SOCIO-RELIGIOUS

MOVEMENT
BY:TARUN PRATAP

RELEVANCE
ALL THE SOCIAL RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT OF THE 19TH AND THE 20 TH
CENTURY WORKED TOWARDS THE ERADICATION OF THE CATE
SYSTEM AND TO SOME EXTENT HUMAN SACRIFICE.THEY ALSO
WORKED FOR THE UPLIFTMENT OF THE WEAKER SECTION OF THE
SOCIETY.
THE CONTEMPORARAY SYSTEM OF THE RELIGION ADHERED TO BY
THE HINDUSIS NOT WELL CALCULATED TO PROMOTE THEIR
PLOITICAL INTEREST.THE DISTINCTION OF CASTE INTRODUCING
THE INNUMERABLE DIVISIONS AND SUB-DIVISIONS AMONG THEM
HAS ENTIRELY DEPRIVED THEM OF PATRIOTIC FEELING, AND THE
MULTITUDE OF THE RELIGIOUS RITES AND CEREMONIES AND THE
LAWAS OF PURIFICATION HAVE TOTALLY DISQUALIFIED THEM FROM
UNDERTAKING ANY DIFFICULT ENTERPRISE.
SO IT BECOMES NECESSARY THAT SOME CHANGE SHOULD OCCUR
FOR THE SAKE OF POLITICAL ADVANTAGE AND SOCIAL COMFORT
AND THAT CHANGE WAS PROVIDED BY THE SOCIAL REFORM
MOVEMENTS OF THE 19TH CENTURY.

RELIGION WAS THE DOMINENT IDELOGY OF THECONTEMPORARY

TIMES AND IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO UNDERTAKE ANY SOCIAL
ACTION WITHOUT COMONG TO GRIP WITH IT.
SO THE SOCIO-RELIGIOUS REFORMERS CHALLENGED THE
INFALLIBILTY OF THE VEDAS AND THE RELIGIOUS TEXTS IN ISLAM.
THE PERSPECTIVE OF REFORM WERE NOT ALWAYS INFLUENCED BY
THE RELIGIOUS CONSIDERATIONS.A RATIONAL AND THE SECULAR
OUTLOOK WAS VERY MUCH EVIDENT IN POSING AN ALTERNATIVE
TO PREVELANT SOCIAL PRACTISES.
IN ADVOCATING THE WIDOW REMARRAIGE AND OPPOSING THE
POLYGAMY AND CHILD MARRIAGE AKSHAY KUMAR DUTT WAS NOT
CONCERNED ABOUT THE RELIGIOUS SANCTION OR WHETHER
THEIR EFFECTS ON SOCIETY.INSTEAD ON DEPENDING ON THE
SCRIPTURES,HE EXECUTED MEDICAL OPINION ABOUT MARRIAGE
AND FAMILY.

THE SOCIAL REFORMS WERE UNIVERSALISTIC IN

NATURE WHICH GENERATED THE FEELING OF
NATIONAL BROTHERHOOD.(WHOSOEVER
WORSHIP THE TRUE GOD DAILY MUST LEARN TO
ENCOURAGE ALL HIS FELLOW COUNTRYMEN AS
BRETHREN)
CASTE WOULD VANISH IN SUCH A SOCIETY .
THE REFORMERS BELIEVED IN THE UNITARISM
AND MONOTHEINS,IF THEY BELIEVE THAT THEIE
GOD IS ONE AND THAT GREETED US ALL THAN
HINDUS,MUSLIMSPARSEES,SIKHS ETC MUST BE
CONSIDERED AS BRETHREN.

