1) Identify the influences that shaped Roy as a reformer.


4/11

2) W hat were the grounds on which R oy objected to idolatory?

-4.3 ROY A S A SOCIAL REFORMERNext to religious backwardness, according to Roy, the factor responsible for thepolitical deterioration of India was her social decadence. He had no doubts that herethe social reform was an essential precondition of political liberation. He didpioneering work in the field of social reform.Roy started his public life in 1815with the establishment of the Atmiya Sabha. Thissabh a vehem ently protested against the prevalent practice of selling young girls toprospective husbands due to some pecuniary interests, in the name of the Kuleentradition. It also opposed polygamy and worked for the removal of caste disabilities.Roy believed in, he progressive role of the British rule in India and soughtgovernme nt held in the m atter of social reforms, especially in the form of sociallyprogressive legislations. For instance, Roy was convinced that without the activesupport of the government it would be almost impossible to eradicate the inhumanpractices of sati.Roy's aim was the creation of a new society based o n the principles of tolerance,sympathy and reason, where the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity wouldbe accepted by all, and where man would be free from the traditional shackles whichhad enslaved him for ages. He yearned for a new society which would becosmopolitan and modern.Roy's methods of social reform were multifaceted. He combined all possible means,including even those which were commonly believed to be incompatible. He appealedto the rational faculty of his compatriots, and often quoted from the scriptures, linesand verses in support of the proposed reforms.

I The g reat scholar of S anskrit that he was, R oy could easily counter the objections of1 . the advocates of status quo by quoting elaborately from the original Sanskrit texts.For instance, while condemning polygamy, Roy cited Yagnavalkya who permitted aI second wife only on 8 specific grounds viz. if she had the habit of drinking, suifered! from incurable disease, barrenness etc. Nevertheless, he maintained that no book wasa work of God and hence infallible. He wrote scholarly essays on topics of social

reform and also translated and reinterpreted the important religious texts. He sentmemoranda and appeals to the rulers inviting their attention to the social evils. Fromthe platforms of the organized forums, he presented before the people the models ofexemplary behaviour in religious and social matters. He took keen interest in andsupported each and every movement aimed a t human l iberation anywhere in theworld. He even had the courage of conviction to declare that he would renounce hisconnection with English, if a particular reform bill pending before the Parliament inEngland was not passed by it. He established or helped in several ways the socialorgan ization s catering t o the needs of destitute widows and penniless students.4.3.1 On Caste SystemRaja Ram Mohan Roy's strongest objection to the caste system was on the groundsthat it fragmented society into many divisions and subdivisions. Caste divisionsdestroyed social homogeneity and the integrated texture of society and weakened it

,

Raja Ram Mohan Roy


5/11

Ideology of Socio-Political Reform inthe 19th Centurv

politically. Caste divisions deprived the people completely of political feeling, i.e. thefeeling of commanality, of soldidarity. A people so divided become incapable ofundertaking any great task. Besides the divisive role of caste system, Roy was alsocritical about its discriminatory nature. He was against the inequitiesjnherent in thetraditiopal caste hierarchy. He thought it to be illogical to assess the worth of anindividual on the basis of birth and not on his, merits. He was in favour of intercasteand inter-racial marriages, which he thought, could effectively break the barriers ofthe caste divisions.

4.3.2 On Women's RightsRaja Ram Mohan Roy wa+ a champion of women's rights in India. He laid thefoundations of the women's liberation movement in this country. He revolted againstthe subjection of women and pleaded for the restoration of their rights. Thecondition of the Hindu women in those days was very pitiable. They were subjectedto different kinds of injustices and deprivations. According to Roy, the root cause ofthe all-round deterioration of Hindu women was the complete denial of theirproperty rights. The Hindu girl was not given the traditional right to share with herbrothers the property of her deceased father. The married Hindu woman was refusedthe nght to share with her sons the property left by her deceased husband.In 1822, Roy wrote a book entitled Brief Remarks Regarding ModernEnchroachments on the Ancient Right of Females. He pointed out that the ancientHindu hwgive rs gave the mother the right to have an equal share with her sons inthe proberty left by her husband; and the daughter to have 114 part of the portionwhich a son could inherit in the property left by the father. Roy indicated how theserights were gradually taken away by the modern lawgivers. He tried to prove thatall these deprivations were blatant violations of the provisions in the ancient textswritten by the authorities such as Yagnyawalakya, Narad, Katyayana, Brihaspati andothers. The utter helplessness and humiliation of the Hindu widow was one of themajor reasons that prompted the inhuman practice of Sati .

