Social Reforms in India
The same set of circumstances the impact modern education, rational, Urnanitarian and scientific approach to life which ushered in both in action reaction reform movements in religion were largely responsible for social reform movements in the 19th and 20th centuries Rammohan Roy, a pioneer in modern religious reform movements in India, was also the Morning Star of GullyBaba Publishing House modern social reform movement in the country.
Social reform became integral part of religious reform in India and this was equally true of Brahm0 Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Arya Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, and Theosophical Society in Hinduism as also among the Muslims, the Parsis and the Sikhs. The social reform movement in India has aimed at uprooting social evils and inculcating in men and women the spirit of sacrifice for the general good of the society.
The first and foremost social problem that attracted enlightened opinion was the need for a better deal for women in society, in the abolition of the cruel rites of sati and infanticide, in the condemnation of child marriage and polygamy and popularisation of widow remarriage, in the abolition of purdah, in provision of educational facilities for women and economic openings to make them self-supporting and finally an equal share for women in the political life of the country by enfranchisement. Another social evil that was a major concern of the English educated and Hindu intelligentsia was the caste restrictions in Hindu society and the degrading position of the lower castes especially the untouchables.
Of these two great evils,- those connected with the position of women received greater attention in the 19th century, while the problems of the untouchables came in sharp focus in the 20th century because of its political overtones.
Sati:
The term sati literally means a 'pure and virtuous woman'. It was applied in case of a devoted wife who contemplated perpetual and uninterrupted conjugal union with her husband
Social reform became integral part of religious reform in India and this was equally true of Brahm0 Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Arya Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, and Theosophical Society in Hinduism as also among the Muslims, the Parsis and the Sikhs. The social reform movement in India has aimed at uprooting social evils and inculcating in men and women the spirit of sacrifice for the general good of the society.
The first and foremost social problem that attracted enlightened opinion was the need for a better deal for women in society, in the abolition of the cruel rites of sati and infanticide, in the condemnation of child marriage and polygamy and popularisation of widow remarriage, in the abolition of purdah, in provision of educational facilities for women and economic openings to make them self-supporting and finally an equal share for women in the political life of the country by enfranchisement. Another social evil that was a major concern of the English educated and Hindu intelligentsia was the caste restrictions in Hindu society and the degrading position of the lower castes especially the untouchables.
Of these two great evils,- those connected with the position of women received greater attention in the 19th century, while the problems of the untouchables came in sharp focus in the 20th century because of its political overtones.
Sati:
The term sati literally means a 'pure and virtuous woman'. It was applied in case of a devoted wife who contemplated perpetual and uninterrupted conjugal union with her husband