send mail to support@abhimanu.com mentioning your email id and mobileno registered with us! if details not recieved
Resend Opt after 60 Sec.
By Loging in you agree to Terms of Services and Privacy Policy
Please specify
Please verify your mobile number
Login not allowed, Please logout from existing browser
Please update your name
Subscribe to Notifications
Stay updated with the latest Current affairs and other important updates regarding video Lectures, Test Schedules, live sessions etc..
Your Free user account at abhipedia has been created.
Remember, success is a journey, not a destination. Stay motivated and keep moving forward!
Refer & Earn
Enquire Now
My Abhipedia Earning
Kindly Login to view your earning
Support
India of the nineteenth century presented a picture of a static and decadent society. Life was very hard and the country had sunk into the state of poverty, superstition and inequality. Education was the monopoly of Brahmins and Maulavis who also controlled religion. Hindu society was divided by the caste system with complete domination by the upper castes. The condition of Dalits and the women was miserable. The Indian society was plagued with a variety of irrational, inhuman and retrogressive socio-religious customs and practices. Many of them discriminated against women. Such practices included child marriage, infanticide, sati, untouchability etc. In such a society more than half of the population had no rights and the rich, the Zamindars and merchants were only interested in making money and living a luxurious life by exploiting the poor and being loyal to their colonial masters. In contrast, Europe has become the centre of civilization. The nineteenth century, in Europe, was the time of great intellectual ferment and immense progress in the field of science and technology. The modern Western ideas soon started making their way across the seas to India. The British conquest of India exposed some serious flaws of the Indian social institutions. The rising tide of nationalism and democracy which led to the struggle for freedom found expression in the form of socio-religious reform movements. It worked in the direction of democratization of the social institutions and religious outlook of the Indians. Indian intellectuals realized reformation as an essential prelude to the overall growth of national unity and solidarity. The necessary background to such thinking was provided by the growth of nationalist sentiments, emergence of new economic forces, spread of education, impact of modern western ideas and culture, and the consequent increase in awareness about the events and happenings around the world. All this highlighted the consciousness of backwardness and degeneration of Indian society, and strengthened the resolve for social and cultural regeneration. The establishment of British rule in India brought modernization through education and technology. The spread of modern English education was an important consequence of British rule which facilitated radical transformation of the intellectual life in India. It led to the emergence of English educated middle class with a broad vision. The birth of a rational outlook, critical attitude, tendency of introspection and logical thinking led to the end of intellectual barrenness that existed for a considerable period of time. The members of the emerging educated middle class created a spirit of renaissance in Bengal which gradually spread to the other parts of the country. Under the influence of modern science and the doctrines of humanism and reason, the intellectuals, scholars and humanists like Rammohan Roy, Vidyasagar and Phule started questioning superstitious beliefs, and irrational and inhuman customs, practices and institutions. They realized that a society so unequal and divided could never progress. It was the time for India to change and it had to begin with modern education. The Indian intellectuals started closely scrutinizing the country’s past. They found that many of the beliefs and practices were no longer of any use and needed to be discarded. At the same time, they also felt that many aspects of Indian cultural heritage were of intrinsic value to India’s awakening. Thus began the process of socio-cultural awakening or Renaissance in the nineteenth century that touched almost every segment of the Indian society. This process of intellectual and socio-cultural awakening was initiated by Raja Rammohan Roy who is popularly known as the father of Indian Renaissance. Roy acted as a bridge between Indian’s past and future. He was followed by a galaxy of intellectuals like Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Keshab Chandra Sen, Sir Sayyid Ahmed khan, Gopal Hari Deshmukh, Dadabhai Naoroji, Jyotiba Phule, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Justice M. G. Ranade, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Narayan Guru and many more.
By: Raghwendra Chauhan ProfileResourcesReport error
Access to prime resources