Womeq completely robbed of their property rights quite naturally lost theirindependence and became the slaves of the male members of the family. They werethought to have less intellectual capabilities than the males. They were supposed tohave an existence only at a physical level. Men were free to marry as many womenas they thought fit for the satisfaction of their lust. Women however were notallowed to marry a second time. As equality of sexes was an article of faith for Roy,he could not accept that women were inferior to men in any respect. He believedthat thqy were even superior to men in some respects. Whatever inferiority seemed tobe on tbeir part was the result, Roy argued, of keeping them away for generationsfrom the sources of knowledge and the opportunities to shoulder differentresponsibilities in life.Roy vehemently opposed polygamy and with utmost vigour brought to light, itsshayeful evil consequences. He pleaded for an enactment allowing a Hindu male tom a r e rq second wife only after getting a clearance from the magistrate. Roy was infavour of the remarriage of women under certain circumstances. Brahmo Samajwhich he founded paid special attention to women's education.

4.3.3 On SatiPerhap$ the greatest social reform with which Roy's name will be permanentlyassociated is the abolition of the cruel practice of sati. Roy used all the means at hisdisposal to stop this inhuman practice, which forced the helpless widow to burnherself alive on the funeral pyre of her husband.In 1818, Roy wrote his first essay on sati in which he argued that the woman had anexistence independent of her husband and hence, she had no reason to end her lifeon the demise of her husband. The society had no right over her life. Right to life ofboth mttn and women was equally important. That the practice of sati was centuries

' old could be no argument to make it just. All that comes through centuries need notalways be right. All customs need to be adjusted to the changing circumstances, if


6/11

they are to survive. According to Roy, Sati was nothing short of murder and wastherefore a punishable offence under the law.Roy fought against the practice of sati on three fronts: The first and the mostimportant was that of public opinion. Roy through writings, speeches, agitation anddiscussions prepared the minds of the people in favour of the abolition of sati andexplained how the practice had no support in any of the religious texts and hencegovernmental action in the matter could not be an interference in religious affairs.Secondly, he tried to convince the rulers that it was their rebponsibility as civilizedrulers to put an end to the cruel custom. The third ftont was the inquiry into thecauses that led a Hindu widow to commit Sati and to make arrangements toeliminate those causes. Roy found that ignorance of the women about theirlegitimate rights, their illiteracy, customary denial of the property rights to thewidow and the consequent helplessness, dependence, misery and humiliation weresome of the causes behind this practice. Roy pleaded strongly for the restoration ofproperty rights of the women as well as for facilities for women's education.Check Your Progress 2Note : i) Use the space below for your answer.

ii) Check your answer with the answer given a t the end of the unit.1) What were the major concerns of the Atmiya Sabha launched by Raja RamMohan Roy in 1815?

2) Describe the three fronts on which Roy had to fight for abolition of the practiceof Sati.

4.4 ROY'S POLITICAL LIBERALISMRoy can be described as the earliest advocate of liberalism and the precursor of theliberal movement in India. Liberalism had emerged as the most valuable product ofrenaissance and reformation in Europe. It captured some of the best brains in the19th century Europe and America. I t became the dominant ideology of the firstphase of religious and social reform in' India. Liberalism, in brief, stands for thevalue and dignity of the individual personality; the central position of Man in thehistorical development; and the faith that people are the ultimate source of allpower. Quite naturally liberalism insists on the inviolability of certain rights of theindividual without which no human development can be thought of; it insists onhuman equality and also Qn the tenet that the individual should not be sacrificed forthe sake of society. In liberalism, there is no scope for arbitrary and despotic use ofauthority in any field whether it be religious, social, political or economic.Roy advocated liberal principles in all walks of life. In the religious field Roy stoodfor tolerance, a non-communal approach to all problems and secularism. He valuedthe freedom of the individual to follow the dictates of his conscience and even todefy the commands of t h b e s t l y class. Politically, Roy was a supporter of theimpersonal authority of law and opposed all kinds of arbitrary and despotic power.He was conyinced that the existence of constitutional government is the bestguarantee of human freedom. He insisted on the use of constitutional means as whenrequired to safeguard the rights. He preferred the gradual improvements of thecondition of this country because, to him, such improvements were more lasting andprofound.

