Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

FREEDOM MOVEMENT

PHASE II1885-1905 DAWN OF NATIONALISM : CONGRESS ERA : NEW AWAKENING

In Kerala, Sri Narayana Guru with his mantra ‘one caste, one religion and one god’ for men awakened the oppressed in Hindu society. In 1887, an all-India movement of so- cial reform was launched by the National Social Conference and a weekly paper Indian Social Reformer was started in 1890. Sunda- ram Pillai and other Tamil writers advocated ideas of human equality. “Among the great galaxy of remarkable figures that will appear to the eye of posterity at the head of the Indian Renaissance, one stands out by himself with the peculiar and solitary distinctness, one unique in this type, as he is unique in his work. It is as if one were to walk for a long time amid a range of hills rising to a greater or lesser altitude, but all with sweeping contours, green-clad, flattering the eye even in their stands apart, piled up in sheer strength, a mass of bare and puissant granite, with verdure on its summit, a solitary pine jutting out into the blue, a great cascade of pure, vigorous and fertilising water gushing out from its strength as a very fountain of life and health to the valley. Such is the impression created on my mind by Dayanand. He was a great soldier of Light, a warrior in God’s world, a sculptor of men and institutions, a bold and rugged victory of the difficulties which matter presents to spirit. He brought back an old Aryan element into the national character. He was not only plastic to the great hand of Nature, but asserted his own right and power to use life and Nature as plastic material. We can imagine his soul crying still to us with our insufficient spring of manhood and action, 'Be not content, O Indian, only to be infinitely and grow vaguely, but see what God intended these to be, determine in the light of His inspiration to what thou shalt grow. Seeing, how that out of thyself; Be a thinker, but be also a doer; be a soul, but be also a man; be a servant of God but be also a master of Nature. ” - Sri Aurobindo

In 1835, on the advice of Macaulay, the British decided to support “the promotion of European literature and science among the natives of India”. The setting up of three universities, at Calcutta, Madras and Bombay gave impe- tus to higher education. Non-official Bri- tishers like David Hare and Bethune helped Indians to spread modern education. Other scholars like William Jones, founder of the Asiatic Society, Prinsep and Colebrooke also played an important part in awakening the Indians intellectually. The writings of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, the composer of “Bande Mataram ”, and the speeches of Swami Vivekananda, the disciple of Ramakrishna, inspired a new patriotic spirit in the country. Movements for women's emancipation and against caste rigidity and religious orthodoxy began to take root in the middle of the nineteenth century in western and southern India. In 1844, Dadoba Pan- durang and Durgaram Mahendram formed the Manovdharva Sabha. Paramhamsa Mandali, was founded by Pandurang in Bombay in 1849 to promote widow marriage and education among women and “lower castes”. It also attacked idolatry. Lokahitavadi Gopal Hari Deshmukh and Jotika Phule also worked for the liberation of women and lower castes. R.G. Bhandarkar, M.G. Ranade and K.T. Telang founded the Prarthana Samaj in 1867. The Christian missionaries, Elphin- stone (Governor of Madras) and Norton played an important role in the spread of education in Madras. The Theosophical Society was formed by Annie Besant with the help of Col. Olcott and Madam Blavatsky, with its headquar- ters at Adyar in Madras. In Madras part of the estate of Pachaiyappa was utilized for the purpose of education. In 1864, the Veda Samaj, inspired by the Brahmo Samaj, was formed in Madras by Sridharalu Naidu. Kandukuri Veere- satingam (1848-1919) was the leading fig- ure in the social reform movement in Andhra. Pandita. Ramabai and Behramji Malabari started a campaign for women's uplift. In 1851, Nauroji Furdonji, Dadabhai Naoroji and others formed an organization for religious and social reforms among the Parsis.

There was the Dawn of Nationalism with the Western impact on the Indian mind. The first faint glimmer appeared in Bengal. Young literate Bengali Hindus were beginning to learn English in order to enter the company's employment. Christian missionaries opened English schools in Calcutta. David Hare inspired the establishment of Calcutta's Hindu Col- lege. Renowned Sanskritist Horace Wilson established the Sanskrit College. Many Indians began to see the vision of a free India cherishing the Western ide- als of justice, democracy and liberty while preserving its own cultural inheritance. These were the first Indian national- ists and their most distinguished represen- tative was Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1774- 1833). He soon established himself as a bold reformer. The Brahmo Samaj was founded by him in 1828, and this Samaj in- spired many movements in other parts of the country. Derozio, a young poet and teacher, in- spired the young Bengali movement which questioned all traditions. Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, a great scholar and reformer, dedicated his life to the cause of improving the lot of women, particularly the Hindu widows. In North India, the Arya Samaj of Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded in 1875, played an im- portant role in the spread of education and reform of Hindu society. The most impor- tant figure in the spread of education and social and religious reforms among Mus- lims was Sir Syed Ahmed Khan who founded the MAO College at Aligarh in 1875. A Mohammedan Literary Society started by Abdul Latif in 1863 in Calcutta also promoted the cause of Muslim educa- tion. A religious school at Deoband infused its students with love of freedom.