Content ISSUES .....................................................................................................................................................3
- Education........................................................................................................................................3
- Women`s issues..............................................................................................................................3
- Caste related issues.........................................................................................................................4
- Superstitious beliefs and practices.................................................................................................4
IDEAS.......................................................................................................................................................4
- Rationality.......................................................................................................................................4
- Scientific Temper ............................................................................................................................4
- Humanism.......................................................................................................................................5
- Modern Western Political ideas......................................................................................................5
How did these ideas spread in India?.............................................................................................5
INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR INSTITUTIONS.................................................................................................5
- Raja Ram Mohun Roy and the Brahmo Samaj................................................................................5
Thought...........................................................................................................................................5
Contribution to Social reform.........................................................................................................5
Contribution to education and politics...........................................................................................6
Legacy..............................................................................................................................................7
Practice Question................................................................................................................................7
Q Raja Ram Mohun Roy was the type and pioneer of the 'New India' that he envisioned.
Elaborate.........................................................................................................................................7
- Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan and the Aligarh Movement.......................................................................8
His Thought.....................................................................................................................................8
His contribution to education.........................................................................................................9
His contribution to politics..............................................................................................................9
His legacy ........................................................................................................................................9
Practice Question..............................................................................................................................11
Q Do you agree with the assessment that Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan was the father of Indian
communalism................................................................................................................................11
Revivalist Movements...........................................................................................................................11
- Wahabi Movement.......................................................................................................................11
- Swami Dayanand Saraswati and the Arya Samaj..........................................................................13
His thought....................................................................................................................................13
Contribution to Social Reform ......................................................................................................13
Controversial movement of Arya Samaj.......................................................................................13
His Legacy......................................................................................................................................14
- Jyotiba Phule and his Satyashodak Samaj.....................................................................................15
His thoughts..................................................................................................................................15
His contribution to social work and reform..................................................................................15
His Legacy......................................................................................................................................16
- Swami Vivekananda and the Ramakrishna Mission......................................................................17
His thought....................................................................................................................................17
His contribution to Humanitarianism and social work.................................................................17
His Legacy......................................................................................................................................18
IMPACT AND SIGNIFICANCE OF SOCIO-RELIGIOUS REFORM MOVEMENT ..........................................18
Positive aspects.................................................................................................................................18
Negative aspects...............................................................................................................................19
Practice Questions............................................................................................................................19
Q. Discuss the factors responsible for the emergence of the Indian renaissance. Was it truly the
real beginning of Indian nationalism?...........................................................................................19
The 19 th century marked the beginning of a new chapter of Indian history which is good for
its cultural and social rejuvenation. Its intellectual stirring was triggered by-
Impact of Western culture
Consciousness of defeat to the West
The Indian intellectuals differed in their approach as well as the degree of reform but all of
them appreciated the urgency for the need for reform.
The reformers also understood that reforming the society without reforming the religion
would be impossible. This was because many of the evils plaguing Indian society were
sanctioned by religion. In fact, religion had been the traditional basis for creating and
enforcing social norms in India.
Thus, the 19 th century socio-religious reform movements essentially sought to 'modernize
the Indian society' in order to equip it with the tools to address the Western challenge.
Since this reform movement was envisioned within the framework of a clash of modern
western nationalistic imperialism and Indians` native civilization, the roots of Indian
nationalism were actually present within this movement.
In fact, many prominent historians consider this movement as the socio-cultural roots of
the nationalist movement.
Issues
Individuals and Ideas
Institutions
Impact
Issues
- Education- Indian education was highly discriminatory since women and the lower
castes did not have any access. Only a small section of upper caste men were in a position to
receive education. This resulted in harp socio-economic division of the society.
Further, traditional Indian education was also highly outdated. It emphasized upon
reading of religious scripture alongwith an outdated syllabus of traditional science,
medicine, law, philosophy and mathematics.
This outdated curriculum did not prepare students to participate in the quickly
transforming modern world.
- Women`s issues- Women were subjected to a series of evils and restrictions
such as Sati, Child marriage, female infanticide, Purdah, polygamy, religious disabilities,
restriction on education and economic participation etc.
