Women, Caste & Reform

• Condition of women in early 19th-century India.
• Major social reform movements and their leaders.
• Sati, child marriage, widow remarriage — reforms achieved.
• Caste reform: Jyotirao Phule, B.R. Ambedkar, Periyar.
• Role of education in social reform.

Condition of women — early 19th century

Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Brahmo Samaj

• Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772–1833, Bengal) — "Father of the Indian Renaissance."
• Campaigned against sati — argued it had no authentic Vedic basis.
• British government banned sati (1829) — partly due to Roy's lobbying of Governor-General Bentinck.
• Founded Brahmo Samaj (1828) — reformist Hindu movement:
  • Monotheism (one God); no idol worship.
  • Opposed caste discrimination.
  • Promoted women's education and widow remarriage.
  • English-educated urban Bengalis.

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

• Bengali scholar and reformer (1820–1891).
• Campaigned for widow remarriage.
• Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856: passed by British; legalised widow remarriage.
• Also promoted women's education; opened many schools for girls.

Prarthana Samaj and Maharashtra

• Prarthana Samaj (1867, Bombay): Maharashtra's reformist movement; influenced by Brahmo Samaj.
• Mahadev Govind Ranade: judge and reformer; advocated widow remarriage, women's education.
• Pandita Ramabai (1858–1922): upper-caste woman who converted to Christianity; campaigned for widows; wrote critically about the Hindu scriptures and status of women; founded Mukti Mission for widows in Pune.

Arya Samaj

• Founded by Dayananda Saraswati (1875).
• "Back to the Vedas" — rejected idol worship, caste, child marriage, sati.
• Promoted widow remarriage and women's education.
• Strong in Punjab and UP; more orthodox than Brahmo Samaj.
• Shuddhi movement: reconverted people who had converted to Islam/Christianity.

Women reformers and education

Caste reform

Jyotirao Phule (Maharashtra, 1827–1890)

• From Mali (gardener) caste; lower caste.
• Saw caste system as oppressive as colonialism.
• Founded Satyashodhak Samaj (1873) — "Truth-seeking society"; opposed Brahmin domination.
• Opened schools for lower-caste children and girls.
• Wrote Gulamgiri (Slavery) — compared caste oppression to slavery.

Periyar — E.V. Ramasamy (Tamil Nadu, 1879–1973)

• Led Self-Respect Movement (1925): rejected Brahmin priests in weddings; self-respect marriages.
• Burned images of Ram; challenged Hindu texts that sanctified caste.
• Advocated for Dalits, women, rationalism.
• Founded Dravidar Kazhagam; hugely influential in Tamil Nadu politics.

B.R. Ambedkar (Maharashtra, 1891–1956)

• Born Dalit (Mahar caste); faced severe discrimination.
• Educated at Columbia University and LSE (London) — one of India's most educated people.
• Led Mahad Satyagraha (1927): Dalits marched to drink water from Chavdar tank — which they were banned from using.
• Burned Manusmriti (Hindu law text) publicly (1927).
• Argued Dalits should leave Hinduism; converted to Buddhism (1956) with 500,000 followers.
• Chaired the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution.

British role

• British government passed reform laws partly due to reformer pressure:
  • Sati abolished (1829).
  • Widow Remarriage Act (1856).
  • Age of Consent Act (1891): raised minimum age of marriage to 12 (modest but symbolic).
  • Child Marriage Restraint Act (1929): "Sarda Act"; minimum age 14 for girls.
• However, British were often cautious — did not want to appear to interfere with Indian religion.

• What was sati? How was it abolished? Who led the campaign?
• Who was Savitribai Phule and why is she significant?
• What was the Satyashodhak Samaj? Who founded it and why?
• What was the Mahad Satyagraha? What did Ambedkar demand?
• Name two social reform movements and describe their main beliefs.

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