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    Social and Religious Reform Movements in 19th Century India

    Explore the 19th-century social and religious reform movements in India, their impact on society, and the key reformist and revivalist movements that shaped modern India.

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    The 19th-century social and religious reform movements in India have had lasting significance, influencing subsequent generations. These movements aimed at social reform and religious revival, addressing widespread superstitions and social obscurantism in India.

    Emergence and Causes of Social and Religious Reform Movements in 19th Century India

    Reasons for Development:

    • Dissemination of English education among the high castes.
    • Development of vernacular languages.
    • Improved communications, and expansion of print culture.
    • Fears of conversions to Christianity: Christian missionaries were entering the sphere of service like education, hospitals, orphanages and schools in a significant way, creating further anxieties among Hindus.
    • There was a need felt by Hindu social reformers to seek changes in Hindu customs and British policies.
    • Social and Religious Reform Movements emerged as reformers further wished to eliminate social evils and certain ‘unreasonable’ and ‘wrong’ religious beliefs from within, leading to an age of definition and redefinition of religion.
    • These reforms represented a contest for moral authority and were a response of Hindu men and women to foreign presence.
    • A want to rediscover reason and science in their civilization, and to produce a modernized world within the cultural space defined by Indian tradition.


    Emergence of Social and Religious Reform Movements

    • The newly created middle class and the educated intellectuals provided the base for these Social and Religious Reform Movements.
    • This class was attracted to the new ideas of renaissance, reformation, enlightenment, and democratic revolution or reform.
    • The ideals of social equality and the equal worth of all individuals which inspired the newly educated middle class influenced the field of Social and Religious Reform Movements in a major way.
    • The social reform movements were linked to the religious reforms primarily because nearly all social ills like untouchability and gender-based inequity derived legitimacy from religion in one way or the other.
    • In later years, though, these Social and Religious Reform Movements gradually dissociated themselves from religion and adopted a secular approach.
    • With time, from having a narrow base, these social reform movements penetrated the lower strata of society to revolutionize and reconstruct the social sphere.
    • Reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and Swami Vivekananda were influenced by Western ideas and worked towards integrating them with Indian traditions.


    Reformist and Revivalist Approaches in Social and Religious Reform Movements

    The reform movements could broadly be classified into two categories: Reformist movements and Revivalist movements.

    Aspects

    Reformist

    Revivalist

    Philosophical Basis

    Relied more on reason and rationalism in accepting or rejecting customs

    Relied on the lost purity of religion they sought to reform

    Goal

    Aimed at modernization, not Westernization, while embracing modern ideas

    Demonstrated that ancient Indian socio-cultural ideas were progressive and rationalist

    Examples

    Brahmo Samaj, Aligarh movement

    Arya Samaj movement, Deoband movement, Wahabi Movement

    Social Impact

    Sought to reform and modernize social customs and religious practices

    Sought to revive and purify religious traditions

    Examples of Revivalists

    • Dharma Sabha: Founded by Pandit Radha Kanta Deb in the first half of the 19th century. Opposed Western education and the abolition of Sati and was against the reformist agenda of Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
    • Arya Samaj: Found by Swami Dayanand Saraswati in 1875 in Bombay. Led Hindu revivalism but criticized Puranic evils like polytheism, idol, worship, superstitious beliefs, etc.

    Revivalism among Muslims:

    Wahabi movement:
    • Founder- Syed Ahmed of Bareilly.
    • Emphasized the puritan reconstruction of Islam and the right of every individual to read and interpret religious texts.
    Faraizi movement:
    • Started by Haji Shariatullah in 1819.
    • Aimed to prevent unIslamic behavior and encourage Muslims in Eastern Bengal to fulfill their religious obligations. 
    Deoband Movement:
    • Launched by Muhammad Qasim Nanotavi and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi in 1866.
    • Focused on preserving the spirit of jihad against foreign rulers and disseminating the clear teachings of the Quran and Hadith among Muslims.

    Reformist:

    • Neither favored a blind revival of the past, nor the blind imitation of the West.
    • Impressed by modern values like humanism, rationalism, and liberalism.

    Reformism among Hindus:

      • Educational reforms: Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar opened 36 schools for girls and introduced modern education at Sanskrit College in Bengal.
    Social religious reforms: 
    • Brahmo Samaj: Founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1828, advocated monotheism, rejected idol worship, and promoted social reforms.
    Religious modernism: 
        • Organizations like the Ramakrishna Mission combined traditional Hindu knowledge with modern curriculum through educational institutions
    Women's rights and empowerment: 
      • Prarthana Samaj: Founded by Atmaram Pandurang in Bombay in 1867, focused on social reform, education, and women’s rights.

    Reformism among Muslims:

    • Educational Reform: Establishment of institutions like Aligarh Muslim University by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan to provide Western and scientific education alongside Islamic teachings.
    • Social and Religious Reform Movements: Worked towards the abolition of practices like polygamy and purdah, and advocated for progressive reinterpretation of religion.
    • Interfaith Harmony: Promoted by reformists like Sir Syed Ahmed Khan through interfaith dialogue and cultural exchanges.
    • Religious Modernism: Aimed to reconcile Islamic teachings with scientific knowledge and rationality.
    • Political Awareness: Advocated for political participation, representation, and social justice.

    Overall, the reforms played a crucial role in shaping the intellectual, social, and political landscape of the country and laid the foundation for the broader nationalist movement in the early 20th century.
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