NEWS : Birth Anniversary of Raja Ram Mohan Roy celebrated
RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY
• Great scholar and an independent thinker, was a prominent Indian social reformer of 19th century modern India.
• Known as the ‘Father of Indian Renaissance’ for his contribution to socio-religious reforms of contemporary Indian society.
• Born in Radhanagar, Hooghly District of Bengal Presidency in May 1772
• Had learned Bangla, Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit along with Hindi and English
• Studied the Vedas, the Upanishads and Hindu philosophy deeply and also acquired knowledge about Christianity and Islam as well.
• Worked in the Revenue Department of the East India Company from 1809 to 1814 and as a personal Diwan to Woodforde and Digby.
• Helped in establishing many educational institutions
o Hindu College in 1817.
o Established Vedanta College
• Translated the Vedas and five of the Upanishads into Bengali.
• Wrote Tuhfat-ul-Muwahhiddin (a gift to deists) (1803), Gift to monotheists (1809), Kathopanishad (1816), Mundaka Upanishad (1917), Precepts of Jesus (1820), etc.
• Important Journals-
o Samvad Kaumudi (1821) in Bengali: It regularly denounced sati as a barbaric act and against the tenets of Hinduism.
o The Brahmanical Magazine (1821)
o Mirat-ul-Akhbar (a Persian language journal) 1822.
• Important organizations – are- Atmiya Sabha (1814), Calcutta Unitarian Association (1821), Brahma Sabha (1828) (later in 1830, it became Brahma Samaj).
• Given the title ‘Raja’ by the Mughal Emperor, Akbar II whose grievances he presented before the British king
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy visited England as an ambassador of the Mughal king Akbar Shah II where he died in September 1833 in Bristol, England.