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Raja Rammohan Roy-a freedom fighter or British collaborator? Let’s understand this complex issue
Raja Rammohan Roy(1772-1831) was an Indian social reformer, linguist, educationist, historian & public intellectual.
He is regarded as the father, or rather, prophet of modern India. It was his teachings, ideals and beliefs that led to the onset of a truly modern India.
He was one of the doyens of the Bengali Renaissance.
It wouldn’t be unfair to say that, intellectually, he and Da Vinci were very similar in their feats.
But a rather perturbing question has emerged in the Indian academic and intellectual societal discourse-was Raja Rammohan Roy a freedom fighter or British collaborator?
Roy was a remarkable educationist, he was instrumental in establishing two renowned institutions of higher education in Bengal in the late 19th century- Hindu college(now Presidency University) in 1817 and Vedanta College in 1825.
The latter offered courses on Sanskrit, Indic history along with Voltaire, logic and English.
He also established a number of Bengali schools and was instrumental in producing a new primer for the Bengali language.
Roy also invented a new prose style for the Bangla language.
Roy was an out and out rationalist. In the Tufat-ul-Muhideen (his first treatise, written in Persian), he questioned idol worship.
No, not because he was against Sanatan Dharma in any form, but he wanted to revive the Advaita Vedanta practice of worshipping Ishwar in a shapeless form or Nirguna Brahman.
Rammohan appealed to people to judge religion from a skeptical point of view, if any scripture or ritual doesn’t fit the prism of reason, either try to improve it or reject that scripture or ritual.
But the reason why he is so famous in the annals of India’s social history is because of his tireless crusade against Sati.
Sati or Suti (as the British put it) was a practice that involved a Hindu widow burning immolating herself on the funeral pyre of her husband, upon the latter’s death.
Roy took matters in his own hands, he organized squads that would keep a tab on such incidences at ghats to prevent them.
He also, in several debates, quoted the Hindu religious and philosophical scriptures to assert that religion didn’t sanction this inhuman practice.
But he had a hard time against the reactionaries, he was ostracised, turned out of his own family by his father.
But he didn’t budge under pressure.
He petitioned the British Privy Council and the Governor general’s office.
Finally, the British Government under Lord William Bentinck banned Sati in 1829.
But Raja Rammohan Roy-a freedom fighter or British collaborator?
But the million rupee question is this.
To many Rammohan may appear to be a British stooge and rightly so.
He was heavily influenced by British ideals and principles and believed that British rule would be a good thing for India.
He even to the extent of arguing that British rule was a noble act of divine providence.
Rammohan also was against India’s freedom struggle in the 19th century on the grounds that Indians were ready for such a struggle.
But let’s understand the social and cultural context in which he grew up, India’s glorious heritage and civilizational greatness was buried deep under the mounds of her patchy Middle age mentality.
Bharat no longer was a leader in any field.
You, the masses, need to understand that it was natural for Rammohan to be skeptical of India’s freedom crusade, if it was anything at all.
He believed that Indians weren’t ready for a fight with the ‘mighty’ British.
I am not trying to rescue him,but simply putting out the facts and separating it from the fiction.
Therefore, it is very clear that while Rammohan may, inadvertently, been a British collaborator, he was by no means an unpatriotic Indian.
But the question remains-Raja Rammohan Roy- a freedom fighter or British collaborator?
The post Raja Rammohan Roy-a freedom fighter or British collaborator? appeared first on The Jaipur Dialogues.
Continue reading...
Raja Rammohan Roy(1772-1831) was an Indian social reformer, linguist, educationist, historian & public intellectual.
He is regarded as the father, or rather, prophet of modern India. It was his teachings, ideals and beliefs that led to the onset of a truly modern India.
He was one of the doyens of the Bengali Renaissance.
It wouldn’t be unfair to say that, intellectually, he and Da Vinci were very similar in their feats.
But a rather perturbing question has emerged in the Indian academic and intellectual societal discourse-was Raja Rammohan Roy a freedom fighter or British collaborator?
Remarkable Educationist
Roy was a remarkable educationist, he was instrumental in establishing two renowned institutions of higher education in Bengal in the late 19th century- Hindu college(now Presidency University) in 1817 and Vedanta College in 1825.
The latter offered courses on Sanskrit, Indic history along with Voltaire, logic and English.
He also established a number of Bengali schools and was instrumental in producing a new primer for the Bengali language.
Roy also invented a new prose style for the Bangla language.
A Tireless Rationalist
Roy was an out and out rationalist. In the Tufat-ul-Muhideen (his first treatise, written in Persian), he questioned idol worship.
No, not because he was against Sanatan Dharma in any form, but he wanted to revive the Advaita Vedanta practice of worshipping Ishwar in a shapeless form or Nirguna Brahman.
Rammohan appealed to people to judge religion from a skeptical point of view, if any scripture or ritual doesn’t fit the prism of reason, either try to improve it or reject that scripture or ritual.
Crusader Against Sati
But the reason why he is so famous in the annals of India’s social history is because of his tireless crusade against Sati.
Sati or Suti (as the British put it) was a practice that involved a Hindu widow burning immolating herself on the funeral pyre of her husband, upon the latter’s death.
Roy took matters in his own hands, he organized squads that would keep a tab on such incidences at ghats to prevent them.
He also, in several debates, quoted the Hindu religious and philosophical scriptures to assert that religion didn’t sanction this inhuman practice.
But he had a hard time against the reactionaries, he was ostracised, turned out of his own family by his father.
But he didn’t budge under pressure.
He petitioned the British Privy Council and the Governor general’s office.
Finally, the British Government under Lord William Bentinck banned Sati in 1829.
But Raja Rammohan Roy-a freedom fighter or British collaborator?
A British Stooge?
But the million rupee question is this.
To many Rammohan may appear to be a British stooge and rightly so.
He was heavily influenced by British ideals and principles and believed that British rule would be a good thing for India.
He even to the extent of arguing that British rule was a noble act of divine providence.
Rammohan also was against India’s freedom struggle in the 19th century on the grounds that Indians were ready for such a struggle.
But let’s understand the social and cultural context in which he grew up, India’s glorious heritage and civilizational greatness was buried deep under the mounds of her patchy Middle age mentality.
Bharat no longer was a leader in any field.
You, the masses, need to understand that it was natural for Rammohan to be skeptical of India’s freedom crusade, if it was anything at all.
He believed that Indians weren’t ready for a fight with the ‘mighty’ British.
I am not trying to rescue him,but simply putting out the facts and separating it from the fiction.
Therefore, it is very clear that while Rammohan may, inadvertently, been a British collaborator, he was by no means an unpatriotic Indian.
But the question remains-Raja Rammohan Roy- a freedom fighter or British collaborator?
The post Raja Rammohan Roy-a freedom fighter or British collaborator? appeared first on The Jaipur Dialogues.
Continue reading...