֎ Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833) was an eminent religious and social reformer of the 19th century India.
֎ He is called the father of modern Indian society, the Father of Modern India the father of ‘Indian Renaissance’.
Must read: Raja Ram Mohan Roy : The Father of Indian Renaissance
֎ He was the founder of Liberal tradition in lndian political thought.
֎ He attempted to combine the western and eastern philosophy.
֎ His writings and ideas are an example of a synthesis of ancient Indian ideas with modern Western Political Principles.
֎ Roy started his public life in 1815 with the establishment of the Atmiya Sabha (or Society of Friends) in Calcutta.
֎ A review and revaluation of religion was Roy’s primary concern for which he established the Brahmo Samaj in 1828. The Samaj provided a forum for religious and philosophical contemplation and discussion.
֎ Roy was familiar with diverse languages, cultures and philosophies and all these influences shaped his writing and ideas.
֎ He supported David Hare’s efforts to found the Hindu College in 1817, while Roy’s English school taught mechanics and Voltaire’s philosophy.
֎ In 1825, he established a Vedanta college where courses in both Indian learning and Western social and physical sciences were offered.
֎ Roy opposed the caste system and the practice of Sati. His efforts were rewarded by the Government Regulation in 1829, which declared the practice of sati a crime. Perhabs the greatest social reform with which Roy’s name will be permanently associated is the abolition of the cruel practice of sati.
֎ He was one of the greatest champions of women’s rights.
֎ He hoped that the universal religion for mankind could be established by combining the best elements of all religions.
֎ He became a confirmed monotheist. He wrote Gift to Monotheists (1809) and translated into Bengali the Vedas and the five Upanishads to prove his conviction that ancient Hindu texts support monotheism.
֎ He was one of the first Indians to accept and popularize the idea of internationalism.
֎ Newspapers founded and edited by Raja Rammohan Roy: Mirat-ul-Akhbar (in Persian), Sambad Kaumudi (in Bengali)
֎ Important Literary Works of Raja Ram Mohan Roy: Vedanta Gantha (1815), A Defence of Hindu Theism (1820), The Precepts of Jesus- The Guide to Peace and Happiness (1820), The Universal Religion (1829), History of Indian Philosophy (1829)
֎ A multi-faceted personality, Roy carried on a relentless crusade against all kinds of injustices, exploitative practices and superstitions.
֎ Raja Ram Mohan Roy died on 27 September 1833 in England.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
QUES . Consider the following statements about Raja Ram Mohan Roy: UPSC PRELIMS 2025
I. He possessed great love and respect for the traditional philosophical systems of the East.
II. He desired his countrymen to accept the rational and scientific approach and the principle of
human dignity and social equality of all men and women.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) Both I and II
(d) Neither I nor II
Answer – (c)
