Indian social reformers and their contributions

His father had a very good position, serving at the court of Nawab. Belonging to a traditional Brahmin family, he married off at a very young age, and prior to attaining the age of ten, he was married thrice. Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a very open-minded and of very questioning brains. He was much influenced by western progressive thoughts and well versed in the teachings of different religions.

He was influenced by Vedanta philosophy of Upanishad, Ethics and morals of Christianity, Mysticism of Sufi philosophy, and monotheism of Islam. However, the major contribution for which he is known everywhere was his relentless effort in eradicating the practices of sati pratha. He fought against it when his elder brother died, and sister-in-law was made a sati.

He began a movement to abolish this custom, and for that, he persuaded the British Govt on passing an Act to eradicate sati pratha. On Aug 20, , Ram Mohan established the Brahma Samaj, which later became the Brahmo Samaj, a movement and organization to uplift the pitiful condition of women, opposing widespread of Brahmanism, criticizing idol-worshipping, promoting monotheism, etc.

He also published two newspapers called Pragya Chaand and Samvad Kaumudi in the year to spread his views and ideas to the common people. He also started a Persian newspaper. As such, his contribution is like a bed stone in the making of modern Indians. As a kid, Narendranath Datta which was his childhood name was a very bright student, his reading and memory capability was the exception, and he was also a voracious reader.

Being a brilliant student, he was interested in a huge array of subjects like social studies, music, culture, art, biology, and philosophy, etc. Mostly, he was interested in religious texts and philosophy and read the works of western thinkers and philosophers like Charles Darwin, Herbert Spencer, Spenoza, Auguste Comte, John Stuart Mill, Hegel, Kant, and many more.

He was so well versed with all religious and philosophical texts of Hinduism either it is Mahabharata, Ramayana, Vedas or Upanishads. All those writeups made him a very solitude person, and his thirst and search for knowledge and truth led him to Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa, and he was transformed as Vivekananda. Further, to gain strength, he suggested attaining knowledge and physical exercise.

Next, he was against religious superstitions and dogmas, and in his lecture, he repeatedly argued against the social evils that befall upon men. He saw that women could do a lot more than just being in the house and can so change the face of the country. He was born on 12th Jan , a Maurvi, Gujarat. He criticized Hindu religious texts like Puranas for perpetuating superstitions and idol worship.

Further, he aggressively attacked social evils such as the caste system by birth and argued that we must base it on work and occupation. Swami started campaigns against child marriage and untouchability and many other causes. Ishwar was one of the most astounding social reformers of the 19th century. But he was a brilliant student and used to study under street lamps as there were no lamps at home.

By performing well at schools and colleges, he received various scholarships and used to do part-time teaching jobs to support his family and studies. Further, Vidyasagar was a very courageous social reformer, and he never hesitated to challenge the upcoming social evils in India. He greatly supported widow remarriage. Looking at those eras, the condition of widows amongst Hindus was very agonizing, and so he worked persistently to elevate their position.

He persuaded the British Govt to make a law legalizing widow remarriages, so the Widow Remarriage Act, , was passed, giving widows the full support and right to marry again and bring forth child which will be legal. Further, he argued against child marriage and polygamy and said that there is no sanction in Hindu religious texts for these practices.

The upper classes tended to avoid Western education and culture. He urged Muslims to abandon medieval customs and thoughts. Their developments are explained below. Savitribai Phule. In North Calcutta, for the upliftment of women, she started a school. She had a significant impact on promoting and reconstructing the "Indianness" of Indian Art as a result of her activities, which were primarily in Calcutta.

UPSC Prelims The reformers of the Indian national movement were leaders and activists who played crucial roles in advocating for social, political, and economic reforms and were instrumental in the struggle for India's independence from British rule. He is considered the pioneer of the modern Indian Renaissance and was a key figure in advocating for social reforms, women's rights, and the eradication of regressive customs during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Social reformers in India played a pivotal role in awakening nationalism by promoting cultural identity, fostering national consciousness, challenging oppressive customs, and advocating for education and women's empowerment. Vidyasagar is credited with remodelling the scholastic system at Sanskrit College, introducing courses in European History, Philosophy, and Science alongside Vedic scriptures.