This had resulted in half of India`s population being reduced to silent spectator in the
civilizational story. Women were actively prevented in contributing to the process of
4 Is of socio-religious
Reform movement
Reform movement
socio-economic, cultural and political creation. In other words, the Indian civilization had
deliberately sabotaged itself by depriving itself of the female genius.
Further, the mistreatment of women was exposing the Indian civilization to bitter
criticism from the West. Western intellectuals justified the colonization of India on the
grounds of 'defending the honour' of Indian women. Therefore, addressing the issues
faced by women was of immense social as well as political importance.
- Caste related issues- These include untouchability, discrimination in matters
of education and employment, religious and social disabilities, and the treatment of lower
castes as impure.
Indian society was deeply divided on the issue of caste and unity could not be possible
without dissolving these divisions.
Further, the British could also exploit these divisions to perpetuate their rule in India.
- Superstitious beliefs and practices- 19 th century Indian society was
characterized by the widespread prevalence of superstitions, both harmful and benign.
The presence of such superstitions indicates a lack of rational thinking. In fact, it is a
symptom of a society that has trained itself not to question existing norms and rather
defer to authority by default.
In such a society, change is almost impossible since there are no incentives to challenge
corrupt institutions and practices.
Thus, superstition is both cause of and symptom of civilizational stagnation.
Ideas
- Rationality- it stands for the application of reason for logic in every situation and
on the basis of this to evaluate the prevailing institutions, norms and practices.
If they withstand this scrutiny they should be allowed to continue. But if they fail, they
must be discarded or reformed.
- Scientific Temper- It involves the encouragement of free thinking and critical
thinking by popularizing the application of the scientific method (observe hypothesized
experiment) to social problems.
In this way, people can be trained to challenge unfair norm and transform the society.
- Humanism- this idea emphasizes that individual humans should be at the centre
of all social, religious and legal structures.
Essentially, human welfare should be the priority of all collective endeavours.
This value change has become the basis for a fairer, just and equal society where human
dignity would enjoy the highest priority. It would also automatically dissolve the
traditional civilizational structure based on collectivism, Deism, and Statism.
- Modern Western Political ideas- these include ideas such as liberty,
equality, fraternity, nationalism, popular sovereignty, limited government etc.
These are the core ideas of the enlightenment which are responsible for modernizing
the West and to similarly modernized India.
How did these ideas spread in India?
One reason was because of rising contact with the West including growing number of
Indians travelling abroad for education and commerce. They brought these ideas back to
India.
Modern Western education in India spread these ideas.
The introduction of Western scientific and social science literature played an important
role.
The Press in India resulted in the mainstreaming of these ideas.
Individualsand Their Institutions
- Raja Ram Mohun Roy and the Brahmo Samaj
Thought- He was a firm believer of Rig Veda and the Upanishads. At the same time, he was
also inspired by the equality and monotheism of Islam as well as the humanitarian approach
of the Bible.
Apart from these, he was also inspired by modern Western thought, both scientific and
political. While he did consider the Rig Veda and Upanishad to be the most evolved form or
thought but he rejected the idea of the infallibility of the Vedas. According to him,
Upanishadic thought can be challenged on the basis of logic.
Contribution to Social reform- In 1814, he established the Atmiya Sabha in Calcutta to
propagate monotheism in order to unify all Indians.
In 1828, he established the Brahmo Sabha which was later renamed as the Brahmo Samaj. It
had the following objectives-
To purify Hinduism and preach monotheism based upon the twin pillars of Reason and
Upanishadic thought.
On the basis of this, he opposed idol worship, priestly domination, fast paced
discrimination, Sati, child marriage, polygamy, restrictions on Widow Remarriage.
He used his platform as a common one for like-minded individuals in order to petition
the British government to introduce legislations to address prevalent evils such as Sati
practice.
- In 1829, British responded with abolishing Sati. However, other evils such as
Prohibition of Widow Remarriage, female infanticide, child marriage etc. would
continue and were tackled by later generation of reformers who were inspired by
the Brahmo Samaj.
Contribution to education and politics- He was well versed in numerous classical and
modern languages such as Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Bangla, Hindi,
Urdu, German, French, English.
