Raja Ram

Question 1

India during RR Mohan Roy’s time

Answer 1

Colonial rule centre in Kolkata, was expanding in all parts of India.
Limited constitutional reforms
Capitalist economy
English education were being introduced

Elsewhere in world- enlightenment and romanticism in Western Europe, liberation movements, in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria, France, Latin America

Question 2

Languages that Raja Ram Mohan Roy studied

Answer 2

He studied Arabic and Persian in Patna, Sanskrit in Banaras, English later on after becoming company official.

Besides Bengali and Sanskrit, Roy headmaster Arabic person, Hebrew greek, latin and many other leading languages

Question 3

Raja Ram Mohan Roy career

Answer 3

Work in Murshidabad as company official, 1803 to 1814, mainly under John Digby, moved to Kolkata, Zamindar, money, lending, investment in trading houses, advocacy, educationalist, social, religious, reformer, writer, and journalist

Question 4

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was influenced by whome

Answer 4

John Locke-liberalism and natural rights

Bentham -utilitarianism

David Hume

Advaita Vedanta philosophers

Sufi saints

Question 5

Who gave Raja Ram Mohan Roy the title of Raja?

Answer 5

Mughal king Akbar II

Question 6

Books written by Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Answer 6

Tuhfat-ul- muwahhidin (a gift to monotheism ) -1803

The precepts of Jesus - the guide to peace and happiness, 1820

Modern encroachment on the ancient rights of female 1822

The universal religion, 1829

History of Indian philosophy, 1829

Many translations of Vedantic text and upanishads in Hindi, Bengali and English .

Question 7

Journals published by Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Answer 7

Brahminical Magazine
Bengali weekly ‘Samvad kaumudi’
Persian weekly ‘Mairat Al akbar’
English weekly ‘Bengal gazette’

Question 8

Socio-religious societies established by Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Answer 8

Atmiya Sabha in 1815

The Calcutta Unitarian Association in 1821

The Brahmo Sabha in 1828

Question 9

Educational Institutions set up by Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Answer 9

Hindu College in Calcutta in 1817, in collaboration with David Hare (today’s Presidency Univ/college)

The Anglo-Hindu School in 1822 and Vedanta College in 1826; both these institutions provided a synthesis of western and Indian learnings,

He also helped establish the Scottish Church College in Kolkata with Alexander Duff, a Christian missionary in 1830.

Question 10

Titles given to Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Answer 10

Raja by Mughal king Akbar II

‘ father of modern India’ buy Gopal Krishna Gokhale

‘ aluminous star in the firmament of Indian history’ by Tagore

Pioneer of Indian Renaissance by Many

Question 11

Who let the first wave of modern Indian thinkers

Answer 11

Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Question 12

Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s view on British rule

Answer 12

God’s wisdom to send British to India. Under the rule, Indian society may undertake socio-religious reforms, gain civil rights, and then would become politically free.

To him, despotic and Tyrannical rules of Rajput and Muslims were major factor in social religious degradation in Indian society .

British would bring liberal capitalism and modern scientific education .

they will develop India, economically and intellectually.

Thus he extended conditional support to the British colonial rule.

For this, he is criticise but one should appreciate his logic for him. It was in the best interest of the Indian people, especially the Hindus.

Question 13

Influence of west in Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s thought

Answer 13

He was deeply influenced by liberalism and natural rights theory of John Locke, utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham, enlightenment spirit of David Hume, and other enlightenment thinkers.

He was positively influence by Christianity. To him, Christiaan 80 is best calculated to lead mankind to love and happiness.

In general, he was positively inclined towards liberal and scientific attitude of modern western thought .

He was strong, supporter or western style. Modern education system for India. He believed western education will make students aware of normative political values of liberty, rights and justice, which they would aspire to attain under any rules.

Question 14

Raja Ram Mohan Roy, as champion of rights and liberty

Answer 14

Natural rights: human have the nature of right to enjoy the pleasures of an improved mind and intellect, and comforts of society as product of nature.