Advocating for women's education, he opened 35 schools for girls in Bengal and supported the establishment of the first permanent girls' school in India, the Bethune School. He founded the Arya Samaj in to steer Hinduism away from fictitious beliefs. The Arya Samaj actively advocated for widow remarriage and women's education, seeking to eliminate discriminatory practices and provide equal opportunities for women.

Dayanand stressed the importance of education for both men and women in fostering social progress. All rights reserved. Social Reformers of India Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikidata item. This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page.

Learn how and when to remove these messages. This article needs additional citations for verification. Its objective was to revive and reform the Hindu religion, establish Vedic religion in its true form again, unify India socially, religiously, and politically, and stop western cultural effects on Indian culture and civilization. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was one of the most remarkable social reformers of the 19th century.

His early childhood was spent in poverty without much of the necessities. But Vidyasagar was a brilliant student; he used to study under street lamps because, at home, there were no lamps. By performing exceptionally at schools and colleges, he received various scholarships; he also used to do part-time teaching jobs to support his studies and family.

Vidyasagar was a courageous social reformer who never hesitated to challenge the prevailing social evils. For this purpose, he persuaded the British Government to make a law legalizing widow remarriages; thus, the Widow Remarriage Act, , was passed, which gave rights to widows to marry again, and children born out of such marriages were also considered to be legal.

Jyotirao Govindrao Phule was born on April 11, , in Satara, Maharashtra, in a family of vegetable vendors. Jyotirao was married at the age of 12 to Savitribai Phule.

Indian social reformers and their contributions

His life changed when he was insulted by one of his Brahmin friends, and then he realized the caste divide and discrimination present in society. This event proved a turning point in his life. He began to realize and observe various social evils practiced in society and decided to fight against them. Thus, Jyotiba Phule devoted his whole life to the weaker and depressed section of society; in his thinking and works, he was well ahead of his times.

Popularly known as Babasaheb, Dr. Babasaheb belonged to a so-called lower caste Mahar who was treated as untouchables; he had faced and seen several types of social discrimination since childhood. But his father being an army officer, was able to arrange good education for his children despite several resistances from society. Ambedkar was very meritorious in their studies and, after completing his early education in Bombay, moved to the United States for post-graduation and research; he did his post-graduation and Ph.

Thus, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, despite several odds, got the best education from very good institutions in the world because of his talent and merit only. He also received a degree in Law. Therefore, all through his life, socially and politically, Babasaheb kept fighting against the prevailing social evils of our country; his contribution towards making the downtrodden people acquire self-respect and their rightful place is immeasurable.

He was one of the greatest personalities to be born in India; Babasaheb died on December 6, , in Delhi after a prolonged illness due to diabetes. Baba Amte was one of the most prominent social reformers of modern India; born to Devilal Singh and Laxmibai Amte, his childhood name was Murlidhar. He was born on December 26, , in Wardha District of Maharashtra.

His father was a high-profile British Government officer. Thus, he was from a wealthy family and led a luxurious life in his young days. But Baba Amte was always a liberal in his thinking and used to be with friends of all castes and religions. He studied Law and had a very good legal career at Wardha. He was also involved in the Freedom Movement against the British and participated in several movements led by Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhiji influenced him, and all his life followed his principles and way of life. He had a spiritual bend of mind and believed in the goodness of all religions. Acharya Vinoba died November 15, , in Wardha, Maharashtra; throughout his life, he remained loyal to Gandhiyan principles and kept working selflessly for the welfare of society. As above said, we came to know the feeling of her for poor, disabled, and needy people.

At the tender age of 12, she felt a calling to religious life for the first time. At the age of 18 years, Anjeze Bojaxhiu decided to become a nun, and she joined the Loreto Sister of Dublin.