Raja Ram M ohan Roy


7/11

Ideology of Socio-Political Reform inthe 19th Century

True to the liberal principles in the economic sphere, Roy believed in the sanctity ofright to property. Similarly, he believed that a strong middle class had an importantrole to play in socio-political dynamics. He was for the emancipation of poorpeasants who were exposed to the exploitation of zamindars. He wanted thegovernment to reduce its demands ofi landlords. He wanted to preserve the ryotwarisystem and rural basis of Indian civilization and also establish modem scientificindustry. He however differed from the other western liberal thinkers in oneimportant respect, viz. role of state and sphere of state activities. In his scheme ofthings, the state is expected t o bring about social reform, in protecting the rights ofthe tenants against the landlords etc.4.4.1 On LibertyLiberty was a pivot around.&which he entire religio-socio-political thought of Royrevolved. His protest against idolatory, his agitation against Sati, his demand formodern western education and his insistence on freedom of press, right of women,and his demands for "separation for powers" and for the codification of laws were allexpressions of his intense love for liberty. For him, liberty was a priceless possessionof mankind. He was the first to deliver the message of political freedom to India.Although Roy recognised the positive gains India would get from British rule, hewas never in favour of an unending foreign rule in India. He considered the Britishconnection necessary for India's social emancipation. Political freedom was bound tofollow.His lave for liberty however was not limited to one nation or community. It wasuniversal. He supported all struggles which aimed at human freedom. Freedom forhim was indivisible. He celebrated the establishment of constitutional governments inSpain and Portugal and was pained when such a government collapsed in Naples in1821.Freedom was the strongest passion of Roy's mind. He believed equally in thefreedom of body and mind, so also the freedom of action and thought. He shunnedall restrictions imposed by consideration of race, religion and customs on humanfreedoms.

4.4.2 On Rights of the IndividualRoy was the first to create an awareness for civil rights amongst the Indians. He wasgrateful to the Britishers because they made available to Indians all those civil rightswhich were enjoyed by the Queen's subjects in England. Though Roy did notspecifically enlist the civil rights, he seems to include in it the following rights. Rightto life and liberty, right to have opinions and freedom of expression, Right toproperty, Right to religion etc.Roy gave the greatest importance to the right t o freedom of opinion and expression.To him it included the freedom of creativity of mind and intellect, as well as thefreedom of expressing one's opinions and thoughts through different media.According to Roy, freedom of expression was equally useful to the rulers and theruled. Ignorant people were more likely to revolt against all that the rulers did, theycould turn against authority itself. In contrast an enlightened public would beopposekl only to the abuse of power by authority and not to the existence ofauthority itself. The free press, the Raja argued, had never caused a revolution inany paft of the world. But many examples could be cited where, in the absence of afree press, since the grievances of the people remained unrepresented andunredressed, the situation had become ripe for a violent 'revolutionary' change. Afree and independent press alone could-bring forth the best in the government as wellas the people.Roy, however, was not against the reasonable restrictions on the freedom of press.He even accepted some additional restrictions on the Indian Press, which were notimposed on the press in England. Such restrictions, he believed, might be necessaryhere as some Indians were likely to encourage hatred in the minds of the nativestowards the British rulers. Roy also justified the restrictions imposed with a view tocheck the seditious attempts of creating hostilities with neighbouring friendly states.He, however, strongly objected to the restrictions imposed by the bureaucracy in


