Social reformers in India

Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Ram Mohan Roy was born on 22 May 1772 in a Brahmin family in Bengal. He completed his early education in Patna. At the age of sixteen, he left his native place and returned after visiting many holy cities. He shifted his residence to Banaras. He studied the Shastras and Vedas from the religious scholars there.

In 1805, he became an officer of the British East India Company. In 1815, he resigned from his job and went to Calcutta to engage in social activities. He formed an organization called 'Atmiya Sabha'. In 1828, he also founded another organization called 'Brahmo Samaj'. The aim of these organizations was to expose religious hypocrisy and show it to the people. In 1829, he persuaded General William Bentinck to ban the evil practice of 'Sati' by law. In 1830, he went to England as a representative of the Mughal Emperor. The Mughal Emperor honored him with the title of 'Raja'.

He was a proponent of progressive ideas and a vigorous reformer. He demanded that the crude and unnecessary religious ceremonies and other extravagant expenses be controlled. He opposed religious fundamentalism and superstitions. He argued that Western education was essential for the progress of the country. He was expelled from his home because of his opposition to various customs. He was an extraordinary scholar and knew English, Persian, Arabic, Latin, French and Hebrew well. He studied all religious texts. He translated the Vedas and Upanishads into Bengali for the study of the common people. He is known as the 'father of Indian religious and social renaissance'. He died on 27 September 1833 in Bristol.

Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda was born on 12 January 1863 in Kolkata. His real name was 'Narendranath Dutta' . He started his studies at the Metropolitan School at the age of seven. After that, he passed his high school studies with first class in 1879. Then he joined Presidency College. Narendranath displayed extraordinary intelligence and inquisitiveness as a student. He used to read a lot of books. He joined the General Assembly's Institute and studied Western philosophy and world history.

The Brahmo Samaj was a movement that opposed the evils of Hinduism. Narendranath, attracted by the progressive ideas of this organization, became a Brahmo Samaj activist at a young age. Narendranath met Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa in 1881 at the house of his friend Narendranath Mitra. Impressed by Paramahamsa, he went to Dakshineswar and met Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It changed Narendranath's life. Narendranath became Paramahamsa's favorite disciple. From this, he gained new meaning, strength and spiritual vitality in life and established the Sri Ramakrishna Math in 1886 to spread these ideas. He opposed superstitions, caste and untouchability. In 1893, he presented Hinduism, its culture and Indian traditions at the All-Religious Conference organized in Chicago, USA. In 1894, he founded the Vedanta Society in New York. He wrote books like Yoga, Raja Yoga and Jnana Yoga. He died on 4th July 1902.

Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Swami Dayananda Saraswati, who worked against foreign rule, came forward to openly oppose injustice and superstitions in the society at a time when they were rampant. He started the Arya Samaj, a revival movement based on the greatness and progressive ideas of the Vedas, to spread them. He opposed idol worship and openly supported widow remarriage. Gandhiji later adopted many of the Swami's ideas. He wrote books like Satyarth Prakash and Rigveda Bhumika, and a philosophical treatise on the Vedas.

Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was born as the fourteenth of the 15 children of Debendranath Tagore. He completed his penance at the age of eleven. His first poem "Abhilash" was published in Tattvabodhini Patrika in 1874. His first collection of poems, 'Kabi-Kahini' was published in 1878. In 1880, he acted in the play 'Valmiki Pratibha'. He made outstanding contributions to novels, short stories, drama and lyric literature. His famous poem 'Gitanjali' was published in Bengali in 1910. In 1912, Gitanjali was translated into English. Then in 1913, Tagore's Gitanjali was awarded the Nobel Prize.

He founded 'Santiniketan' in Bolpur, West Bengal, with the desire to create a new world order that would combine Western and Eastern cultures. Later, this Santiniketan became Visva-Bharati. Tagore's poems include Gitanjali, Purabi, Sonar Tori, Vasantha Chakra and Morning Song of India. His famous novels include Gora, Raja o Rani, The Royal Sage, The Broken Nest, The Young Queen's Market, A Grain of Sand and Speck in the Eye. Tagore's famous stories include Kabuliwallah and Kshudhita Pashaan.

The British government honored Tagore with the title of 'Sir'. He gave up the title of Sir in protest of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Tagore was the first to address Gandhiji as 'Mahatma'. Gandhiji called Tagore 'Gurudev'. Tagore started the Van Mahotsav. Tagore died on 7 August 1941.

