Mughal rule in India came to an end in the late eighteenth century. Just the realm of darkness all around. Even in this darkness, Raja Ram Mohan Roy was one of the few great men who worked for the great cause of reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims of India and people of all faiths.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the first modern-minded thinker, social reformer and activist of the Bengalis, the great reformer of Hinduism, was born on 22 May 182 in a conservative Brahmin family in the village of Radhanagar in the Hooghly district of West Bengal. Father Ram Kant and mother Tarini Devi. The period of learning his childhood education started in the rural school. He also learned Persian from a Maulvi for some time. In his childhood and early youth, besides Hindi and his mother tongue Bengali, he acquired significant knowledge in several oriental languages such as culture, Arabic and Persian.
In the old days, Patna was the center of Islamic learning. It was in Patna that Ram Mohan learned Persian and learned about the famous Greek philosophers Aristotle and Euclid through Arabic and Persian. The Sufi pursuits of Arabia and the philosophical thinking of the rationalist Matazils had a profound effect on his mind. The thirst for knowledge turned him into an exceptional man. He showed the way of modernity to the Bengalis. During this time he studied many books on the history-science-philosophy of Europe and practiced English language. After returning from Patna, Rammohun tried to write a book proving the futility of idol worship. He opposed idolatry in many ways. As a result, the orthodox father told him to leave his house. Ram Mohan went to Varanasi after visiting various places. There he studied Hindu philosophy. After the death of his father in 1803, Ram Mohan migrated to Murshidabad. While in Murshidabad, he wrote a book in Persian called Tuhfat ul Muahidin, a Gift for Monotheists. In this book he shows that there is only one Creator. In different places, people imagine this creator in different forms, so people place idols in different forms. The real creator is one and formless. So the orthodox Hindus created a new religion by combining the best of all its religions. Rammohun was introduced to an Englishman named William Digby. Who was a newly appointed civilian. Rammohun developed a close friendship with Mr. Digby and during the period 1605-1614, Mr. Rammohun and Mr. Digby were closely related. Originally, Rammohun was engaged in the work of Mr. Digby's personal dewan. Later, due to Digbi's efforts, he was appointed Government Dewan in Rangpur and remained in Rangpur from 1809-1814 AD. He later settled in Calcutta in 1815. From then on he devoted himself to the work of religion and social reform and started preaching by translating the Vedas and Upanishads into Bengali. He was a believer in one God and the promoter of Brahmanism. He established the 'Atmiya Sabha' in 1815 to eradicate the orthodoxy and ignorance of Hinduism. Through this organization he started the struggle against the superstitious nobility of the then Hindu society, sale of daughters, caste discrimination etc. In the old days, daughters had no right to the property of father and husband, Rammohun was the first to start the struggle for this right. Ram Mohan ushered in a great era of Hindu reform. He was able to build public opinion against evil practices like 'satidah'. With the death of her husband, she started preaching that the cruel and barbaric act of burning the wife could not be a provision of any religion. It was through his best efforts that the former British Parliament, in obedience to Ram Mohan Roy, approved the proclamation to ban the practice of 'satidah', which in 1829 forced the government to repeal it through a special law. Rammohun strongly rejected idol worship and believed that Hinduism instructed the worship of a universal God.
Rammohun's thinking was clean and clear. He was unwavering in his efforts to get the right message. Attachment to the newspaper is one of his examples. Newspaper publishing is a landmark event in India. Calcutta Times (1814 AD), Government Gazette (1815 AD), Friends of India (1817 AD), Digdarshan (1817 AD)Etc. Newspapers and periodicals are wonderful additions to the world of knowledge. Following this, Harchandra Roy published the Bengal Gazette on 15 May 1818 with the encouragement of Ram Mohan.
Ram Mohan felt the need to change the kind of education system that was prevalent in India in the past. When the Hindu College began to flourish in 1827, he began collaborating with David Hare. The college was built on the hard work of David Hare. But as the Hindu socialists of the time opposed Ram Mohan, Ram Mohan secretly cooperated in the work of this college. Because the curriculum of this college was different from the conventional education system. However, he had earlier established a high English school in 1822 at his own expense. Ram Mohan was the first Bengali to remove the Bengali language from Sanskrit and make it more orderly.
Raja Rammohun Roy published a Bengali newspaper called Sangbad Kaumudi in 1821 and a Persian newspaper called Mirat-ul-Akhbar in 1826. He was the first to compose Bengali grammar for Bengalis. Apart from the name of this grammar 'Gaudiya Grammar', Ram Mohan was directly and indirectly present in the periodicals of the time. Rammohun used to promote liberal policy through all these newspapers. He believed in universal human religion.
He edited several periodicals in Bengali and English for the purpose of propagating the religion. Ram Mohan Roy also had a great contribution in the development of national and political consciousness in the subcontinent. He was simultaneously a multilingual scholar. Besides Bengali, he knew Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Greek, Latin and English. He was endowed with a modern mind and thinking.
In 1630, the title was given to the Mughal emperor Akbar II (1608-1738 AD)Ram Mohan Roy was conferred the title of King and sent to England to advocate for the British Raj and Parliament on his behalf.
On 15 November 1830, Ram Mohan set sail for England aboard the Bar Albion. The following year, on 6 April 1831, he arrived in England. Famous people came to England to meet and discuss with him. Ram Mohan was revered at the top of English society and was greatly admired by the leaders of British society. He also visited France in 1832. In 1833 he fell ill in London. Friends told him to go to Bristol for a change of air. It was there that Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the well-to-do son of Mother India, passed away on 26 September 1833 in Bristol, England.
His indefatigable contribution in eradicating the 'satidah practice' against the superstitions of the country is significant. So Raja Ram Mohan Roy will be a source of inspiration for every Bengali who protests against the blindness of bigotry and superstition
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much