8/11

India. These restrictions, in his opinion, were arbitrary and uncalled for by thecircumstances in this country.4.4.3 On Law and Judicial AdministrationLaw, Roy claimed, was the creation of passionless reason. It was the command ofthe sovereign. Hence, even the highest officer in the East India Company did notpossess the competence for enacting the laws for India. T he king-in-Parliament alonecould have that authori ty. What is more, Roy argued that the English par l iament,before finalising every piece of legislation relating to India should take into accountthe views of the econ om ic and intellectual elites in this country .Another imp ortan t Idea that R oy has contr ibuted in the context of law relates to thecodification of law He thinks tha t such codification was in the interest of both therulers an d ruled. He suggested th at the codif ication should be d one o n the basis ofthe pr inciples com mo n and agreeable to'all groups and factions in the society. In thecourse of codification, the long-standing customs of this country should not beoverlooked. Of course, only those custom s which are reasonable and conducive togeneral welfare of the people should be picked up. Codified law should be simple,elear and exact . Codif ication would make the interpretat ions of laws moreimpersonal and i ts application more uniform.Roy had a clear perception of the distinction between law, custom and morality. Heaccepted that evolving customs were an important source of law, but the two couldnot be identified. He also made a distinction between law and morali ty. So me laws,according to Roy, might be legally valid, but morally indefensible. Conversely, somepractices might be morally sound but could not be given legal force. Principles ofmorality are relative to the social realities and any law to be effective must take intoaccount these ethical principles prevalent in a given society.In .his bo ok entitled 'An Exp ositio n of R evenue and Jud icial System in India' R oypresented a profou & $scu ssion on urgent reforms in administrative and judicialma t te r s. H e s t r e s s e ~ h e o in t t hat t he admin is t ra t ion cou ld no t be efficient andeffective unless there were official speaking in the language of the masses. The reshould also be several channels of comm unication between the adm inistrat ion andthe people.Roy's su ggestions of reform in the judicial field are mor e num erous because for hima n eff icient , impart ial and a n independent judiciary was the sup reme guarantee ofliberty. Roy believed that the association of the natives in the judicial process had tobe a n essential feature of judicial adm inistratio n. Other measures advoc ated by himincluded : constant supervision of the judicial proceedings by a vigilant public .opin ion, s ubs titution of English for Persian as the official language to be used in th ecourts of law, appointment of Indian assessors in civil suits, trial by jury, separationof judicial f rom executive functions, and the constant consultat ion of the nativeinterests before the enactm ent of an y law that concerned them. He also suggested therevival of the age-old Panchayat system of adjudication. Roy thus urged several- reform s and. correc tions in the In dian J udicia l system in keeping with politicalliberalism.4.4.4 On Sphere of State ActionT hough Roy w a s a liberal thinker, he did no t believe in the policy of laissez-faire. H ecould never accept t ha t the spher e of state activity w as limited only t o the politicalfield. H e had ap pealed repeatedly in his writings to the state authori t ies to undertakemany social, moral and cultural responsibil i t ies which did not str ict ly come u nder thecategory of 'poli t~cal ' . He w anted the state to protect the tenants against thelandlords, to make arrangements for the useful and l iberal education, to eradicatethe ugly practices l ike Sa ti and to give equal protection to the l ives of-both malesand females, and to m ake effor ts to create a new social ordc. oased on the pr inciplesof liberty, equality, fraternity a nd social justice. T o Roy , the existence of anygovernm ent becomes meaningful only if it performs al l these functions b es id ~ shefunctions for which i t or iginated.4.4.5 On EducationRo y believed t hat unless the educational system of this country was overhauled,there was no possibility of the people coming out of the slumber of so many

R ~ I I am Mohun Rov


9/11

ldeology of Socio-Political Reform in 'the 19th Centurycuntories. His ambition was to change the educational system completely. He wasconvinced that only a modern, science education could instill new awareness and newcapabilit ies in the Indian people. W~ th o u this kind of education, social reform inlndia would be very weak a nd the country would always remain backward. ThoughRoy himself was a great scholar of Sanskrit, he always felt that the Sanskrit learningwas irrelevant to modern lndia and hence he strongly opposed it. He appealed to therulers that instead of perpetuating irrelevant Sanskrit learning, they should helpequ ip the nl.:w gene ration s of Indian s with useful mo dern scientific knowledge. R oywanted instruction in useful modern sciences like chemistry, mathematics, anatomy,natural philosophy and not load young m inds with gramm atical complexities, andspeculative o r imaginary knowledge, Roy's views an d activities were really pioneeringin giving a new turn to the educational system in India. He was the first eminentadvo cate of women's education.4.4.6 On International ,Co-existenceTho ughts of Ra m Mo han Roy on this subject ar e the expressions of his futureoriented imagination a nd insight. He has portrayed a bea utiful picture ofinternational coexistence. He was perhaps the firs t thinker of the 18th century whohad a clear vision of internationalism. This vision might have oc curred to him in thecourse of his search fo r universal religion. R oy, the p rophe t of un~ve rsalism , rguedthat all nations of the world m ust be placed o n an equal footing in order t o achieveglobal bnity and a sense of broad fraternity. It is only then that the contradictionbetweeh nationalism and internationalism can be ended.Ro y held that the different tr ibes and nations were merely the branches of the samefamily and hence, there must be frequent exchange of views and frequent give andtake in all matters a mo ng the enlightened nations of the world. This , according toRoy , was the only way to m ake the hum an race happy and contented. Differences in 1political persp'ectives could be elim~nated y thrashing out the differences on thecom mon platforms composed of equal numb er of delegates from each of thecontestalnt countries. Such a common forum could also be useful for the settlementof all international issues, which would enable mankind to live in peace forgenerations together.Roy's ideas in this respect proved prophetic, the League of Nations and the UNO arein a sense institutional expressions of these ideas.Check Your Progress 3Note : ) Use the space below for your answer.ii) Check yo ur answer with the answer given at the end of the unit.1) How did Roy apply the principles of liberalism to all walks of life?

