200 YEARS AGO

200 years ago, our society was very different.Most

children were married off at an early age.Both
hindu and muslim men could marry more than
one wife. There were many restrictions on
women. In some parts of our country widows
were praised if they choose to be sati, i.e. by
burning in themselves on the funeral pyre of their
husbands.
In most regions people were divided
along lines of castes, that’s mean ,
brahmans,kshatriyas,vaishyas and shudras.
 WORKING TOWARDS CHANGE
From the early 19th century, there was
development in new forms of communication.
Books, newspapers, magazines, leaflets and
pamphlets where printed. People read these
and took part in the debates and discussions
in social, political, economic and religious
issues.
 RAJA RAMMOHUN ROY(1772-1833)
Rammohun Roy strongly
disapproved the
miserable conditions of
widows in our societies.
He founded a reform
association of Brahmo
Sabha in Calcutta. He
wanted to spread the
knowledge of western
education in India.
 ISHWARCHANDRA VIDYASAGAR
He used the ancient texts
to suggest that widows
could re-marry. His
suggestions were
adopted by the British
officials and a law was
passed, permiting
widows remarriage in
1856.
 GIRLS BEGIN GOING TO SCHOOL
Social reformers felt that education for girls was
necessary in order to improve the ovrall
condition of women. Ex-Vidyasagar in
Calcutta, Arya Samaj in punjab and jyotirao
Phule in Maharashtra setup school for girls.
Those who opposed women
education thought that education prevented
women from doing their domestic duties and
it would have a corrupting influence on them.
 WOMEN WRITE ABOUT WOMEN
In modern history there were two prominent
women, who worked for the women
education. They were -
(i) Begum Rokeya Sakhawat
(ii) Tarabai shinde and pandita ramabai
BEGUM ROKEYA SAKHAWAT
Muslim women like the
begums of Bhopal played a
significant role in
promoting education
among women. Begum
Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain
started schools for Muslims
girls in Patna and Calcutta.
PANDITA RAMABAI
Pandita ramabai wrote a
book about the
miserable lives of upper
caste Hindu women.
Pandita Ramabai
founded a widows’
home at poona where
women were given
training so that they
could be economically
independent.
 CASTE AND SOCIAL REFROM
Caste inequalities crippled our socitey. To remove
these, reformers took different steps. Rammohun
Roy translated an old buddist text that was
critical of caste.
The prarthana Samaj adhered to the
tradition of bhakti that believed in spiritual
equality of all castes. In Bombay, the paramhans
mandali was founded in 1840 to work for the
abolition of caste. Chritian missionaries brgan
setting up schools for tribals group and ‘lower’
caste children.
DEMANDS FOR EQUALITY AND JUSTICE

GURU GHASIDAS
He founded the Satnami Movement in Central
India. He belomged t the lower caste and worked
among the leather workers and organised a
movement to improve their social status.
HARIDAS THAKUR
He worked among the low Chandala cultivators in
Eastern Bengal. He questioned Brahmanical texts
that supported the caste system.
SHRI NARAYAN GURU
He was a guru for the low caste Ezhavas in Kerala. He proclaimed the
ideals of unity of all people within one sect, a single caste and one
guru.
GULAMGIRI
One of the famous low caste leaders was Jyotirao Phule. He protested
against the Brahman’s claim that they were superior to others as
they were the Aryans. Phule argued that the Aryans were outsiders
who subjugated the true children of the country.
The upper castes had no right to their land and power: in reality, the
land belonged to low castes who tilled it. Phule founded
Satyashodhak Samaj which propagated caste equality. In 1873,
Phule wrote Gulamgiri(slavery).
Phule was also concered about the plight of ‘upper caste’ women, the
miseries of the labourer and the humiliation of the low castes.
The caste reform movement was cont. in the 20th century by Dr. BR
Ambedkar in Western India and EV Ramaswamy Naicker in the
South.
 WHO COULD ENTER TEMPLES?
Dr. BR Ambedkar belonged to a Mahar family. As a
child, he experienced What caste prejudice
meant in everyday life.In school, he was forced to
sit in the grounds outside the classroom, not
allowed to drink water from the taps which were
used by the upper castes.
Brahman priests were outraged when the Dalits
used water from the temple tanks. In 1927, he
started a temple entry movement . He led three
such movements for temple entry between 1927
and 1935.
 THE NON-BRAHMAN MOVEMENT
The non-brahman movement started in the
early 20th century. The initiative came from
educated, wealthy and influential non-
brahman castes.
EV RAMASWAMY NAICKER