He simplified Bangla prose writing by removing complex Sanskrit words and phrases
from it. At the same time, he also modernized the theme of Bangla literature by
introducing several essays and articles on modern issues.
He also published several books including the Tuhfat-ul-Muwahhidin in Persian and
Precepts of Jesus in English.
He was also the first Indian to own and edit a newspaper- Sambad Kaumidi in Bangla,
Mirat-ul-Akbar in Urdu, and Brahmanical Magazine in English.
He was also a pioneer of modern education- in 1817 he set up the Hindu College at
Calcutta alongside Alexander Duff and David Hare. He taught history and literature at
this college. Secondly, he established Vedanta College in Calcutta in 1825 where he
introduced new subjects such as mechanics and Voltaire`s philosophy.
Raja Ram Mohun Roy was involved in political activism. He raised political issues through
petitions and his writings which were published though his newspapers. These include-
- criticism of Zamindars who were free to exploit the peasants without any check,
- demanding the abolition of the trading rights of the East India Company,
- demanding the Indianization of both the higher and subordinate civil services,
- demanding the separation of the executive from the judiciary and providing legal
equality between Indians and Europeans,
- Demanding the reduction of land revenue and the abolition of taxes in tax exempt
lands.
- He also demanded the reduction of export duties in order to encourage Indian
manufacturing.
Clearly his agenda of political reform carried the undertone of nationalism and worked as a
template for early generation of nationalists in the early stage.
Legacy
After Ram Mohun Roy`s death in 1833, the Brahmo Samaj underwent multiple stages of
evolution and schisms. It lost relevance by the late 19 th century but not late before
preparing the stage for the next generation of reformers by creating its ideological
successors across India.
These include organizations such as-
- Poona Sarvajanik Sabha
- Paramhans mandali
- The Veda Samaj
- Brahmo Samaj of South India.
After Raja Ram Mohun Roy, most prominent leaders of the Brahmo Samaj were
Debendra Nath Tagore and Keshub Chandra Sen. While Debendra Nath Tagore adopted
a strategic approach to reform involving
- Working to reform the Hindu society within Hinduism,
- Defending Hinduism from external attacks especially by Christian Missionaries
On the other hand, Keshub Chandra Sen adopted a radical approach including
- Complete discarding of the caste system
- Promoting inter-caste and inter-religious marriages
- Adopting the best practices from all religions.
In this way, Raja Ram Mohun Roy and his successors created a template for other reformers.
Practice Question
Q Raja Ram Mohun Roy was the type and pioneer of the 'New India' that he
envisioned. Elaborate.
Raja Ram Mohun Roy contributed in laying the foundation stone of modern India so
immensely that he is regarded by many scholars as the father of modern India.
His vision of the 'New India' can be seen in his own experience of life-
Secularism and religious tolerance- On one hand, he was a firm believer of Rig Veda and
the Upanishads and on the other hand, he was inspired by the monotheism of Islam as
well as the humanitarian approach of the Bible.
Rationalism- through application of reasoning, he argued against the infallibility of the
Vedas.
Social reformer- he opposed idol worship, priestly domination, fast paced
discrimination, Sati, child marriage, polygamy, restrictions on Widow Remarriage. His
efforts led to ban on Sati Practice in 1829.
Political activism- criticism of Zamindars who were free to exploit the peasants without
any check,
- demanding the abolition of the trading rights of the East India Company,
- demanding the Indianization of both the higher and subordinate civil services,
- demanding the separation of the executive from the judiciary and providing legal
equality between Indians and Europeans,
- Demanding the reduction of land revenue and the abolition of taxes in tax exempt
lands.
- He also demanded the reduction of export duties in order to encourage Indian
manufacturing.
Educational competence- well versed in numerous classical and modern languages such
as Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Bangla, Hindi, Urdu, German, French,
sand English. He also published various books and newspapers.
Nationalism cutting across religious or regional diversities can be found in his political
and educational works.
Owing to these attributes reflected by Raja Ram Mohun Roy he was able to set a benchmark
for anyone willing to envision the 'New India'.
- Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan and the Aligarh Movement
His Thought
He was inspired by the philosophy of Quran and the Hadith.
At the same time he believed that many Islamic laws and practices such as Polygamy
and Purdah need a modern scientific appraisal.
