Socio-Religious Reforms of British in India

Introduction
During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, professional missionaries,
disputatious literature and new conversion rituals caused religious innovation in
South Asia. Aggressive approach was taken to convert people’s religion and political
beliefs. There were public debates from the meaning of scriptural sources to the use
of printing. Religious conflict could be seen implicitly in the competition for converts,
and explicitly in assassinations and riots. Many social evils, such as female
infanticide, sati, child marriage, the caste system, the purdah system, the ban on
female education, and widow remarriage, etc., replaced the age-old practices and
traditions. As a result, Indian society experienced turmoil during the nineteenth
century.

The British's invasion of India brought to light a number of serious flaws and
shortcomings in Indian social institutions. To bring about social change in India,
numerous leaders emerged. The presence of a colonial government, the economic
and social backwardness of society, the influence of modern western ideas, the rise
of intellectual awakening in the middle class, and the poor position of women in
society were all linked to the social reform movement. The new ways of thinking and
living had to be incorporated into the existing social structure as part of social
reforms. "The society would be preserved, while its members would be
transformed," was the concept. This revolution of social reforms is frequently
referred to as the Indian Renaissance. This was not a one-off occurrence; There were
a lot of national political and economic issues in it. The social reform movement
served as a forerunner to nationalism in some ways. During British colonial rule,
socio-religious movements swept across the subcontinent, resulting in a period of
definition and redefinition.
Hindu Refrom Movements

Brahmo Samaj
Raja Rammohun Roy established Brahmo Sabha, later renamed Brahma Samaj, in
1828. Its main point was the worship of the everlasting God. It was against sacrifice,
ritual, and priesthood. Praying, meditating, and reading the scriptures were the main
components of the movement. Its belief was that all religions were one. Additionally,
the Brahmos were great social reformers. They supported the general uplift of
women, including widow remarriage and the spread of modern education to men
and women, and they actively opposed the caste system and child marriage. It was
the first intellectual reform movement in modern India. It indirectly contributed to
the nationalist movement in India by bringing about the rise of rationalism and
enlightenment there. It inspired all of India's current political, religious, and social
movements. In 1866, it was split into two groups: Keshub Chandra Sen's Brahmo
Samaj of India and Debendranath Tagore's Adi Brahmo Samaj. However, the Brahmo
Samaj remained popular throughout India, particularly in Bengal, under a variety of
names. Visva Bharati University was established in 1921 as an expression of Brahmo
universalism by Rabindranath Tagore. The Britain were also influenced by Keshub
Chunder Sen and Ram Mohun Roy in the twentieth century. The National Indian
Association held annual rememberance on the anniversary of Sen's death, and the
cemetery where Roy was buried became a place of pilgrimage for Brahmos traveling
to the UK.
Prominent Leaders: Debendranath Tagore, Keshub Chandra Sen, Pt. Sivnath Shastri,
and Rabindranath Tagore.

Prarthana Samaj
Based on earlier reform movements, Prarthana Samaj, or "Prayer Society" in
Sanskrit, was formed in Bombay, India, for religious and social change. When Keshub
Chandra Sen visited Maharashtra in 1863, Dadoba Pandurang and his brother
Atmaram Pandurang founded Prarthana Samaj with the goal of making people
believe in and worship only one God. Mahadev Govind Ranade and R.C. Bhandarkar
were the two outstanding members of this Samaj. They devoted themselves to social
reform initiatives like inter-caste dining, inter-caste marriage, widow remarriage, and
improving the situation of depressed classes and women. These intellectuals
advocated the Hindu social system reform in light of contemporary knowledge were
the primary reformers. The Deccan Education Society and the Widow Remarriage
Association were founded by Mahavdev Govind Ranade in 1861. Additionally, he
established the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha. Ranade believed that social and religious
reforms were inseparable. He also beleived that social, economic, and political
success would be impossible if religious beliefs were stifled. Even though the ideas of
Brahmo Samaj had a big impact on Prarthana Samaj, it didn't insist on a strict ban on
idol worship or a complete break from the caste system.

Satyashodhak Samaj
A significant movement against brahminical supremacy and upper caste dominance
was led by Jyotiba Phule. In 1873, he established the SatyashodhakSamaj, (Truth
Seekers' Society). The movement's primary objectives were: social work and
promoting education among women and people from lower castes. Sarvajanik
Satyadharma and Ghulamgin, two of Phule's works, became popular literature. Phule
chose to represent Rajah Bali rather than brahma's Rama symbol. Phule wanted to
completely get rid of caste systems and social and economic inequality. As a class
against the Brahmins, whom the depressed communities perceived as exploiters,
this movement gave them a sense of identity.

Arya Samaj Movement

As a response to Western influences, the Arya Samaj Movement was revivalist in
form but not in content. The principal Arya Samaj unit was officially set up by
Dayananda Saraswati at Bombay in 1875 and later the central command of the
Samaj were laid out at Lahore. The Arya Samaj's guiding principles were as follows:
 God is the primary source of all true knowledge
 God is the only one deserving of worship because he is all-knowing, all-powerful,
immortal, and the creator of the universe.
 The Vedas are the books of true knowledge.
 An Arya should always be ready to accept truth and reject falsehood.
 Dharma, or due consideration of right and wrong, should be the guiding
principle of all actions.
 Love and justice should be shown to everyone.
 It is necessary to eradicate ignorance and increase knowledge.
 One's advancement ought to be contingent on the advancement of all others.
 Humanity's social well-being should come before an individual's own.
The Samaj's primary goal was to improve the world's material, spiritual, and social
well-being. The Dayanand Anglo-Vedic (D.A.V.) schools, which were first established
in Lahore in 1886 and aimed to emphasize the significance of Western education,
served as the movement's foundation. The Hindus were able to gain self-respect and
confidence from the Arya Samaj, which helped to dispel the Western culture's and
white people's myth of superiority. The Arya Samaj initiated the shuddhi
(purification) movement to reintegrate Muslims and Christians back into the Hindu
fold. During the 1920s, this resulted in a growing communalization of social life that
eventually snowballed into communal political consciousness. Lala Hansraj, Pandit
Gurudutt, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Swami Shraddhanand, among others, carried on the
Swami's work after his death.

