The 19th century socio-religious reforms in India refer to a series of movements and efforts that took place during the 1800s. They were aimed at challenging various social and religious practices prevalent in Indian society during those times.
Most of the socio-religious reforms of 19th century were driven by a desire to address social inequalities, promote rationality, eradicate social evils, and foster progressive ideas. In the evolution of modern India, the reform movements have made very significant contributions.
Positive aspects of the socio-religious reforms of 19th century
The orthodox sections of society could not accept the scientific ideological onslaught of the socio-religious rebels. As a result of this, the reformers were subjected to abuse, persecution, issuing of fatwas, and even assassination attempts by the reactionaries.
However, in spite of opposition, these movements managed to contribute towards the liberation of the individual from the conformity born out of fear and from uncritical submission to exploitation by the priests and other classes.
The translation of religious texts into vernacular languages, emphasis on an individual’s right to interpret the scriptures, and simplification of rituals made worship a more personal experience.
The movements emphasised the human intellect’s capacity to think and reason.
By weeding out corrupt elements, religious beliefs and practices, the reformers enabled their followers to meet the official taunt that their religions and society were decadent and inferior.
The reform movements gave the rising middle classes the much-needed cultural roots to cling to, and served the purpose of reducing the sense of humiliation which the conquest by a foreign power had produced.
A realisation of the special needs of modern times, especially in terms of scientific knowledge, and thus promoting a modern, this-worldly, secular, and rational outlook was a major contribution of these reform movements. Socially, this attitude reflected in a basic change in the notions of ‘pollution and purity’.
Although traditional values and customs were a prominent target of attack from the reformers, yet the reformers aimed at modernisation rather than outright westernisation based on blind imitation of alien Western cultural values. In fact, the reform movements sought to create a favourable social climate for modernisation. To that extent, these movements ended India’s cultural and intellectual isolation from the rest of the world.
The reformers argued that modern ideas and culture could be best imbibed by integrating them into Indian cultural streams.
The underlying concern of these reformist efforts was revival of the native cultural personality which had got distorted by various factors over the years. This cultural ideological struggle was to prove to be an important instrument in the evolution of national consciousness and a part of Indian national resolve to resist colonial cultural and ideological hegemony.
However, not all these progressive, nationalist tendencies were able to outgrow the sectarian and obscurantist outlook. This was possibly due to the divergent duality of cultural and political struggles, resulting in cultural backwardness despite political advancement.
Negative aspects of the socio-religious reforms of 19th century
One of the major limitations of the religious reform movements was that they had a narrow social base, namely the educated and urban middle classes, while the needs of the vast masses of peasantry and the urban poor were ignored.
The tendency of reformers to appeal to the greatness of the past and to rely on scriptural authority encouraged mysticism in new garbs and fostered pseudo-scientific thinking while exercising a check on the full acceptance of the need for a modern scientific outlook.
But, above all, these tendencies contributed, at least to some extent, in compartmentalising Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Parsis, as also alienating high-caste Hindus from low-caste Hindus.
The emphasis on religious and philosophical aspects of the cultural heritage got somewhat magnified by an insufficient emphasis on other aspects of culture—art, architecture, literature, music, science, and technology.
To make matters worse, the Hindu reformers confined their praise of the Indian past to its ancient period and looked upon the medieval period of Indian history, essentially as an era of decadence.
This tended to create a notion of two separate peoples, on the one hand; on the other, an uncritical praise of the past was not acceptable to the low-caste sections of society which had suffered under religiously sanctioned exploitation during the ancient period.
Moreover, the past itself tended to be placed into compartments on a partisan basis. Many in the Muslim middle classes went to the extent of turning to the history of West Asia for their traditions and moments of pride.
The process of evolution of a composite culture which was evident throughout Indian history showed signs of being arrested with the rise of another form of consciousness— communal consciousness—along with national consciousness among the middle classes.
Many other factors were certainly responsible for the birth of communalism in modern times, but, undoubtedly, the nature of religious reform movements also contributed to it.
On the whole, however, whatever the net outcome of these reform movements, it was out of this struggle that a new society evolved in India.
External link: https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/19936/1/Unit-8.pdf