According to him, only modern scientific education can uplift Indian Muslims from their
backwardness.
He was also a great admirer of the English society and its values and wanted Indian
Muslims to emulate the same.
His contribution to education
He set up The Mohammedan Scientific Literary Society in order to translate European
scientific works into Urdu.
In 1875, he established the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh along the
lines of Ox-bridge residential universities. Later, in 1929 it was reconstituted as the
Aligarh Muslim University.
He was also the first Indian to set up the school for Muslim girls.
He also simplified Urdu prose writing by freeing it from the jargon of Arabic and Persian
words.
He also appealed to poets to write poetry for a purpose.
He was also the first Indian to write a book on the Great Revolt namely 'Asbab-i-
bagawat-i-Hind.
He began publishing a magazine called 'Tahzeeb-ul-Aqlakh' in Urdu to teach morals and
etiquettes to young minds.
His contribution to politics
Sir Sayyid realized the importance of British support for the success of his educational
mission. Thus, he adopted a loyalist position with respect to the British.
This loyalist approach is also reflected in his preaching to the Indian Muslims. He
encouraged them to remain loyal to the British since they are relatively backward to
Hindus and if British rule ended suddenly, they would never be able to achieve parity.
When the Congress was formed in 1885, he appealed to Muslims including Badruddin
Tyabji to boycott it.
His anti-Congress position was due to the following factors-
- He believed that association with the Congress would destroy the goodwill of the
British towards the Indian Muslims;
- He believed that the Congress was a caste Hindu organization.
His legacy
Educational legacy
Sir Sayyid`s education mission proved to be the foundational step towards modernizing
Indian Muslims.
The graduates of Aligarh established similar institutions in other regions resulting in the
emergence of an All India Muslim middle class intelligentsia. This resulted in the
emergence of modernizing liberal movement among Muslims.
This had the effect of gradually transforming the common Muslim masses of India from
tradition towards modernity.
These developments also reduced the socio-economic gap between Hindus and Muslims
to some extent thus reducing the potential friction between them.
It also had the effect of democratizing the Indian Muslims.
Further, the Muslim politics of India became distinctly secular and nationalistic under
the influence of these changes.
However, Sir Sayyid`s legacy also contains dangerous undercurrent which did tremendous
harm to the India people.
By characterizing the Congress as a caste Hindu party, he permanently communalized
Indian politics.
Sir Sayyid could not appreciate the true British intentions and became willing participant
of their 'divide and rule' policy.
Sir Sayyid is regarded by many as the 'father of Indian Communalism'.
- Not only did he communalize Indian politics but his emphasis that the political
interests of Hindus and Muslims are exclusive and can never align ultimately led to
'two nation theory', communal riots and partition.
However, several historians have challenged this on the following grounds-
- While making this assessment, Sir Sayyid`s positive contributions have been
conveniently overlooked
- He was not looking to actively communalize Indian Muslims
- Like Raja Ram Mohun Roy sought to modernize Hindus, he sought to modernize
Muslims
- His personal outlook was highly secular he was a great supporter of religious
harmony appealing to Muslims to remain friendly and peaceful towards Hindus.
- If Sir Sayyid`s role in spreading communalism is to be accepted, the role of others
including the British government, BG Tilak, Madan Mohan Malviya and Mahatma
Gandhi should not be overlooked.
Practice Question
Q Do you agree with the assessment that Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan was the
father of Indian communalism.
Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan was a socio-religious reformist of 19 th century who sought to purify
Islam along the lines of rational Western education. However, in this pursuit, his actions
have gathered differential interpretations. One group of scholars considers him as the father
of Indian communalism whereas the other looks him from a broader perspective.
Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan was of the opinion that India should not be considered as a nation
based on individual citizenship. Rather it is a federation of qaums (ethnic communities)
based on common descent. These groups, according to him, would enjoy cultural autonomy
and share power according to their ancestry and inherited subculture.
Secondly, by characterizing the Congress as a caste Hindu party, he permanently
communalized Indian politics. Thus by adopting an anti-Congress attitude in the initial stage
of freedom struggle, he played in the hands of British- policy of divide and rule.
