Raja Ram Mohan Roy: Social Reform and Empowerment of Women

Abstract

This article seeks to discuss the development and growth of the socio-religious reform movement started by Raja Ram Mohan Roy during the 18th century with special reference to women rights and their empowerment. Sambad Kaumudi and Mirat-ul Akhbar, a Bengali and Persian weekly, respectively, started by Raja Ram Mohan Roy to launch his progressive movement in India. This paper also highlights the contribution of Raja Ram Mohan Roy in the field of journalism which he later used as a plausible medium to reach the masses and to propagate his modern ideas for the cultural regeneration of India and modernization of the country. He thought that without education social and economic progress of his countrymen was not possible. Therefore, he strongly advocated for modern education through which he prepared the ground of socio-religious reforms in the country. This paper also tries to analyze the difficulties faced by Raja Ram Mohan Roy in convincing the people for women education and banning the inhuman practice like sati. Roy was the moving spirit behind empowering women and getting for them a respectable position in the society. To broaden the base of his socio-religious reform movement, he founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1829.