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Socio-Religious Reformers Table
Reformers and reform movements of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries with founder, year and contribution, for CAPF Paper I revision
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SubjectHistory
RevisionHistoryModern IndiaReform MovementsPaper 1
The nineteenth-century reform movements sought to remove social evils and reinterpret religion. Cover the right columns and recall the founder and year. See socio religious reform movements.
| Organisation (Year) |
Founder |
Contribution |
| Atmiya Sabha (1815) |
Raja Ram Mohan Roy |
Forerunner of the Brahmo Samaj |
| Brahmo Samaj (1828) |
Raja Ram Mohan Roy |
Monotheism; against sati and idolatry; campaign that abolished sati in 1829 |
| Young Bengal Movement (1820s to 1830s) |
Henry Vivian Derozio |
Radical rationalism among Calcutta students |
| Tattvabodhini Sabha (1839) |
Debendranath Tagore |
Revived the Brahmo Samaj |
| Paramahansa Mandali (1849) |
Maharashtra reformers |
Against caste; secret society |
| Arya Samaj (1875) |
Swami Dayananda Saraswati |
"Back to the Vedas"; against idolatry and caste; Shuddhi movement |
| Ramakrishna Mission (1897) |
Swami Vivekananda |
Service and Vedanta; in memory of Ramakrishna Paramahansa |
| Theosophical Society (1875 in US; India 1882) |
Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott; later Annie Besant |
Revival of ancient Indian religion and philosophy; based at Adyar |
| Movement / leader |
Region |
Contribution |
| Jyotiba Phule (Satyashodhak Samaj, 1873) |
Maharashtra |
Education for women and lower castes; against Brahminical dominance |
| Periyar E V Ramasamy (Self-Respect Movement, 1925) |
Tamil Nadu |
Anti-caste and rationalist movement |
| Sri Narayana Guru (SNDP, 1903) |
Kerala |
"One caste, one religion, one God"; uplift of the Ezhavas |
| B R Ambedkar (Depressed Classes; Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha, 1924) |
Maharashtra |
Rights of Dalits; later the Constitution |
| Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar |
Bengal |
Widow Remarriage Act (1856); women's education |
| Movement / leader (Year) |
Contribution |
| Aligarh Movement (Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, 1875) |
Modern education for Muslims; founded the M A O College, later Aligarh Muslim University |
| Deoband Movement (1866) |
Orthodox revivalist Islamic school |
| Ahmadiyya Movement (1889) |
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad; reform within Islam |
| Singh Sabha (1873) and the Akali Movement |
Reform of Sikh shrines and practice |
| Rahnumai Mazdayasnan Sabha (1851) |
Parsi reform led by Naoroji and others |
- Ram Mohan Roy: Brahmo Samaj (1828) and the abolition of sati (1829).
- Dayananda: Arya Samaj (1875), "Back to the Vedas".
- Vivekananda: Ramakrishna Mission (1897).
- Sir Syed: Aligarh Movement and modern education for Muslims.