This led many scholars to call him the father of Indian communalism. However, this view
has been challenged on the following grounds-
He was not actively looking to communalize Indian Muslims. Rather, just like Raja Ram
Mohun Roy sought to modernize Hindus, he sought to modernize Muslims.
He was a great supporter of religious harmony appealing to Muslims to remain friendly
and peaceful towards Hindus.
His concern was regarding the backwardness of Muslims vis-a-vis Hindus who had
secured majority administrative posts possible for Indians.
If Sir Sayyid`s role in spreading communalism is to be accepted, the role of others
including the British government, BG Tilak, Madan Mohan Malviya and Mahatma Gandhi
should not be overlooked.
To look at Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan from present lens would present an incomplete picture.
His attempts at modernizing Muslims contributed to produce a generation of Muslims which
later aligned with Congress for freedom struggle. However, communalism was such a strong
force which defeated any such initiative.
Revivalist Movements
- Wahabi Movement It was started in the late 18 th century in Arabia by Wahab-
ibn-Arabi. It was brought to India by Sayyid Ahmad Barelvi and Shah Abdul Aziz. It had the
twin objectives of-
Purifying Islam by removing all un-Islamic practices
Establishing an Islamic state
The Wahabis in India established their headquarters at Sithana in the North West Frontier
Province in 1820 and launched a Jihad against the Sikh Empire. They wanted to convert
Punjab from Dar-ul Harb to Dar-ul Islam.
Wahabis upto 1857- They fought a series of battle against the Sikh Empire during the 1820 s
and 30 s. The most famous among them was the Battle of Balakot (1830) in which Sayyid
Ahmad Barelvi was killed and their movement slowed down.
After the annexation of Punjab, Wahabis began targeting the British and spread to other
parts of North India with Ambala, Delhi, Faizabad and Patna emerging as prominent
Wahabi centres.
During the revolt of 1857, Wahabis participated in large numbers and cooperated with
Hindu rebels as well. When rebellion was crushed, many Wahabi leaders were killed or
arrested. They were tried in the Ambala and Patna trials and were given harsh
punishments.
- With this, the Wahabi leadership was eliminated and new generation of leaders
emerged.
After the Revolt of 1857- two Wahabi scholars Rashid Ahmad Gangohi and Qasim Nanotavi
established the Dar-ul Uloom in Deoband as institute of traditional Islamic Education. They
inherited the social attitudes of the rebels i.e. remained hostile to the British but were open
to cooperation with other Indians. In this, they also diverged from the Aligarh movement.
They attracted scholars from around the world and produced an illustrious class of
alumni.
- It elevated its prestige across the Islamic world and Muslims began looking towards
its leadership.
- Some of its famous alumni include the Ali brothers, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Abdul Bari
and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
- In the backdrop of the Khilafat movement, Deobandis wholeheartedly supported
Mahatma Gandhi.
- In order to promote Hindu-Muslim unity, they abandoned ideal of Dar-ul Islam and
appealed to Muslims not to slaughter cows and respect the religious sentiments of
Hindus.
- Later, even in the backdrop of charged communalism backed by the Aligarh school
Muslims during the 1930 s and 40 s, the Deobandis remained committed to Hindu-
Muslim unity and vehemently opposed the Pakistan demand.
- Since independence, the Deoband School has had a moderating influence amid the
rising trend of Islamic religious fundamentalism.
- Swami Dayanand Saraswati and the Arya Samaj
His thought
He established the Arya Samaj in 1875 at Bombay. Later, his headquarters were
established at Lahore.
He subscribed to the philosophy of the Vedas and Upanishads which he considered to be
the perfect expression of logic.
Consequently, he rejected the teachings of other sources such as the Puranas, the Quran
and Bible etc.
In his book Satyarth Prakash, he preaches monotheism and prescribes that we should
'go back to the Vedas' in order to solve our social problems.
He also wrote 'Veda Bhashya' and the 'Veda Bhashya Bhumika'.
Contribution to Social Reform
Considering the Rig Vedic society the ideal society Swami Dayanand advocated for the
removal of those practices which were not found in it.
These included social evils such as Purdah, caste system, sati, child marriage, rigid Varna
system, female infanticide, dowry, priestly domination and the exclusion of women and
lower castes from education and several occupations.
