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Factors which gave Rise to Reform Movements
- Presence of colonial government on Indian soil and its impact
- Various ills plaguing Indian society
- Brahminical obscurantism - monopoly of scriptural knowledge deliberately prevented facts & details
- superstition, polytheism, idolatry - reinforced their position
- degraded position of women - child marriage, sati, polygamy under kulinism
- exploitative caste hierarchy - social mobility was checked, social divisions grew and individual initiative thwarted
- Intrusion of colonial culture and ideology lead to reinvigoration of traditional institution
- Spread of education and increased awareness of the world
- Impact of modern Western culture and consciousness of defeat by a foreign power.
- Rising tide of nationalism and democracy during the late 19th century.
Social Base
- Emerging middle class
- Western-educated intellectuals
Ideological Base / Unity
- Rationalism - to judge social relevance
- Swami Vivekananda - Same method of investigation which applies to sciences should be the basis on which religion must justify itself
- religious universalism
- Raja Ram Mohan Roy - Defended monotheism of Vedas & Unitarianism of Christianity, while attacking polytheism of Hinduism and trinitarianism of Christianity
- Syed Ahmed Khan - All prophets had the same 'din' (faith) and every country had different prophets
- humanism
- social equality and worth
- secularism
Two streams
- Reformist
- Revivalist
- Depended on varying degrees, on a appeal to lost purity of the religion they sought to reform
Social Reform Components
Betterment of Position of Women Degraded position due to
- Purdah system
- Early marriage
- Denial of education
- Unequal rights in marriage, divorce, inheritance
- Polygamy
- Female infanticide
- Restrictions on widow remarriage
- Sati
Fight to remove disabilities arising out of untouchability
- Temple Entry restrictions
- Access to education
- Access to public goods like wells, roads
Major Contributors to Reforms
- Social reform movements
- freedom struggle
- movements led by enlightened people
- free India's Constitution
Legislative Measures for Women
- Bengal Regulation (1829) banning sati
- Reform lead by Raja Ram Mohan Roy
- Bengal Regulations (1795, 1804) - declaring infanticide illegal
- Esp among upper-class Bengalis & Rajputs
- Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856
- Efforts by Pandit Iswar Chandra Vidya Sagar, principal of Sanskrit College, Calcutta
- Vishnu Shastri Pandit founded Widow Remarriage Association
- Professor D.K Karve marrier a widow and became its secretary
- Age of Consent Act, 1891 - forbade marriage of girls below 12
- Efforts by B.M. Malabari
- Sarda Act, 1930 - further pushed marriage age to 18 for boys and 14 for girls
- Special Marriage Act, 1954
- Hindu Marriage Act, 1955
- Hindu Succession Act, 1956
- Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act
- Maternity Benefits Act, 1961
- Equal Remuneration Act, 1976
- Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Act, 1978
- 18 for girls and 21 for boys
- Suppression of Immoral Traffic Act in Women and Girls, 1956(amended in 1986)
- Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 (amended in 1986)
Struggle Against Caste-based Exploitation
- Factors Undermining Caste Rigidities
- Forces unleashed by colonial administration
- Social reform movements
- National movement
- Gandhi's campaign against untouchability
- Stirrings among lower castes due to better education and
- employment
- Free India's Constitution
Reform Movements: Among Hindus
Bengal
- Raja Rammohan Roy and Brahmo Samaj
- Debendranath Tagore and Tattvabodhini Sabha
- Keshub Chandra Sen and Brahmo Samaj of India
- Prarthana Samaj
- Derozio and Young Bengal Movement
- Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Western India
- Bal Shastri Jambekar
- Students' Literary and Scientific Societies
- Paramhansa Mandalis
- Jyotiba Phule and Satyashodhak Samaj
- Gopalhari Deshmukh 'Lokahitawadi'
- Gopal Ganesh Agarkar
- Servants of India Society
Southern India
- Sri Narayana Dharma Paripalana Movement
- Vokkaliga Sangha
- Justice Movement
- Self-respect Movement
- Temple Entry Movement
All India
- Ramakrishna Movement and Vivekananda
- Dayananda Saraswati and Arya Samaj
Among Muslims
- Wahabi/Walliullah Movement
- Ahmadiyya Movement
- Syed Ahmed Khan and Aligarh Movement
- Deoband Movement
Among Parsis
- Rahnumai Mazdayasnan Sabha
Among Sikhs
- Singh Sabha Movement
- Akali Movement
Positive Aspects
- Liberation of individual from conformity out of fear psychosis.
- Worship made a more personal affair
- Cultural roots to the middle classes - thus mitigating the sense of humiliation; much needed self-respect gained
- Fostered secular outlook
- Encouraged social climate for modernisation
- Ended India's cultural, intellectual isolation from rest of the world
- Evolution of national consciousness
Negative Aspects
- Narrow social base
- Indirectly encouraged mysticism
- Overemphasis on religious, philosophical aspects of culture while underemphasising secular and moral aspects
- Hindus confined their praise to ancient Indian history and
- Muslims to medieval history - created a notion of two separate peoples and increased communal consciousness
- Historical process of evolution of composite culture arrested to some extent