Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1774-1833)

• India made significant progress in the religious and social fields during the 19th century, marking a transition from medievalism to the modern age.
• The Indian mind was stirred by contact with Western forces, leading to progress in many areas.
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy, born in 1774 in a well-to-do Brahmin family in Bengal, is a prominent figure in religious and social development.
• At the age of 15, Ram Mohan Roy wrote a pamphlet denouncing idol-worship, which was not recognized in the Vedas. This led to him being exiled from his family.
• During his exile, he traveled and gained knowledge in Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, English, French, Latin, Hebrew, and Greek.
• His study of religious scriptures from various religions helped him form a comparative view of religion.
• In 1805, he joined the English East India Company and worked until 1814, after which he settled in Calcutta to dedicate himself to public service.
• In 1814, he started the Atmiya Sabha, and in 1828, he founded the Brahmo Samaj.
• He went to England in 1831 on a special mission to plead for the Mughal Emperor of Delhi, but died in Bristol on 27th September 1833.
• Ram Mohan Roy was awarded the title of Raja by the Mughal Emperor.
• His actions were driven by a deep love for his motherland and a desire to uplift the ignorant and poor.
• He advocated for political consciousness through education, as an armed rebellion against the British was not feasible.
• He supported the introduction of Western education, including the study of English and Western sciences, and helped establish Hindu College, a leading educational institution.
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy fought for the freedom of the Press and founded the Samvad Kaumudi, a Bengali newspaper. He campaigned against the Press Regulations of 1825, which led to the eventual freedom of the Press in 1835.
• He was a major proponent for the abolition of sati, carrying out widespread propaganda against the practice. His efforts led to the ban on sati in 1829 by Lord William Bentinck.
• He also challenged the opposition from orthodox factions through petitions and was instrumental in the success of the sati abolition.
• While in England, he suggested administrative reforms in British India and became the first Indian to be consulted by the British Parliament.
• He drew his political ideas from European philosophers like Bacon, Hume, Bentham, Blackstone, and Montesquieu, advocating for peaceful dispute resolution through international congresses.
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy was primarily a religious reformer who sought the truth. His study of Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism led him to believe in the monotheistic principle common across all religions.
• He founded the first theistic church in Calcutta, focusing on the unity of all faiths. Worship in the Brahmo Samaj emphasized union between people of different religions.
• He was viewed as a Muslim by Muslims, a Christian by Christians, a Unitarian by Unitarians, and a Vedantist by Hindus, although he didn’t conform to any of these identities in a conventional sense.
• He was a reformer, seeking to preserve what was true and pure, while removing false and superstitious elements.
• His ideas gained support from Unitarian and theistic circles in the West.
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy made significant contributions to literature and was a prolific writer in multiple languages, known as one of the creators of modern Bengali prose.
• He was a great linguist and master of style, making him one of the greatest scholars of his time.
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy is often called “the herald of a new age” for his profound impact on India.
• Monier-Williams describes him as “perhaps the first earnest-minded investigator of the science of comparative religions.”
• According to Seal, Raja Ram Mohan Roy was “the harbinger of the idea of universal humanism, watching from his conning tower the procession of universal humanity in universal history.”
• Miss Colet views him as “the living-bridge over which India marches from her unmeasured past to her incalculable future,” bridging the gaps between ancient caste and modern humanity, superstition and science, despotism and democracy, immobile custom and progressive change, and polytheism and theism.
• Nandlal Chatterjee calls him “the human link between the unfading past and the dawning future, between vested conservatism and radical reform, between superstitious isolationism and progressive synthesis, in short, between reaction and progress.”
• Rabindranath Tagore credited him with “inaugurating the modern age in India,” and described him as the Father of Indian Renaissance and the Prophet of Indian Nationalism.
• His ideas of social and religious reforms aimed at the political regeneration of India, emphasizing the need for change in the Hindu system for the country’s political and social advancement.
• He criticized the system of castes and divisions, claiming it deprived Hindus of political feelings and qualifications for difficult enterprises.
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy believed that change in religion was necessary for the political and social comfort of the people.
• Like the Moderates of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he believed British rule in India was a Divine dispensation that benefited the country.
• He did not advocate for full independence but instead supported a gradual increase in Indian participation in the administration of the country.
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy favored political demands only if his countrymen were already competent to handle them, and he strongly stood for civil liberty for all.
• His work was preparatory for India’s political advancement, by addressing social and religious evils, and fostering political consciousness among Indians.
• He is recognized as a pioneer in this field and is rightly called the father of Indian Nationalism.