2) Summarise Roy's views on Freedom of Expression.................................................................................................................................

4.5 LET US SUM UPRaja Ram Moh an R oy is hailed as "the Father of Modern India". He attempted tocombine the western and eastern philosophy. His writings and ideas ar e an exam pleof a synthesis of ancient Indian ideas with modern Western Political Principles.A review a nd rev aluation of religion was Roy's primary con cern for which he


10/11

established t he Brah mo S amaj in 1828. Th e Sam aj provided a foru m for religiousand philosophical contemplation and discussion.Roy was familiar with diverse languages, cultures and philosophies and all theseinfluences shaped his writing and ideas. He conducted a deep study and analysis ~fHinduism in order to re-interpret the basic tenets of religion. In doing this, R O Ywanted to prove that blind faith and superstitious beliefs and practices had no basisin the original Hindu religion.According to Roy, another factor responsible for the deteriorating political andsocial milieu was the social decadence of the Indian society. He wanted to build anew Indian society where principles of tolerance, sympathy, reason, liberty, equalityand fraternity would be honoured. In all this, he believed that the support of theBritish government was essential.Roy opposed the caste system and the practice of Sati. He was one of the greatestchampions of women's rights. He believed in the efficiency of a clearly limitedconstitution that could control the state and safeguard the rights and liberties of theindividuals. H e was one of the first Indians to accept an d popularize the idea ofinternationalism.A multi-faceted personality. Ro y carried o n a relentless crusade against all kinds ofinjustices, exploitative practices and superstitions.

4.6 S O M E U S E F U L B O O KSChatterjee, Raman and : Ram Mohan R oy and Modern India.Collet, Sophia Dobson: Lge and Letters of Raja Ram Mohan R o ,~ , alcutta ,1913.Joshi, V..C. (ed.): Ram Mohan and Process of Modernisation,Delhi, VikasPublishing House, Published in India, 1975.Majumdar, B.B. : Hisrory of Indian Social and Political Ideas from Ra mMohan to Dayanand, Allahabad, Bookland, 1967.Moore , R.J . : Liberalism an d Indian Politics-I872 1922, London, Edwin, 1966.Natarajan, S.: A Century of Social Reform in India, Bombay, 1954,Natesan, G.A. (ed.): Raja Ra m Mohan R oy- Writings and Speeches, Natesan &Co., Madras.Ram Mohan Roy 1935 Cenrenary Volumes I & I f , Calcutta. .

4.7 A N S W E R S T O C HE C K YOUR P R O G R E S SEXERCISESCheek Your Progress 11) Ro y was influenced by the literature in Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, English andabo ut 17 oth er languages. Islam had a de ep impact on his mind.

He became an opponent of polytheism and idolatory under this influmce. Hestudied in depth the ancient Indian literary sources and translated someUpanishads into English and Bengali. He was also impressed by Christianity,particularly its mor al message. He learnt liberalism from the writings of Englishliberals.

(2) Idola tory was to R oy the roo t cause of many social evils. It leads tomultiplication of deities, m ultitude of mod es of worship, and this, in tu rn, resultsin social fragmentation. Idolatory was opposed to reason an d com mo n sense. Ithad no sanction in the ancient religious texts.Check Your Progress 2I ) The major concerns of the Atmiya Sabh a launched by Raja Ra m Mo han R oy in1815 were to remove th e bractice of selline voune Pirls to nrnsnective husbands

Raja Ram Mohan Roy,


11/11

Documents

RajaRamMohanRoy Sati