Cultural Encounters and social Changes

CULTURAL ENCOUNTER & SOCIAL CHANGE: 1ST HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY

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• Perception of Indian Culture I: -
• Father Hanxleden, active in Malabar area from the end of 17th century to fourth decade of 18th century, wrote the first Sanskrit grammar in a European language
• Father Cordeaux in 1767, was first to recognize the affinity between Sanskrit & European languages

• Perception of Indian Culture II : -
• Foundation of Indology was laid by officer of EIC
• In 1776, N.B. Halhed translated in to English the most authoritative among all the early Indian legal texts, the law book of Manu, which appears in German two years later
• In 1785, Charles Wilkins rendered into English the Bhagavad-Gita followed by translation of Hitopadesha in 1787
• H.T. Colebrook, who was collector of revenue in Tirhut was also a master of Sanskrit

• Perception of Indian Culture III :-
• Sir William Jones came to Calcutta as a judge of Supreme Court of Bengal in 1783 & founded Asiatic Society of Bengal in following year
• He also took initiative in establishing British Asiatic Society in 1804 & of the Asiatic Society of Great Britain in 1823, the study of ancient Indian history 7 culture got stimulated

• Perception of Indian Culture IV:-
• Christian missionaries led by Charles Grant in 19th century England & the Utilitarian especially James Mill did not share the early hostility to Indian Culture
• They are therefore said to have created an ‘Indophobia’

• Perception of Indian Culture V:-
• Utilitarian James Mill’s three volume History of British India, first published in 1817
• H.H. Wilson was first professor of Sanskrit in Oxford, was contemptuous of Mill’s perception of Indian culture & went to the extent of saying that ‘its tendency was evil’
• Mill divided Indian history into 3 periods, the Hindu, Muslim & British. The seeds of communal historiography were thus sown

• Perception of Indian Culture VI:-
• The best known of British administrator historians on ancient India was Vincent A. Smith.
• He published Early History of India in 1904, based on deep study of primary sources available at the time
• It was first systematic survey of Indian History & remained perhaps the most influential textbook }

1. RAMMOHAN ROY & THE BRAMHO SAMAJ:-

• Ram Mohan Roy, regarded as a modern India’s first great leader, was the central figure in this awakening

• In 1809, he wrote in Persian his famous work ‘Gift to Monotheism’ in which he argued in favor of universal religion based on Principle of Supreme God

• He translated the Upanishads into Bangla to demonstrate that ancient Hindu scriptures themselves propagated monotheism
• Established the Hindu College at Calcutta together with David Hare & Alexander Duff

• Atmiya Sabha:- Roy’s first organization; founded in 1815; eventually took the shape of Brahmo Samaj in 1828; based on essential principle of monotheism; was taken over by Devendranath Tagore after Roy’s death
• Bijoy Krishna Goswami & Keshub Chandra Sen in 1860s taken into the district towns of east Bengal

• The role of Keshub Chandra Sen:- he attacked caste system & focused on question of women’s rights by promoting widow remarriages & inter caste marriages, and by raising the issue of caste status of Brahman preachers

• But this radicalism brought the first within the Brahmo movement

• Keshub’s followers – social progress & reform more important

• Debendranath’s followers – preferred to maintain their identification with Hindu society

• The former in 1866 established their Brahmo Samaj of India while latter sought to retain their identity under the rubric of Adi (original) Brahmo Samaj
• Brahmo Marriage Act was passed in 1872; it legalized Brahmo marriages, which allowed inter-caste marriage & widow marriage
• Sadharan Brahmo Samaj:- when Sen arranged his minor daughter’s marriage with Maharaja of Cooch Bihar, his followers parted company & formed the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj

• In 1881, Sen formed his Naba Bidhan (new dispension) & started moving towards a new universalist religion

      

2. YOUNG BENGAL MOVEMENT:-

• A radical trend arose during the Bengal intellectuals during the 1802-38. The leader & inspirer was young Anglo-Indian, Henry Vivian Derozio, who taught at Hindu College from 1826 to 1831
• His students collectively called the Young Bengal

• However they did not succeed in creating a movement. Ram Mohan Roy’s more moderate approach to social reforms found greater support

3. ISHWAR CHANDRA VIDYASAGAR:-

• His efforts led to Widow remarriage act, 1856
• He wrote a book called Bahuvivah
• Started news-paper ‘Shome Prakash’
• He was successful in securing the Age of Consent for consummation of Marriage at 10 years for women. It was raised to 10 years by 1891.

• Founded the Benthune School at Calcutta to promote education among girls

• THE SPREAD OF REFORMS: THE PRARTHANA SAMAJ:-    in western India, reformism began in the early 19th century in two different ways
• One was to explore & translate ancient Sanskrit texts & rediscover in them the glories of Indian civilization

• Most notable scholar reformers involved in this project were K.T. Telang, V.N. Mandlik & above all Prof. R.G. Bhandarkar

• The other trend was represented by the more direct method of social reform attacking such institutions as caste system or prohibition of widow remarriages – Mehtaji Durgaram Mancharam, Karsondas Mulji or Dadoba Pandurang who were involved in organizations like Manav Dharma Sabha founded in 1844 or Paramhansa Mandali founded in 1849

• Prarthana Samaj was founded in 1867
• Branches were opened in Poona, Surat, Ahmedabad, Karachi, Kirkee, Kolhapur & Satara
• The Prarthana Samaj entered into the field of social reforms through its most effective Depressed Classes Mission of India founded in 1906, which came to run 30 educational institutions by 1913 & has rightly the harijans
• Activities of Prarthana Samaj were also spread to south India where Movement was led by Telugu reformer Veeraslingam Pantalu