Civil rights to Indians as available to the British brethren: right to life and liberty, right to have it opinions and freedom of expression right to property, right to religion et cetera

Civil rights prior to political rights

political freedom is meaningless without civil rights

Women’s right to property, inheritance and education

Right to freedom in marriages, inter-caste, an interfaith marriages .

Right to free speech and expression

Right to freedom of press

Question 15

His political thoughts

Answer 15

Liberal utilitarian- support a limited constitutional government ,rule of impersonal laws, individual rights, life, liberty ,property and equality . All laws available to British citizen in England. This was natural to him as humanity is like an extended family of which different nations are only the branches. Hence, whatever rights are available to the citizens in England and Europe, those naturally should be extended by the colonial government to the Indians.

More active role of state in social reform and improving socio-economic conditions of poor and marginalised.

• He advocated Separation of power, the cornerstone of modern democratic constitutionalism. He demanded that not the Company’s executives but British parliament make laws for India. He also demanded that voices of Indians should be heard before making laws for Indians.
• He suggested codification of laws by reconciling all existing local customs/traditions. Codified law should be simple, clear and exact. Codification would make the interpretations of laws more impersonal and its application more uniform.
• He demanded administrative and judicial reforms; more Indians in higher Bureaucracy and Jury services, adjudication by jury, watchful vigilant public opinion on judicial proceedings, revival of the age-old Panchayat system of adjudication, etc.
• He also suggested substitution of English for Persian as official language for governance.

Question 16

Raja Ram Mohan Roy is cosmopolitanism/internationalism

Answer 16

To him, entire mankind is one great family of which numerous nations and tribes are only various branches. Hence dependence, corporation and moving together hand-in-hand is required.

Believed in fundamental unity of all religion , synthesis of all culture in to rationalist universal humanist culture

Question 17

Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s effort towards social religious reforms

Answer 17

Translated Vedanta texts and Upanishad in Bengali Hindi English to make people aware of the purity of Hindu religion in ancient times.

Issued pamphlets, wrote books, essays, give lectures, wrote letters, petitions to fight against the religious dogmas, superstition, ritualism and irrational and harmful social traditions, customs and practices.

For that, he established multiple societies and publish many journals and periodicals in multiple local languages.

Was instrumental in legally Benning practice of sati.

Advocated modern education to both men and women ,against child marriage, for widow re-marriage against the Parda, pratha and many social evil practices.

Set up Many educational institutions such as Hindu college today, known as presidency College /university

Question 18

Critics of Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Answer 18

Radhakanta dev

Henry Vivian dorozio

The Bengal hurkaru

Question 19

Gist of Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s thought

Answer 19

Human have God gifted sense of reason and intellect, to assess the truth and social utility in religious doctrine, no need for any intermediary such as priests, Pandit et cetera

Unity in all religion : 1. Universal supreme being, 2) existence of soul 3) life after death

But all religions suffers from dogmas,ritualism , irrational, beliefs, and practises; vested interest of the intermediaries keep people in dark by wrongly interpreting holy Scriptures.

Hinduism suffers from polytheism , idolatry, superstitions, ritualism, et cetera

Ancient purity of Hindu religion as contained in Veda and Upanishad lost in faulty interpretation, orthodoxy, conservatism in the way of despotic Muslim and Rajput rules

Believed in Vedantic principle of monotheism (only one supreme God) and Unitarianism( unity of God in Christian religion)

Social religious reform before political reform

Question 20

When was sati banned

Answer 20

1829

Question 21

Raja Ram Mohan’s Roy contribution to religious rights.