Annie Besant

Annie Besant was born in London on 1 October 1847. Her father, William P. Wood, died when Annie was eight years old. After the death of the head of the family, Annie's mother ran an inn and used the money from it for Annie's education. Her mother, who was a staunch believer, married a clergyman named Frank Besant in 1866. But the marriage did not last long. In 1879, she graduated with a first class in Botany from the University of London. Her closeness to a Russian woman named Blavatsky led Annie to join the Theosophical Society. The Theosophical Society was founded in 1875. Its activities began in India in 1878. In September 1893, Annie attended the World's Religions Conference held in Chicago as a representative of the Theosophical Society. She also visited India in 1893. In 1896, he returned to India and started the Scout movement in educational institutions such as schools and colleges.

Olcott was the founder president of the Theosophical Society. After his death, Annie Besant held the post of president of this organization until her own death. Active in Indian politics since 1914, she advocated for Indian independence. She had a deep knowledge of Hindu culture. Annie was very attracted to Indian culture and tradition. She started the "Home Rule League" movement with the help of Lokmanya Tilak. She contributed invaluable services in the educational and social fields through the organization called the Theosophical Society. She presided over the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress in 1919. She was a journalist and also worked as the editor of the publication "New India". She greatly expanded the Scout movement in India. She had been in complete retirement in Adyar, Madras since 1931 and died on 20 September 1933 at the age of 86.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Paramahamsa was born on 18 February 1836 in a Brahmin family in the village of Kamarpukur, northwest of Hooghly, Bengal. His early name was Gadadharan. Gadadharan, who had an extraordinary memory, memorized the Ramayana, Mahabharata and other hymns. During his schooling, he studied well in all subjects except mathematics. His father died when he was seven. He used to meditate at home from an early age and completed his Upanayana at the age of nine. He used to accompany his elder brother Ramkumar when he went to Kolkata to run a school and help him when he went to houses for puja.

At that time, Ramkumar became a priest in the newly established temple. There too, Gadadharan helped Ramkumar in the pujas. After the death of his elder brother, Gadadharan became the chief priest there. He then changed his name to Ramakrishnan. He would always be immersed in meditation. When his mother heard the complaint that Ramakrishnan was not paying enough attention to the temple matters, she brought her son back and got him married. Since it was a child marriage, the five-year-old Saradamani remained in the bridal house. After staying in his own village, Kamarpukur, for a year and a half, he returned to Dakshineswar. He again took over the temple duties and became overwhelmed with devotion. At that time, he learned many tantric techniques from a sannyasi who came to Dakshineswar. After the death of his mother, he became a disciple of Totapuri Ramakrishnan and learned Advaita. He read a lot about Sri Rama. He understood that Islam, Hinduism and Christianity are all part of Advaita.

At that time, a monk named Bhairavi Brahmani came to Dakshineswar. He then met Ramakrishna and engaged in spiritual discussions. During the discussion, Bhairavi was amazed by Ramakrishna's profound scholarship and declared that Ramakrishna was an incarnation of God. Many people who heard that Sri Ramakrishna was an incarnation of God came to see him. Bhairavi stayed there for a long time and taught Sri Ramakrishna various yoga paths and about Indian religions. A famous social reformer in India, he passed away on August 16, 1886. His disciples formed an organization called 'Sri Ramakrishna Mission' to spread his philosophy that 'Human service is God service'.

Acharya Vinoba Bhave

Gandhian, founder of the Bhoodan Movement and the founder of the Sarvodaya Movement, Vinoba Bhave was born in the village of Gagoda in the Colaba district of Bombay state. He spent his childhood in Baroda. He completed his college education in 1916. In the same year, Gandhiji's speech in Kashi deeply touched Vinoba. He then spent some time with Gandhiji, observing ashram vows. Vinoba had come to Kerala as an observer of the Vaikom Satyagraha in 1924. When Gandhiji started the Individual Satyagraha in 1940, he chose Vinoba as his first soldier. Vinoba was imprisoned three times. In 1946, he returned to Panavar and officially took up scavenging. In 1948, he visited Telangana and formed the famous Bhoodan Movement. After Gandhiji's death, he formed the Sarvodaya Movement. Vinobaji was also a multilingual scholar. He was also awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1982.

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

He was an Indian social reformer, journalist and writer, and also a Sanskrit scholar. He was born in a simple Brahmin family in Midnapore, West Bengal. He studied Vedanta, Nyaya, Tarka, Astrology, Dharmashastra etc. at Sanskrit College, Calcutta. Along with this, he also passed the 'Vidyasagar' examination on Hindu law. That is how he got the name Vidyasagar. He got married at the age of fourteen. After completing his studies, he became the chief scholar at Fort William College in 1841. In 1850, with permission to reform the education system, he was appointed as a professor at Sanskrit College. He was then appointed as the first principal there. He opened the Sanskrit College, which was only for Brahmins, to everyone. In addition to Sanskrit, he taught students in Bengali and English. He translated many important books for children into Bengali. He resigned from his position after holding the positions of Sanskrit College Professor, Principal and School Inspector.

