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Raja Ram Mohan Roy a Hindu revolutionist
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Raja Ram Mohan Roy a revolutionist and a politician, is one of the noted personality in the Indian history. He brought a huge reform in the Hindu religion by condemning Sati (the immolation of a widow on her husband's funeral pyre) and promoting widow remarriage.
He was born on May 22, 1772 in village Radhanagar, in the District of Murshidabad in West Bengal, India to conservative Brahmin parents. Roy did his elementary education in the village school in Bengali, his mother tongue. Raja Ram Mohan Roy believed in education and that is why he went to Patna for higher studies where he mastered Persian and Arabic. His knowledge of Arabic enabled him to read the Koran in the original, as well as the works of Sufi saints. He also learned of the works of Aristotle and Plato. By the age of fifteen, Raja Ram Mohan Roy had learnt Bangla, Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit.
Even though born into a Hindu family, Raja Ram Mohan Roy was against the idea of idol worship and orthodox Hindu rituals. At the age of 16, he stood firmly against all sort of social bigotry, conservatism and superstitions. But his father was an orthodox Hindu Brahmin. This led to differences between him and his father. He left the house and wandered around Himalayas and went to Tibet. He traveled widely before returning home.
After returning home, Raja Ram Mohan Roy's family married him in the hope that he would change his ideas and philosophies. But it did not have any effect on him and he was determined to bring about a revolution in the Hindu religion, and hence he decided to explore various religions.
He went to Varanasi and studied the Vedas, the Upanishads and Hindu philosophy. After he secured a job in the East India Company, Ram Mohan Roy learnt Jainism from the Marwaris of Rangpur. Roy was drawn to certain aspects of Christianity that led some of the followers of the religion to suggest that he convert; but he politely declined.
In 1814, Raja Ram Mohan Roy formed Atmiya Sabha which tried to initiate social and religious reforms in the society. Raja Ram Mohan Roy campaigned for rights for women, including the right for widows to remarry, and the right for women to hold property. He actively opposed Sati system and played a major role in the abolition of the system. In 1929, the Sati system was abolished. He also opposed polygamy (polygamy is the practice of marriage to more than one spouse simultaneously).
Raja Rammohan Roy was a great scholar and an independent thinker. He advocated the study of English, Science, Western Medicine and Technology. He was given the title 'Raja' by the Mughal Emperor. He also supported education, especially of women. He believed that English-language education was superior to the traditional Indian education system, and he opposed the use of government funds to support schools teaching Sanskrit. In 1822, he founded a school based on English education.
He is also known as the ‘Maker of Modern India’. In 1828, Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the 'Brahma Samaj' - one of the first Indian socio-religious reform movements. Through 'Brahma Samaj, he wanted to expose the religious hypocrisies and check the growing influence of Christianity on the Hindu society.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy passed away on September 27, 1833 at Stapleton near Bristol due to meningitis. Thus a great leader, a revolutionist, an educationist and above all a honest human being is lost but he is still remembered widely especially in the Bengali (natives of West Bengal, India) for his contributions to the Hindu society.
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