He also encouraged inter caste marriages and widow remarriage.
He was opposed to idol worship, pilgrimage and any kind of formalized rituals.
Although he was opposed to the temple cult, he began constructing Arya Samaj temples
in order to-
- Promote religious worship with simplicity
- To facilitate inter-caste marriages without dowry and priestly interventions
Controversial movement of Arya Samaj
It is the pioneer of Hindutva ideology
They considered the Hindu identity threatened by Islam, Christianity and the West
Thus, they tried to create and assert identity of Sanatan Dharma.
Hinduism is not an organized religion in the traditional sense; rather it is a collection of
diverse sects, beliefs and practices.
- The Arya samaj attempted to homogenize it by asserting universal symbols which
did not appeal to all Hindus and caused friction.
Additionally they emphasized that all the original inhabitants of India are Hindus
irrespective of their religious denomination. This also caused suspicion and friction
among religious minorities.
Lastly, during the 1920 s and 30 s, the Arya samaj launched some controversial
movements that directly contributed to communal riots.
These include
- Cow protection movement
- Shuddhi movement
- Sangathan movement
- Movement to prevent the looting of Hindu women.
His Legacy
Swami Dayanand Saraswati died in 1883 after which the organization split into two-
In 1915, Madan Mohan Malviya, Lala Lajpat Rai and VD Savarkar were heavily inspired
by the Arya samaj established the All India Hindu Mahasabha.
In 1916, Madan Mohan Malviya and Annie Besant laid the foundations of the Central
Hindu College at Banaras which later became the Banaras Hindu University.
In 1925, HD Hedgewar established the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as the cultural
wing of the Hindu Mahasabha.
Political leaders associated with the Arya Samaj played a prominent role in the freedom
struggle. However, it cannot be denied that it also contributed to the growing
communalism of Indian politics and indirectly contributed to the partition of India.
Since independence, the Arya Samaj has focused primarily upon socio-religious affairs
such as prevention of child marriage, promoting widow remarriage, discouraging dowry,
Liberals Conservatives
Lala Lajpat Rai
Lala Hansraj
Vegetarianism- voluntary
Education- co-ed Anglo-Vedic education
Opened DAV College, Lahore in 1886
Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
Vegetarianism- compulsory
Education- Traditional education; also
known as Gurukul school; opened Gurukul
Kangri, Haridwar.
addressing problems related to human trafficking, bonded labour, child labour, famine
relief, healthcare and education.
- Jyotiba Phule and his Satyashodak Samaj
His thoughts
Jyotiba Phule was born into a low caste Mali family in 1828. His personal experiences,
association with Christian missionaries and education made him a critique of the
Brahmanical society and Aryan culture.
He argued that the Aryan invaders had forcibly enslaved the natives of India who were
ascribed the status of shudras. This truth is contained within the Vedas and thus
Brahmins deliberately keep it hidden from the shudras.
He also accused the Brahmins of keeping women uneducated and enslaved.
According to him, the key to the emancipation of the oppressed was their
empowerment. This was to be achieved through-
- Imparting modern scientific education to them
- Engendering class consciousness among them.
He firmly believed that emancipation of dalits would not be possible within the confines
of the Brahmanical Varna based society.
Therefore, a new path towards emancipation of the oppressed outside the Varna system
was necessary.
His contribution to social work and reform
Jyotiba Phule was an advocate of education and equality between the classes as well as men
and women.
For women-
In 1851, he and his wife Savitribai Phule started a girls` school at Poona.
He was also a pioneer of widow remarriage in Maharashtra and started widows` home
for young widows in Poona.
For untouchables
He regularly petitioned the government to provide free and compulsory education to
the lower castes through teachers drawn from the lower castes as well.
In 1854, he became first Indian t start a school for the untouchables.
In 1873, he established the Satyashodhak samaj as a reform organization to attain equal
rights for the lower castes as well as women.
- Through this society, he was able to persuade government officials to grant the
lower castes access to some public places and places of worship around Poona.
He published a series of books, pamphlets and articles to highlight the suffering of the
Dalits and demand reform. These include-
- Deen Bandhu in which he criticized the oppressive Aryan Vedic tradition
- Ghulamgiri which compared the condition of India`s shudras to that of African slaves
in America.
