Page 59 - SST Class 08

Just Think! Dadabhai Naoroji

Dadabhai Naoroji, was a prominent social
Why women are suffering from social evils even reformer of Maharashtra. He was known as the
today? Grand Old Man of India. He made great efforts for
the upliftment of the Parsi women in matters of
Widowhood
inheritance and marriage. He also demanded the
Early marriage and that too with men of much granting of legal status for women. He played an
older age resulted in their becoming widows at an important role in the spread of education among
early age. Widowhood was considered Parsi girls. He helped the Parsi society to get rid of
inauspicious. The widows had to wear white orthodox and sectarian feelings. He taught in the
clothes, shave their heads and give up eating school without taking money and went door to
certain kinds of food. They were not permitted to door urging the parents to send the girls to school
attend religious ceremonies as their presence was for education. In course of time, the Parsis became
considered a bad omen. They were not allowed to a highly westernised section of Indian society.
remarry or escape form this condition. The
orthodox Hindus argued that our religion did not Case Study : Bengal
permit widows to remarry or to enjoy wordly Raja Ram Mohan Roy
pleasure.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was one of the first reformers
of India. A rationalist and a reformist leader, born
NOTABLE REFORMERS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION in a conservative Brahmin family in Bengal. He

Swami Dayanand Saraswati played a very important role in the abolition of the
sati system in 1829, with the help of the then
Swami Dayanand Saraswati was outstanding governor general William Bentinck .
personality of modern India. He founded Arya
Samaj in 1875 for the upliftment of Hindu society. He set-up a social organisation in Calcutta in 1828.
He favoured emancipation of women. He This organisation was called Brahma Samaj . Brahma
opposed customs of sati and child marriage and Samaj believed in one god. It believed in the uplift
supported widow remarriage. He established of women. He favoured educating women and
kanya gurukuls for educating women. A large giving them the right to inherit property.
number of Dayanand Anglo Vedic (DAV) schools
Info Bits
and colleges were opened which imparted Info Bits
education on modern lines, without losing sight of
Indian culture. He had a firm belief that all The Condition of women at the start of modern
women are the symbol of creative power and India can be summed up in the words of the great
motherland, so they must be treated with great poet Rabindranath Tagore: ‘O Lord why have you
respect. not given woman the right to conquer her destiny?

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan Why does, she have to wait head bowed, by the
roadside, waiting with tired patience, hoping for a
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan worked for the upliftment of miracle in the morrow’?
the Muslim women and to abolish the evil
prevailed in the Muslims. He denounced the Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
purdah system, criticized easy divorce, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was a great scholar,
discouraged polygamy and advocated the reformer, rationalist and humanist. He was a
education of Muslim women. To promote staunch supporter of women’s education. He helped
education among Muslims, he established the Drink Water Bethune to establish the Bethune
Anglo-oriental College at Aligarh in 1875. The School, the first Indian school for girls in 1849. In
orthodox Muslims opposed his liberal ideas his capacity of the Inspector of schools he set-up
immensely but he faced all difficulties bravely. 35 schools for girls. He was totally against caste
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