A child was born on this day(22 May) exactly 250 years ago to a kulin(high caste) Brahmin family in a village near Kolkata under Bengal Presidency. He grew up to become a leading figure in Indian Subcontinent as a Social reformer,Political activist, Educational visionary and a Whip against black religious laws. He is none other than Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the father of Indian/Bengal Renaissance.
Ram Mohan got his early education in the village pathshala(rural school) in Bengali,Sanskrit and Farsi(Persian) and basic subjects. Then he was sent to Patna where he studied Persian further and had an exposure to Arabic language as well. Later still,he went to Benaras for higher Sanskrit studies. Here he learnt Hindu scriptures including Vedas,Vedanta and Upanishads. While studying Persian and Arabic he was attracted to the idea of one God and ever since was a proponent of Unitarian ideas. He found in Vedanta that Sanatan Hinduism also supports Unitarian idea.
He started his career as a writer in the East India Company and was mostly associated with Public Administration and Judiciary work. This made him more conversant with Farsi(until then the court language) and English. He also learnt Greek and Latin and became a polyglot. He came close to William Carey,David Hare and many other notable Europeans who came to India on different missions like spreading Christianity, propagation of Education and establishing Law,Order and Justice. Having worked with them closely he understood that reforms were urgently needed in Indian society to earn due respect from Europeans. Spreading modern education based on systematic pedagogy was a tool,he could sum up. So,he worked in that line and helped found Hindu College,Vedanta College, Scottish Church School and College and many other educational institutions to form a foundation of modern education.
He was a philosopher who was instrumental in amalgamating Unitarianism with orthodox Hinduism. This he did with like minded forward thinking compatriots. He laid foundation to Brahmo Sabha a fore runner of Brahmo Samaj. In this pursuit he worked closely with Prince Dwarkanath Thakur,Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore’s grandfather. Study of Bible and holy Quran imbibed the ideas of Unitarianism in him and Vedanta provided him with all the support.
While studying Hinduism he found out that superstitious thoughts and selfish self created ideas have engulfed the basic essence of the great Sanatan religion. Bad,inhuman and cruel customs like Sati,Child marriage,Dowry,miserable living conditions of widows were overwhelmingly practiced.Sermons dished out by Pundits were to be religiously followed. In most cases the Pundits themselves were not sufficiently groomed up or educated. They always tried to please the powerful minority of the society,be it local rulers,zaminders or big merchants. He could envisage that light of education spreading in the society will help his cause. So he did help spread education as much as he could by organising schools and writing on different subjects in different languages.
Ram Mohan Roy also stidied the economy of the Colonial India and found out that more than half of the revenue collected by the East India Company from India was being siphoned out to Britain. He raised his voice against it and demanded more spendings on social welfare and development of India.
He constantly fought against social evils like dowry,child marriage and specially Sati. Close association with the British East India Company helped him in lobbying the issue and finally he worked in close association with the then Governor General of India Lord William Bentinck finding out reference from Sanatan scriptures and could convince him that Hinduism does not support Sati. In 1829 Bentinck enacted law to prohibit execution of Sati in Indian soil. The savage custom was to ne done away with.But the war was not over yet. Influential Hindu quarters appealed to the Privy Council to reverse the law. Ram Mohan Roy was not a figure to be disturbed. He decided to continue the fight.
The time coincided with Delhi’s Moghul Emperor Akbar the Second’s lobbying for increasing his Privy Purse with the British powers. By then the Delhi Moghul Empire was confined to the limits of Delhi and the Emperors lived on subsistence allowance from the Company.Mighty Moghuls have already been reduced to a virtual tell tale entity. Ram Mohan Roy became the envoy of Emperor Akbar the Second and was conferred by the Emperor the title of Raja to represent him. Raja Ram Mohan travelled to London and was successful in both the pursuits. The annual allowance of the Moghul Emperor was increased by 30000 pounds per annum and Ban imposed on performance of Sati remained in place. After this great achievement he stayed back in Europe for some more time. During this interval he visited France and studied French and was exposed to rich French Culture. In England he was staying near Bristol and was engaged in writing and interacting with British intelligentsia. In1833 he had an attack of Meningitis and succumbed to it. He was cremated there and a memorial was built in his memory in the country side of Bristol (Stapleton)where he was living. Later,his mortal remains were transferred to a South Bristol cemetery where a monument still stand to sing his glory. His bust and other monuments are in place till date in Bristol Town Hall and other places. A road near Bristol bears his name.
As the father of Indian and Bengal Renaissance he will always be remembered for his contribution to modern education,social and religious reforms and political voice.