IN THE RELIGIOUS SPHERE THE REFORMS SOUGHT TO ABOLISH

IDOLATORY,POLYTHEISM ,RITUALS,PRIESTLY MONOPLY.THEY WERE
IMPORTANT NOT FOR PURELY RELIGIOUS REASONS BUT EQUALLY FOR THE
SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS.
THEY CONTRIBUTED TO THE LIBERATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL FROM THE
CONFORMITY BORN OUT OF FEAR FROM THE PRIESTS AND COLONIAL
IDEOLOGY.
THE DISSEMINATION OF RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE THROUGH TRANSLATION
OF RELIGIOUS OF RELIGIOUS TEXTS INTO VERNACULAR LANGUAGES, LED
TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRESS,WHICH PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN
THE POPULARIZATION OF THE INDIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT.
FACED WITH THE CHALLENGE OF THE INTRUSION OF THE COLONIAL
CULTURE AND IDEOLOGY,AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO RE-INVIGORATE
TARDITIONAL CULTUREAND INSTITUTIONS IN THE 19TH CENTURY.
THE INTRUSIONS IN THE CULTURAL REALM WERE MORE INTENSIVELY FELT
AND THE PEOPLE SLOWLY AND STEADLY STARTED KNOWING THAT THE
COLONIAL RULE WAS NOT SUPERIOR TO THEM AND THE BRITISHERS WERE
NOT BORN TO RULE OVER INDIA.

BY REMOVING THE SOCIAL EVILS LIKE

UNTOUCHABILITY, THE REFORM
MOVEMENT WANTED THE PEOPLE OF
DIFFERENT CASTE TO COME ON THE SAME
PLATFORM.
THEY WANTED TO CREATE AN
ATMOSPHERE FOR NATIONAL
MOVEMENT .UNLESS THERE WERE SOCIAL
REFORMS ONE CANNOT TAKE ALL THE
PEOPLE TOGETHER THAT WAS SO HELPFUL
IN A MASS MOVEMENT AS INDIAN NATIONAL
MOVEMENT WAS.

DRAWBACKS
THE REVIVALISTS MOVEMENT OF THE 19TH CENTURY CREATED AN
ATMOSPHERE OF MUTUAL SUSPICION AND SENSE OF INSECURITY
AMONGST EACH OTHER AND UNCONSCIOUSLY CONTRIBUTED TO
THE GROWTH OF AND RISE OF COMMUNALISM.
AMONG THE MUSLIMS THE SCHOOL OF WAILIULLAH OD DELHI,THE
DEOBAND SCHOOL WERE ACTIVE IN RESTORING PRISTINE PURITY
AND RELIGIOUS FERVOUR OF MUSLIM COMMUNITY.
AMONG THE HINDUS THE REVIVAL OF SHIVAJI AND THE GANAPATI
FESTIVAL,THE DHARMA SABHA SABHA OF RADHA KANT DEB OF
CALCUTTA TRIED TO GLORIFY HINDUISM AGAINST THE
CHRISTAINITY ,BUT ULTIMATELY DUE TOT THE COMMUNICATION
GAPIT SENT A WRING MESSAGE TO MUSLIMS,THIS WAS FURTHER
ADDED BY THE SUDDHI MOVEMENT.
THE LOVE FOR HINDU IDEALS AND INSTITUTIONS ,THE PRIDE IN
HINDU RELIGION AND THE PHILOSOPLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE
SENSE OF SUPERIORITY.VIVEKANAND SAID THAT VEDANT
PHILOSOPHY IS THE SUPREME OF ALL PHILOSOPHY.

BOTH THE PARALLEL MOVEMENT OF THE TWO COMMUNITIES HAD

THE COMMON AIM----TO PROTECT AND PROMOTE THEIR OWN
RELIGION.
BUT THEY LACKED COMMUNICATION AND HENCE LOST THEIR
ULTIMATE AIM OF EXTERMINATING THE BRITISHERS.
THEY FAILED TO COMMUNICATE THEIR MESSAGES TO THE MASSES.
THE ECONOMIC BACKWARDNESS OF THE COUNTRY,THE MEDIEVAL
OUTLOOK OF THE MASSES AND THE COLOSSAL NEGLECT OF THE
EDUCATION FURTHER HELPED IN WIDENING THE COMMUNICATION
GAP.
THE SOCIO-RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS WAS TO BE MORE SOCIAL AND
PHILOSOPHICAL BUT IT BECAME MORE RELIGIOUS.THE REAL
IMPACT OF THESE SCHOOLS DIRECTLY LED TO THE SELFGLORIFICATION AND CREATION OF CONTRA-CULTURE.
IT ALSO PROMPTED THE BROTISH TO MISINTERPRET AND USE THE
COMMUNICATION GAP FOR THEIR POLICY OF DIVIDE AND RULE.