Why is Raja Ram Mohan Roy famous ?

Roy was pioneer in journalism and took various steps to educate Indian about various issues. His newspaper helped Indian to form an educated opinion about various issues affecting their day today life.

Brahmo religious practices were stripped bare of the Hindu ceremonialism and were set up following the Christian or Islamic prayer practices.

Ram Mohan Roy brother’s wife was forced to commit sati after death of his brother. This event left a deep impact in his mind.

He was close to many powerful people in British government and used his influence to get practice of sati abolished in 1829. British Government enacted law to declared Sati illegal and punishable offense.

With time, the Brahma Samaj became a strong progressive force to drive social reforms in Bengal, especially women education.

After successful campaign against practice of sati, Raja Ram Mohan Roy launched campaign against child marriage, purdah system, the dowry system and polygamy.

Journalistic Contributions

Ram Mohan Roy was a staunch supporter of free speech and expression. He fought for the rights of vernacular press.

In 1830, Mughal emperor appointed Roy as his representative and send him to England to request British Government to increase his allowance. He visited various places in England like Manchester, Liverpool beside London. Roy fell ill in London and died due to meningitis.

He also brought out a newspaper in Persian called 'Miratul- Akhbar' (the Mirror of News) and a Bengali weekly called 'Sambad Kaumudi' (the Moon of Intelligence). In those days, items of news and articles had to be approved by the Government before being published.

Ram Mohan protested against this control by arguing that newspapers should be free and that the truth should not be suppressed simply because the government did not like it.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy travelled to England in 1830 to request the Imperial Government to increase the royalty, received by the Mughal Emperor and to ensure that Lord Bentick's Sati Act would not be overturned.

During his visit to United Kingdom, Raja Ram Mohan Roy died of meningitis at Stapleton in Bristol on 27 September, 1833.

He was buried at the Arnos Vale Cemetery in Bristol. Recently, the British government has named a street in Bristol as 'Raja Rammohan Way' in the memory of Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

Ram Mohan viewed education as a medium to implement social reforms so he came to Calcutta in 1815 and the very next year, started an English College by putting his own savings.

He wanted the students to learn the English language and scientific subjects and criticized the government's policy of opening only Sanskrit schools. According to him, Indians would lag behind if they do not get to study modern subjects like Mathematics, Geography and Latin.

Government accepted this idea of Ram Mohan and also implemented it but not before his death. Ram Mohan was also the first to give importance to the development of the mother tongue. His 'Gaudiya Byakaran' in Bengali is the best of his prose works. Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra also followed the footsteps of Ram Mohan Roy.

Historian consider Raja Ram Mohan Roy as one of the pioneers of renaissance in India. He fought to reform the society because he believed that social and religious reform was the very foundation of political advancement.

He founded the Brahmo Samaj, advocated advocated the freedom of Press and championed women’s causes. Gopal Krishna Gokhale called him the ‘Father of modern India

Ram Mohan started his formal education in the village pathshala where he learned Bengali and some Sanskrit and Persian.

In 1822, Ram Mohan Roy published the journal Mirat-ul-Akbar in Persian.

Later he studied Persian and Arabic in a madrasa in Patna and after that he was sent to Benares (Kashi) to learn the intricacies of Sanskrit and Hindu scripture, including the Vedas and Upanishads.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was born on 22 May 1772 in Radhanagar, West Bengal to Ramakanta and Tarini Devi.

Mughal emperor Akbar II gave Ram Mohan Roy the title of “Raja”.

Ram Mohan Roy education in madarsa made him more tolerant towards others religion. He studied various religion including Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

Ram Mohan started his formal education in the village pathshala where he learned Bengali and some Sanskrit and Persian.