He was a member of the Royal Asiatic Society. He received a C.I.E. (Companion of the Indian Empire) degree from Queen Victoria. He played an important role in the establishment of institutions such as Birasimha Bhagavathy Vidyalaya and Metropolitan College and periodicals such as Sarbashubhankari Patrika, Tattvabodini Patrika and Shome Prakash. He was also an Indian social reformer and fought against injustices in society. He helped the poor and the homeless. He opened free soup kitchens during the Bengal famine. He opened free clinics when malaria was rampant in Bengal. He is remembered as the architect of social reforms such as women's education, widow remarriage and the prohibition of polygamy. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar has published many independent works such as 'Bengalar Itihas', 'Vidhwa Vivah', and interpretations of many Sanskrit works such as 'Raghuvansham', ' Kiratarjuniyam', and 'Abhijnana Shakuntalam'. Rabindranath Tagore called him the 'father of modern Bengali language'. He died on 29 July 1891 .

Madan Mohan Malaviya

Madan Mohan Malaviya was born on 25 December 1861 in a Brahmin family in Allahabad. He was a good speaker and organizer even during his school days. He had a good taste in art and literature. He wrote poems in Hindi and won the admiration of everyone. While studying in college, he established a Hindi Samaj in Allahabad. The aim was to propagate Indian culture. After completing his B.A. degree, he worked as a teacher for some time. Later, he joined the Congress. When the second session of the Congress was held in Calcutta in 1886, his speech was highly praised. He worked for some time in the newspapers Hindustan and The Indian Opinion. After that, he obtained a law degree. He became an advocate in the Allahabad High Court.

In 1909, he left his legal career and focused on public work. He was the one who fought the case against the hanging of 225 people in the case related to the attack on the police station in Chauri Chaura, Uttar Pradesh. Malaviya was able to save 153 people from the gallows. Malaviya, who used to attend all Congress sessions, presided over the Lahore session of the Congress in 1909. Although he opposed Gandhiji on many issues, he actively participated in the Salt Satyagraha and the Non-Cooperation Movement. He was imprisoned several times. Large crowds used to gather to listen to his speeches, as he knew Hindi, English and Sanskrit. He believed that only an educated people can progress. He was the one who tried to convert the Central Hindu College, founded by Annie Besant, into a university. Later, he withdrew from politics. He tried to help the downtrodden and the oppressed. He opposed riots in the name of religion. He died on 12 November 1946. The Central Government posthumously awarded him the Bharat Ratna in 2014 .

Periyar EV Ramaswamy Naicker

E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker is a revolutionary leader who fought against the caste system and Brahmin supremacy. A leading figure in the Indian national movement, he openly questioned the upper caste system that existed there. Ramaswamy is a brave man who even debated with Gandhiji while standing firm on his stand. E.V. Ramaswamy, affectionately called 'Periyar' by his followers, was born on September 17, 1879 in Erode, Tamil Nadu. His parents were Venkatappa Naicker and Chinnathayamma. Ramaswamy, who finished his education at the age of eleven, joined his father in business. He traveled a lot. Those travels changed him.

Ramaswamy, who experienced the hunger and poverty of the country, realized that only the upper castes had wealth and facilities. That is how he formed the “Swabhiman Movement”. E.V. Ramaswamy became part of the national movement by joining the Indian National Congress. He was interested in Gandhiji's ideas of simple living, wearing khadi, and prohibition of alcohol. In 1922, Periyar became the president of the Tamil Nadu unit of the Congress. Periyar was the leader of the South Indian Liberal Federation formed for the non-Brahmin sections in South India. He died on 24 December 1973.

Keshab Chandra Sen

Keshab Chandra Sen was a social reformer known as a philosopher, a great orator, a writer, and a journalist. He was a personality who created excitement among the youth of Bengal in the middle of the 19th century. Keshab Chandra Sen was born on 19 November 1838 in Kolkata to Mohan Sen and Sarada Devi. His father, Mohan Sen, was a writer and social worker. Therefore, Keshab Chandra Sen was interested in social work from young age. At the age of 17, he started an organization with some others. Under the leadership of this society, he started an evening school in his house to provide education to the people.