Young Bengal Movement

The Hindu College of Calcutta's thinkers led the young Bengal movement. The
'Derozians' was another name for these thinkers. They were given this name after
Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, a teacher at the same college. Derozio pushed for radical
ideas through his teachings and the establishment of an organization for literary,
philosophical, historical, and scientific debate and discussion, They were devoted to
the ideals of the French Revolution of 1789 and the liberal British philosophy.
Women's education and rights were also supported by the Derozians.
The prevalent social situation at the time was not ripe for the adoption of radical
ideas. This was the primary factor in their limited success. In addition, there was no
support from any other class or social group. The Derozians had no real connection
to the people; for instance, they did not support the cause of the peasants. In fact,
they were bookish in their radicalism. However, the Derozians continued Roy's
tradition of public education on political, economic, and social issues despite their
limitations.

Muslim Reform Movement

Aligarh Movement
Sayyid Ahmad Khan (1817-1898) was the Muslim reformer with the greatest
influence in the reform movement. He thought that a wrong interpretation of the
Quran was one that went against human reason, science, or nature. He fought
against ignorance, irrationality, blind obedience to tradition, and reliance on custom
throughout his life. Sayyid Ahmad Khan believed that Muslims' religious and social
lives could only be improved by absorbing contemporary western scientific
knowledge and culture. As a result, he made modern education promotion a priority
throughout his life. He established the Muhammedan Anglo-Oriental College in
Aligarh in 1875 as a hub for promoting western science and culture. Later, Aligarh
Muslim University was established from this college. The social sphere was also
embraced by Sayyid Ahmad's reformist zeal. He advised Muslims to abandon
medieval ways of thinking and acting. He wrote specifically in support of elevating
women's social status, abolishing purdah, and expanding female education.
Additionally, he opposed communal strife and condemned polygamy and easy
divorce. Interesting to Hindus and Muslims to join together, he said in 1883,“Now
both of us live on the air of India, drink the holy waters of the Ganga and Yamuna.
We both feed upon the products of the Indian soil.” However, as he approached the
end of his life, he began to speak of Hindu dominance in an effort to discourage his
followers from joining the growing national movement.
Anjuman-i-Himayat-i-Islam
Muhammad Shafi and Shah Din, followers of Sayyid Ahmad Khan (the Aligarh
movement's founder) established the movement in Lahore in 1866. This Islamic
society opposed the Indian National Congress, promoted female education,
supported the British government, and opened schools that offered Western
education.

Ahmadiya Movement
In 1889, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadiyan (1839–1908) started the Ahmadiya
movement. At first, he worked as an advocate for Islam in the face of opposition
from the Arya Samaj and Christian missionaries. He made the claim in 1889 that he
was both masih (messiah) and mahdi. Later, he also said that he was an incarnation
of the Hindu god Krishna and that Jesus came back to earth. Despite the fact that
Ghulam Ahmad regarded Muhammad as the true and great Prophet, he considered
himself to be a minor prophet.
Similar to the Brahmo Samaj, the Ahmadiya movement was founded on the ideals of
a universal religion for all people. Western liberalism, Theosophy, and Hindu
religious-reform movements had a significant impact on Ghulam Ahmad. The
Ahmadiyas emphasized brotherhood among all people and opposed jihad, also
known as sacred war, against non-Muslims. The movement started a network of
schools and colleges to teach Western liberal education to Muslims in India.

Conclusion
The modern religious reform movements shared a fundamental unity. The majority
of them were based on Reason (Rationalism) and Humanism, but they also used faith
and authority to get people to believe them. They opposed aspects of Indian religion
that were ritualistic, superstitious, irrational, and obscurantist. Many Indians were
able to adjust to the modern world thanks to the religious reform movements.
Indian nationalism developed as a result of these movements, which eventually
culminated in the freedom struggle. On the other hand, the reform movement had a
number of negative impacts. First and foremost, they all catered to the requirements
of a select few members of the urban middle and upper classes. The tendency to
look backwards, draw inspiration from past greatness, and rely on the authority of
the scriptures was the second limitation that eventually developed into a significant
negative factor. The practice of finding a "Golden Age" in the past hampered the
effort to improve the present. These negative effects could be seen from the rapid
rise of communal consciousness. The rise of communism in modern times was
undoubtedly sparked by numerous other factors; However, the nature of the
religious reform movements unquestionably played a role in it as well.

References
1. Kenneth W Jones, “The New Cambridge History of India; Socio-religious reform
movements in British India“.
2. https://www.clearias.com/socio-religious-movements-india/
3. https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/19th-century-social-religious-reforms/
#:~:text=These%20social%20and%20religious%20reform,marriage%2C%20social
%20inequalities%20and%20illiteracy.
4. https://www.aspireias.com/daily-news-analysis-current-affairs/
Socio-Cultural-Reform-Movements
5. https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/satyashodhak-samaj/