Renaissance in India resulted in social and cultural awakenings inspired by the Western Concepts of reason, equality, and liberty. The Renaissance, which means “resurrection” or “rebirth,” was a great European transitional movement that swept away medieval unprogressive ideas and replaced them with individualism, material emancipation, scepticism, nationalism, a more sound economic system, and self-expression. Raja Rammohan Roy was a pivotal figure in the cultural awakening in India. He was called the “Father of the Indian Renaissance.” The Indian Renaissance began as a result of the influence of Western thinkers. 

What is Renaissance?

• Renaissance refers to the revival of classics; however, in the Indian context, it is more than just a revival in the strictest sense. It’s a fresh start.
• The arrival of the English ignited the Indian renaissance. Indians were suddenly exposed to scientific ideas, new discoveries, and freethinking.
• The Vedas, Upanishads, Sutras, epics, and other scriptures housed an Indian treasure trove of scholarship. These were translated and revived by European traders who came to India.
• The Renaissance in India is generally considered the pre-political phase of the anti-colonial struggle.
• It was a period when Indians were mainly engaged in social and cultural preparation for participation in more progressive, radical, and political programs.
• The social and religious movements that preceded the political struggles, known as the renaissance, are regarded as a necessary precursor to the arrival of nationalism.
• As a result, nationalism is viewed as a natural result of a renaissance.

Features of the Indian Renaissance

• A new method of studying Indian history was introduced.
• The reinterpretation of Indian religious texts and rituals revealed irregularities and malpractices in our religion at the time.
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy and other intellectuals launched a new movement for socio-religious reforms which was influenced by Western thinkers.
• The Indian Renaissance gave rise to the study of English literature, thoughts, philosophies, and historical books.
• It has some influence over political movements, and it was later perfectly adopted by them.
• The incredible effect of the Indian Renaissance was reflected in the quality of life and the new frontiers scaled by dance, music, and other performing arts.

Renaissance and Nationalism

• Making a national identity in India was a long process with roots dating back to the ancient era.
• In ancient times, emperors such as Ashoka and Samudragupta ruled India, and in medieval times, emperors such as Akbar to Aurangzeb ruled the country.
• However, the concept of national identity and national consciousness did not emerge until the nineteenth century.
• People were inspired to define and achieve their national identity by social, economic, and political factors.
• In the course of their fight against colonialism, people began to realize their unity.
• The sense of oppression under colonial rule provided a common bond that linked various groups together. The effects of colonialism were felt differently by each class and group.
• Their experiences were diverse, and their perspectives on freedom were not always consistent.
• Several other factors also contributed to the rise and expansion of nationalism.
• A single set of British Government laws applied across several regions resulted in political and administrative unity. This bolstered Indians’ sense of citizenship and belonging to a single nation.
• The British government’s economic exploitation agitated other people to band together and protest the British government’s control over their lives and resources.
• The nineteenth-century social and religious reform movements also contributed to a sense of nationalism.
• They restored ancient India’s glory, instilled faith in their religion and culture, and thus spread the message of love for their motherland.
• People like Bankim Chandra Chatterji, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, and Aurobindo Ghosh spoke out on the intellectual and spiritual side of nationalism.
• ‘Vande Matram,’ which was Bankim Chandra’s hymn to the Motherland, became a rallying cry for patriotic nationalists.
• It inspired generations of people to ultimate self-sacrifice. At the same time, it instilled fear in the minds of the British. The song’s impact was so strong that the British had to outlaw it.
• Similarly, Swami Vivekananda’s message to the people, “Arise, awake, and do not stop until the goal is attained,” resonated with Indians. It was a powerful force in the development of Indian nationalism.

Phases of Indian Renaissance

First Phase

• The first phase of India’s renaissance was embodied in socio-religious movements, which were primarily, but not exclusively, initiated by the country’s burgeoning middle class, which was educated in British liberalism.
• However, the intellectuals who led the movement were not Anglophile Indians.
• An inquiry into the past and an assessment of the strength of tradition to overcome contemporary problems was a defining feature of the movement.
• For example, Ram Mohan Roy’s use of Hindu scriptures in his Sati debate with his opponents, or Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s widow remarriage campaign, or Narayana Guru’s universalism advocacy.
• In a “era of darkness,” they were all looking for a way out.
• The fact that they targeted the obvious—social obscurantism, religious superstition, and irrational rituals—was a foregone conclusion.
• As a result, the first phase of the Indian renaissance was primarily concerned with social and cultural issues, resulting in a relative neglect of political issues. In fact, politics did not play a significant role in their thinking.

Second Phase

• The second stage, on the other hand, was defined by an attempt to reconcile anti-colonial politics with the social quest for modernity.
• The anti-colonial movement did not follow the renaissance, as is commonly assumed; rather, the latter elided into the former.
  • The national movement allowed the values of the first phase of the renaissance to form their ideological postures and enter areas where they had previously been conspicuous by their absence.
• However, the national movement took precautions to keep the social issues struggle off its political agenda and to control it through measured interventions.
• Gandhiji’s role in the Vaikom Satyagraha, for example, was that of a mediator rather than a participant, despite his sympathies for the satyagrahis.

Third Phase

• The Convergence of Marxism and renaissance values resulted in the third phase of the renaissance, which began with the end of colonial rule.
• Indeed, renaissance values are inherent in Marxism and were part of the communist movement’s agenda, which functioned with the concept of cultural and social equality, across caste and gender.
• Egalitarianism, gender justice, and secularism were also central to the first and second phases of the Renaissance.
• The Left’s goal was to transform existing cultural and social practices rather than “reform” them.
• Despite the fact that several leaders of the Left Movement recognized the importance of culture in popular struggles, they were unable to creatively bring them together.
• Despite a promising start in the 1930s, the third phase of the renaissance, as represented by radical cultural activism, did not take off.
• The negative consequences of this failure have plagued the Left renaissance to the point where cultural activism has almost become irrelevant in national cultural life.
• This is surprising given that a sizable portion of the creative intelligentsia is intellectually liberal.
• Many cultural activists and writers have begun to wonder whether a “Left Renaissance” is even possible.