After studying at Calcutta College, Keshab Chandra Sen joined the government service. Along with this, he also carried out social work. In 1857, Sen joined the Brahmo Samaj. Later, all his activities were through this organization. Sen was a person who fought against the caste system and economic inequality. All his activities were based on the idea of ​​equality. He spread the idea of ​​equality in all fields. He organized the youth who believed in his idea and formed a group. Keshab Chandra Sen was a promoter of women's education. He opposed the caste system and started a Bengali magazine for women.

Jyotirao Govindrao Phule

Jyoti Rao Govindrao Phule was a social reformer and writer who worked against the caste system and untouchability. He worked for women's equality and is known as a leader who provided education to women and the poor in the lower classes. It was a time of social inequality. Born into a backward community, Phule grew up with all its own neglect. These experiences enabled him to work for the poor. Although education was denied to the backward classes

Phule's wife's name was Savitri. Phule taught her English and made her a teacher in the schools he started. Phule's schools became famous in a short time. Savitri supported all of Phule's activities. Along with women's education, they also worked for the marriage of widows. Phule also wrote the books Tritiya Ratna, Janik Satyadharma Pustak, and Gulamgiri. Jyotirao Phule, who was nominated as a Pune Municipal Councillor died on 28 November 1890.

Veeresalingam Pantulu

Veeresalingam, who helped in the growth of modern Telugu literature, is known as the 'Father of Modern Andhra'. He was born on 16 April 1848 in Rajahmundry as the only son of Subbarayudu, a Shaiva Brahmin, and Poornamma. His father died when he was four years old. After his primary education, he studied English, mathematics and Sanskrit. He married in 1861. After passing his matriculation in 1870, he worked as a school teacher. Later, he became a college teacher.

Veeresalingam composed two hundred poems at the age of twenty. He gave a new form to Telugu prose. He translated the Vigrahatantra of the Panchatantra into prose. He composed poems in all the existing poetic styles in Telugu. Veeresalingam was the pioneer of Telugu novels, dramas, autobiographies, literary history, scientific literature and children's literature. He propagated a scientific attitude against caste and superstitions. He opposed Shaivite marriage and dowry. He encouraged widow marriage. He wrote a lot, gave speeches and formed organizations for this. He worked in front of the people against corruption, falsehood and immorality in public life. He established widow homes and orphanages and provided facilities for their management.

He is also known as the father of modern Telugu journalism. He started a newspaper called 'Viveka Vardhini' in 1874 but stopped it in 1890 due to financial difficulties. Many civil and criminal defamation cases have been filed against him in the field of journalism. He was also awarded the rank of Rao Bahadur in 1893. He served as a member of the Public Health Committee in the municipality and as a member of the Taluk Board and District Board. He presided over the social reform meetings of the Indian National Congress sessions. On 12 December 1906, he founded the Hithakarini Samaj and donated all his land, money, and copyrights of his books to the society. He died on 27 May 1919 .

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan

Syed Ahmad Khan is the father of the Muslim renaissance in India. He was a social reformer who strongly opposed the immoral practices prevalent among the followers of Islam. Ahmad Khan was born in Delhi. He studied Urdu and Arabic languages, law and mathematics and became an officer in the British government. During the First War of Independence in 1857, Ahmad Khan had to endure a lot from the British army. Even his house was attacked. Two years after this revolution, he published a book. Asbab-e-Baghawat-e-Hind. Through it, he brought out the real reasons for the Indian Revolution.

He founded the British Indian Association in 1866 and sought to establish good relations with the ruling elite. Ahmad Khan was opposed to the British government's strategy. He was also reluctant to become part of the Indian National Congress. Ahmad Khan tried to link Islamic views with European ideas. He opposed superstitions within the religion and believed that the Muslim community in India would not progress unless it followed the Western model of education.

In 1875, Syed Ahmad Khan established a college in Aligarh. This institution, called "Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College", became the Aligarh Muslim University in 1920. In recognition of Ahmad Khan's distinguished services, the British government conferred on him the title of "Sir". Ahmad Khan died on 28 March 1898.

Debendranath Tagore

Debendranath Tagore, who made significant contributions to the religious, social and cultural activities of Bengal, is the father of Rabindranath Tagore. He was born on 15 May 1817 as the son of Dwarkanath Tagore, a wealthy prince in Kolkata. Rajaram Mohan Roy was a friend of Dwarkanath Tagore. In 1827, Debendranath Tagore was admitted to the Anglo-Hindu School run by Rajaram Mohan Roy. He then studied at Hindu College. After college, he began studying Sanskrit and literary writing. He married Sarada Devi in ​​1834. He joined his father's Union Bank.