Answer 21

• His conception of right to freedom of religion was influenced by Enlightenment spirit and Utilitarian Liberalism.
• He believed that human have God gifted sense of reason and intellect to assess the truth and social utility in religious doctrine; for this there is no need for any intermediary- Priest, Pandit, Mahant, Maulvi
• To him, there is unity in all religion: They all believe in Universal Supreme being, Existence of soul, and Life after death
• But all religions suffer from dogmas, ritualism, irrational beliefs & practices; the intermediaries, for their own benefit, maintain these superstitions by faulty interpretation of the holy scripture and keep people in dark.
• Hence, individual should have right to adopt good elements from any religion and reject anything irrational and against social comforts/utility in his/her own religion.
• Thus, to him right to religion entailed application of God gifted sense of reason in selectively following the religious doctrines.
• To him, Religious reform (ethical/moral reform) was must for socio-political reform and modernization. He urged Indians, especially Hindus, to accept some changes in

their religious practices at least for the sake of their political advantage and social comfort (whatever is useful for societal progress- social utility).
• He founded Atmiya Sabha in 1815, the Calcutta unitarian Association in 1821 and the Brahmo Sabha in 1828. These societies became instruments of religious reforms and through that socio-political transformation of India of that time.
• Between 1815 to 1823, he translated an abridgment of the Vedanta principles and translation of several of the Upanishads to Bengali, Hindi, and English. He distributed copies of these translations free to generate awareness about essence of Hindu religion.
• Also created awareness for religious reforms and rights through his periodicals, newspapers, pamphlets, town-hall meetings, and associations.
• He sought Govt. intervention in form of legislation for socio-religious reforms.

Question 22

impacts of the ‘West’ on raja ram mohan Roy’s thoughts:

Answer 22

His belief in natural rights:
• He believed that human have the natural rights to enjoy the pleasure of an improved mind and intellect and Comforts of society (social utility

His principles of social utility:
• To him, socio-religious traditions and practices should be evaluated for their social comforts, that is, how far they are useful (has utility) for social progress. Such utilitarian thought he picked up from Jeremy Bentham’s classic utilitarianism.

His strong belief in power of science and reason:
• This was clearly on account of influence of European Enlightenment on his thought. He was influenced by many of the Enlightenment thinkers, such as Montesquieu, David Hume, etc. Like them, he also had great faith in power of science and reason.
• He urged Indians to apply the God gifted sense of reason to assess the religious doctrine, social customs, and practices. Any socio-religious practices which does not pass the test of reason and has no social utility should be discarded.
• He strongly advocated for scientific education system in which focus is on teaching Mathematics and Sciences
His support for western education system:
• He advocated for Western English Education system. He suggested teaching mathematics, natural philosophy, chemistry, and anatomy and other useful Sciences.
• To him, Sanskrit education system load young minds with grammatical complexities, and speculative or imaginary knowledge. Continuance of traditional educational system would keep Indian in darkness.

His liberal political thoughts:
• He supported limited constitutional Govt, rule of impersonal laws, individual rights of life, liberty, property, equality. However, he differed from classical liberalism towards social democracy by advocating more active role of state in social reform and improving socio-economic conditions of poor, marginalized.

His thoughts on political economy:
• Supported right to property- on same logic as given by John Locke.
• Supported British capitalist system as modernizing influence on Indian feudal
economic system.
• To him, liberal capitalism was better for individual rights, and socio-economic progress than the despotic monarchical rules and feudal economic system.
His belief in colonisation as the civilisation mission:
• Deeply influenced by the Liberal western philosophy and superiority of modern western civilisation, Raja Ram Mohan Roy accepted the liberal defence of colonisation of the ‘east’ by the ‘west’ as mission of the ‘west’ to civilise their ‘uncivilised’ and ‘barbaric’ brethren of the ‘east’.

His closeness to Christianity:
• After learning English language and reading Bible and other holy scriptures of Christianity, he became a big admirer of the Christian religion, and especially the messages of Christ.

Question 23

Who was the pioneer of Indian renaissance

Answer 23

Raha ram Mohan roy

Question 24

Raja Ram Mohan Roy inaugurated an era of constitutional liberalism in India. True or false

Answer 24

True

Question 25

How did Raha ram mohan Roy fight for freedom of speech

Answer 25

Alongside his colleague, dwarkanath Tagore he submitted a petition to the Privy council for the freedom of press