- Isara which discusses the concerns of the agrarian classes
- Shetkaryacha Asuda which discusses the solutions to the peasants` problems.
His Legacy
He succeeded in mobilizing a section of the dalits and upper castes and a grassroot
movement emerged in Maharashtra.
The late 19 th and early 20 th century witnessed a Dalit upsurge with a series of
movements, societies and protests being organized. Thus, Jyotiba Phule is credited with
triggering the Dalit movement in Western India.
After his death, the mantle for Dalit emancipation was picked up by the next generation
of Dalit leaders including Dr BR Ambedkar, Shri Narayan Guru, and EV Ramaswamy
Periyar Naicker etc.
His educational mission also resulted in the emergence of a Dalit middle class who led
the charge of the Dalit movement within the wider national movement. This made the
national movement more democratic, vibrant and egalitarian.
In fact, the very notion that historical injustices against the oppressed classes must be
addressed was out forward by the Dalit movement.
- Post-independence, this has resulted in positive outcomes including the socio-
economic upliftment of the Dalits through affirmative action and removing the
stigma traditionally associated with the lower caste to some degree.
- Further, by reducing the gap between the upper and lower castes, the Dalit
movement has also averted possible social crisis and strikes.
- In fact, Dalit movement has been a major pillar towards the building of modern India
by diluting the parochial caste identity.
- Swami Vivekananda and the Ramakrishna Mission
His thought
Swami Vivekananda was a disciple of Ramakrishna Paramhans who was a priest at
the Dakshineshwar temple at Calcutta and a Vedic scholar.
- Ramakrishna Paramhans founded the Belur Math and Ramakrishna movement at
Calcutta with the objective of preparing a cadre of volunteers to spread the
teachings of Vedanta.
- Thus, the philosophy of the Upanishads also known as Vedanta was a chief
source of inspiration for the thoughts of Swami Vivekananda.
He also believed that Human beings are the manifestations of the divine. He gave
the famous slogan 'Yatra Jiva Tatra Shiv' and thus service to mankind is service to
god.
According to him, true salvation is not possible without the complete
synchronization of the mind, body and soul.
- According to him, Indians neglected material development in favour of spiritual
development. Thus, they suffered due to poverty.
- On the other hand, the West was over materialistic and suffered due to lack of
spiritual nourishment.
- Thus, civilizational and cultural exchange was necessary in which the west
learned spirituality from India and India develops material development form the
West.
- Thus, his teaching emphasized upon both Vedanta as well as Western science.
He completely redefined the meaning of Karma which traditionally stood for the
performance of rituals, pilgrimages, charity and alms.
His new definition of Karma emphasized upon morally, physically, spiritually and
intellectually preparing oneself to serve mankind.
His contribution to Humanitarianism and social work
He travelled extensively across India and the world. Through his contact with the
West, he was able to break several negative stereotypes regarding India.
He was able to export India`s rich culture and philosophy to the West including its
greatest civilizational achievements and generated tremendous goodwill towards
Indians.
At the World Parliament of Religions (1893) held at Chicago, swam Vivekananda
delivered the keystone address and impressed the global audience with his articulate
speech and elegant thought.
- He made the case for the cultural exchange between the East and the West and
emphasized upon the importance of humanitarian service.
In 1897, he set up the Ramakrishna Mission at Belur in Calcutta to train a cadre of
volunteers who would dedicate their lives towards humanitarian service.
- Today, the mission operates hospitals, schools, food banks, widow homes,
ambulance services, libraries and community outreach centres in more than 34
countries including the UK, the US, Pakistan, Burma etc.
His Legacy
Swami Vivekananda`s teachings which were heavily inspired by Indian tradition
attracted younger nationalists during the late 19 th and 20 th centuries.
His emphasis on self-strengthening aligned itself with the extremist idea of atma-
shakti which stood for self-help, self-reliance and self-rule at any cost.
Swami Vivekananda emphasized that 'preaching to the hungry is a sin'. It is more
important to provide them basic relief and dignity.
- This message also resonated strongly with the younger nationalists who were
already looking for ways to engage the masses.