Attracted by the ideas of the Upanishads, he began his studies under Pandit Ramachandra Vidyabagish. He abandoned idol worship and propagated the worship of one God based on the Vedas. In June 1840, he established the 'Tattvabodhini' school. In December 1843, he took Brahma dharma initiation along with 20 companions under the guidance of Ramachandra Vidyabagish. In August 1846, his father Dwarkanath passed away in England. After that, he focused more on the study of the Vedas. In August 1847, he started the Tattvabodhini Patrika. It started publishing translations of the Upanishads. In 1849, he published 'Brahmadharma', a collection of thoughts on ancient religious texts of India. After that, he wrote the work 'Brahmadharma Vyakhyana'. In 1859, the Tattvabodhini Sabha was dissolved.

He became the joint secretary of the Brahmo Samaj along with Keshav Chandra Sen. In 1866, Keshav Chandra Sen's followers left the Brahmo Samaj and founded the Bharatiya Brahmo Samaj. It was that organization that conferred the title of 'Maharshi' on Debendranath Tagore in 1867. In 1873, when he went on a journey to the Himalayas, he took his 12- year-old son Rabindranath Tagore with him. In 1901, Rabindranath Tagore founded Santiniketan on the land that Debendranath had purchased in 1863. His autobiography 'Atmajeevini' was published in 1898. Many prominent people like Keshav Chandra Sen were disciples of Debendranath. In his last years, Debendranath lived like a Maharshi. He died on 19 January 1905 in Kolkata.

Subramania Bharati

Considered the greatest Tamil poet of the 20th century, Subramania Bharati was born in a Brahmin family in the village of Ettayapuram in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. He received his primary education at the Anglo-Vernacular School in Ettayapuram. He then studied at the Hindu College near Tirunelveli. At the age of fifteen, he married a seven-year-old girl named Chellammal. He started writing poems from childhood and studied Hindi, English and Sanskrit, and later became a court scholar. The king gave him the name 'Bharati'. From then on, he was known as Subramania Bharati. After his father's death, he went there at the invitation of his aunt in Kashi. It was in Kashi that he started wearing a turban and a trimmed mustache. He returned to Ettayapuram in 1901. He got a job in the palace, but later gave it up.

As the freedom struggle influenced Bharati, he became an energetic journalist. He became the associate editor of the newspaper 'Swadesimitran' . A case was filed against him for criticizing the government through the weekly 'India' and the weekly was banned. After an arrest warrant was issued, he spent some time in Puducherry for literary work from 1910. In Puducherry, he met Aurobindo Ghosh. They became friends. Under the influence of Aurobindo Ghosh, he turned to patriotic poems and spiritual poems. When he returned from Puducherry in 1918, he was arrested. After being released from prison, he again worked as an associate editor of the newspaper 'Swadesimitran'. He died on 11 September 1921 .  

He fought against untouchability and other social injustices. Influenced by the English Romantic poets, he used themes of love and beauty in his poems. Taking pride in India's great heritage, he made his mark as a patriot, journalist, social reformer and poet.

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa is a saint who dedicated her life to the suffering and oppressed of society. Mother Teresa was born on August 27, 1910 , in Skopje, Yugoslavia, to Nikolle Bojaxhiu and Dranafile Bojaxhiu, an Albanian family. Her real name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. Her father was a contractor and her mother was a housewife. By the time she was just twelve years old, Agnes had already entered the medical field. She then decided to become a nun. After becoming a nun in the Roman Catholic Church, she came to India in 1929. A group of Christian missionaries who had arrived in India in 1921 sent letters to Yugoslavia requesting help for the starving poor in India. Agnes decided to come to India because she happened to read those letters. After completing her training in Darjeeling, she adopted the name 'Teresa'. She then settled in India and served as the principal of St. Mary's School in Calcutta.

After Teresa took her first vows as a nun on May 24, 1931, Mother Teresa set out to reach millions of people in the world who were suffering. She was also a source of comfort to those who were suffering from terminal illnesses. In 1948, she established the first slum school in Kolkata. In 1950, she founded the Catholic nuns' order, the Missionaries of Charity . Mother Teresa's work was based in Kolkata. Thousands of selfless young women followed in her footsteps and dedicated their lives to helping them. She established Immaculate Heart Homes for the sick and dying, Immaculate Heart Homes for the mentally retarded and disabled. She established leprosy clinics, Prem Nivas, which cared for the homeless, children, and criminals, in various parts of the world.

Mother Teresa, who dedicated herself to her work in the field of health, was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize, the Padma Shri, and the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor of the United States. In 1980, Mother Teresa was also awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. She also received the Peace Prize, the Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award, and the Eisenhower Award. Mother Teresa passed away on September 5, 1997.