• On April 5, 1825, an anonymous correspondent of the Calcutta Journal provided insightful analyses of social citizenry in colonial Calcutta. The residents were classified into three categories: those in darkness, indifferent to knowledge and true religion; those content with the status quo; and those opposing British rule for challenging ancient superstitions. 
• While the rhetoric and phrasing resembled Raja Rammohan Roy, he would not fit into any of these categories. Rammohan, an advocate of interminable progress under British rule, saw it as providential and actively engaged in its mediation. 
• Rammohan argued that colonialism prevented Britain from replicating its social and political institutions in India, leading to distinct practices in Britain and India. Responsible public opinion needed to bridge the gap between precept and practice. 
• The Bengali intelligentsia, including Rammohan, paradoxically supported and criticized British rule due to the quick and dramatic political transition in Bengal. 
• Rammohan faced misapprehension, malice, and controversy. Some interpreted his work as an early antidote to Christian proselytization, while Marxist critics viewed him as an ambivalent modernizer. 
• Born into a high-ranking Brahmin family with a history of serving the Mughals, Rammohan later served Europeans, widening his circle of friends. His family’s secular service influenced his familiarity with Indo-Persian culture. 
• Rammohan settled in Calcutta in 1814, befriending European gentlemen and engaging in debates with Hindu pundits, supporting anti-Sati legislation, and showing interest in free trade. 
• Between 1814 and 1830, Rammohan authored over 60 tracts and pamphlets, contributing to modern Bengali prose. He embroiled himself in debates over Hinduism, questioned Trinitarian Christianity, and addressed civic grievances. 
• Rammohan’s visit to England in 1830 served multiple agendas, including countering Hindu orthodoxy propaganda and advocating for the Reform Bill. He interacted with notable figures, such as Bentham and Owen, and appeared before Select Committees on India. 
• Raja Rammohan Roy died on December 27, 1833, after a brief illness. His legacy includes contributions to modern Bengali prose, advocacy for social reform, and early responses to colonialism.  

Colonial Encounter and Rammohan

• In a letter to his friend George James Gordon in 1832, Rammohan Roy reveals an autobiographical fragment outlining his political views in his early life. 
• At the age of 20, Rammohan claimed to be acquainted with British laws and forms of government. Initially unhappy with British rule, he gradually overcame his prejudices, believing that it would lead to the amelioration of the condition of native inhabitants. 
• Rammohan associated certain qualities with different peoples and communities. He viewed Europeans as more intelligent and steady, contrasting them with Hindus, whom he considered superstitious and miserable. Bengalis, in his opinion, were submissive, showing loyalty to the Mughals even during times of plunder and bloodshed. 
• Rammohan warned that grievances in the upper provinces might weaken British power in India. However, he believed the possibility of a strong anti-British sentiment developing in Bengal was slim due to the freedom and security provided by British rule. 
• By the 1820s, Rammohan expressed the “providential nature” of British rule and criticized Mughal polity in his writings. He portrayed the British as deliverers and emphasized the civil and religious privileges enjoyed under their rule. 
• Rammohan’s appeal to the King in Council against strictures on the Indian press revealed his acceptance of the dominant British thesis, pitting the ‘regressive’ character of pre-British rule against the ‘enlightened’ and ‘liberating’ character of the British. 
• Rammohan’s visit to England in 1830 and subsequent interactions with European intellectuals depicted him as a harbinger of European knowledge and principles to India, emphasizing the civilizing mission extended by Britain. 
• Rammohan Roy’s role in Indian modernization involved the consolidation of the position of traditional high-caste landed gentry and the transformation of a medieval literati into a modern intelligentsia. He also supported the transformation from monopolistic trade to free trade imperialism. 
• Rammohan and like-minded individuals supported the ‘free trade’ lobby, believing that the free movement of European skills and capital would contribute to India’s economic modernization. However, their beliefs appeared naïve in retrospect. 
• Rammohan’s views on the Bengal economy, particularly the land question, drew criticism from various quarters. His opponents accused him of neglecting the interests of the cultivating peasantry or traditional zamindars. 
• Rammohan’s advocacy of European colonization and support for free trade inadvertently allowed for the greater integration of Indian markets and labor with British capitalism, hindering India’s own economic growth