- Thus, a number of humanitarian organizations emerged under the umbrella of
the national movement itself.
- Finally, Swami Vivekananda was able to present a more humane, egalitarian,
inclusive and cosmopolitan face of Hinduism in the form of Neo Hinduism as
compared to the dangerous and divisive ideology of Hindutva.
Impactand Significance Of Socio-Religious
Reform Movement
Positive aspects
The 19 th century reformers highlighted the burning issue of the age and started
movements across India to address them.
- They were able to invite prompt government action and reform legislations were
introduced.
Their efforts helped to heal the fractures that had been keeping Indian society divided
and backward.
- In other words, they propelled India towards greater unity and modernity.
They made a comprehensive study of the Indian past in order to counter the negative
colonial propaganda.
- This investigation revealed glorious past that was in no way inferior to the West.
- By shattering the myth of Western superiority, they emboldened Indian patriots and
gave them a sense of pride.
These reformers also helped weaken colonial justification for ruling India.
- Colonial scholars had been arguing that British rule is necessary for protecting the
marginalized sections such as women, tribals and the lower castes.
- By addressing the issues of these groups, the reformers weakened the case of
colonialism.
While searching a superior national culture, they revived India`s lost art forms which
emerged as permanent elements of the new national culture, symbolism and art.
These reformers also evolved new ideas of caste and woman which became part of the
new Indian identity.
On the whole, it would not be incorrect to say that 19 th century`s socio-religious reform
movements laid the social and cultural foundations of Indian nationalism.
Negative aspects
Most of these movements were urban in character and had limited impact on India`s
vast rural landscape.
They were elite led movements with limited social base.
- Therefore, the intended beneficiaries of these reforms were treated as mute
spectators to their own emancipation.
- Instead, majority of these movements tried to transform the attitudes of the
dominant sections. No attempt was made to develop class consciousness among the
oppressed classes or engage them directly. Naturally, their effectiveness remained
limited.
- From the very beginning, there was a strong undercurrent of cultural and religious
nationalism within these movements. This resulted in the sub text of communal
nationalism becoming an inherent part of Indian nationalism.
- This weakened unity within the national movement and caused religious division.
Practice Questions
Q. Discuss the factors responsible for the emergence of the Indian renaissance.
Was it truly the real beginning of Indian nationalism?
The 19 th century is considered as the period of Indian renaissance owing to the socio-
religious reforms carried out by some visionary leaders who helped India to garner strength
from its latent civilizational prowess as well as modern Western ideals to take a leap
forward.
The factors responsible for rise of Indian renaissance
Consciousness of defeat to the West- Defeat of whole India by a British company was a
setback for Indian self-respect. Indian intelligentsia took he matters in its hand for a
social rejuvenation.
Western criticism of Indian civilization- Oriental despotism, poor condition of women
etc. were the accusations that shook the conscience of some Indians.
Impact of Western culture- Educated Indians, traders, ruling elites etc. started coming
into contact with Western ideas through education. Thus, ideas such as democracy, rule
of law, sovereignty etc. motivated the then new generation of India.
Social backwardness had reached its peak in terms of purdah, female infanticide,
casteism etc. it warranted immediate reforms.
Whether or not Renaissance was the beginning of Indian nationalism is a debatable issue.
On the one hand there are scholars who believe that Renaissance had little to do with the
nationalism on following grounds-
It was merely a socio-cultural movement aimed at religious reforms. This rather gave
birth to communalism.
The movement was mainly elitist in character and could not cater to the demands of a
wider population which needed class consciousness lacking in the movement.
However, other view finds the socio-cultural roots of nationalism in the renaissance
movement-
The reformers provided a socio-cultural integration to the nation by raising the social ills
and building a movement around it.
They exposed the face of colonialism which embarked on the journey of 'paternalistic
benevolence'
Their efforts helped to heal the fractures that had been keeping Indian society divided
and backward and thus propelled India towards unity and modernity.
They revived India's lost art forms which emerged as elements of new culture.
They laid the foundation of new India which was ready to challenge internal evils as well
as external challenges.
Indian renaissance movement created a consciousness which became the basis of Indian
nationalism but considering its diverse approach it should be taken with the pinch of salt.