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Raja Ram Mohan

Roy Biography

Born:May 22, 1772Died:September 27, 1833Achievements:Founded Atmiya Sabha

and Brahma Samaj. Played a key role inabolition and Sati. Fought for the rights

of women.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy is known as the'Maker of Modern India'. He was the

founder of the Brahmo Samaj, one of thefirst Indian socio-religious reform

movements. He played a major role inabolishing the role of Sati. Raja

Rammohan Roy was a great scholar andan independent thinker. He advocated the

study of English, Science, WesternMedicine and Technology. He was given the title 'Raja' by the Mughal Emperor.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was born on May 22, 1772 in village Radhanagar in the District of

Murshidabad in Bengal. His father Ramkanto Roy, was a Vaishnavite, while his mother, Tarini,was from a Shakta background. Raja Ram Mohun Roy was sent to Patna for higher studies. By

the age of fifteen, Raja Rammohun Roy had learnt Bangla, Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was against idol worship and orthodox Hindu rituals. He stood firmlyagainst all sort of social bigotry, conservatism and superstitions. But his father was an orthodox

Hindu Brahmin. This led to differences between Raja Ram Mohan Roy and his father. Followingdifferences he left the house . He wandered around Himalayas and went to Tibet. He traveled

widely before returning home.

After his return Raja Ram Mohan Roy's family married him in the hope that he would change.But this did not have any effect on him. Raja Ram Mohan Roy went to Varanasi and studied the

Vedas, the Upanishads and Hindu philosophy deeply. When his father died in 1803 he returnedto Murshidabad. He then worked as a moneylender in Calcutta, and from 1809 to 1814, he

served in the Revenue Department of the East India Company.

In 1814, Raja Ram Mohan Roy formed Atmiya Sabha. Atmiya Sabha tried to initiate social andreligious reforms in the society. Raja Ram Mohan Roy campaigned for rights for women,

including the right for widows to remarry, and the right for women to hold property. He activelyopposed Sati system and the practice of polygamy.

He also supported education, particularly education of women. He believed that English-

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language education was superior to the traditional Indian education system, and he opposed theuse of government funds to support schools teaching Sanskrit. In 1822, he founded a school

based on English education.

In 1828, Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the 'Brahma Samaj'. Through 'Brahma Samaj, he wanted

to expose the religious hypocrisies and check the growing influence of Christianity on the Hindusociety. Raja Ram Mohan Roy's efforts bore fruit when in 1929, the Sati system was abolished.

In 1831 Ram Mohan Roy traveled to the United Kingdom as an ambassador of the Mughalemperor to plead for his pension and allowances. Raja Ram Mohan Roy passed away on

September 27, 1833 at Stapleton near Bristol due to meningitis.