Religious And Social Awakening In Colonial India

Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental College

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan established the Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental College (M.A.O.) at Aligarh in 1875, which later developed into Aligarh Muslim University. This college provided education in humanities and science through English medium to modernize Muslim education. It was part of the Aligarh Movement to promote modern education among Muslims. Hindu College was in Calcutta, Central Hindu College was established by Annie Besant, and D.A.V. colleges were started by followers of Dayanand Saraswati.

Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda established the Ramakrishna Mission after the name of his guru Ramakrishna Paramhansa. While Ramakrishna Paramhansa was the spiritual teacher who highlighted the unity of religions, it was his disciple Vivekananda who founded the Mission to spread these teachings. Vivekananda believed in providing both secular and spiritual knowledge to empower people. Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded Brahmo Samaj, and Annie Besant was associated with the Theosophical Society.

Hindu Widow Remarriage Act

The Hindu Widow Remarriage Act was passed in 1856, primarily due to the relentless efforts of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. This act legally allowed Hindu widows to remarry, which was a revolutionary step in improving women's condition. Vidyasagar campaigned extensively for this cause and faced strong opposition from orthodox society. The Sati Prohibition Act was passed in 1829, Child Marriage Restraint Act (Sharda Act) was passed in 1929, making the 1856 act specifically about widow remarriage.

Liberating lower castes from exploitation

The Satya Shodhak Samaj (Society of Seekers of Truth) was founded by Jyotiba Phule in September 1873 with the main objective of liberating the lower castes and protecting them from exploitation and atrocities. Phule worked extensively for equal rights for peasants and lower castes, challenging the rigid caste system. While other options were also reform goals of various movements, the specific purpose of Satya Shodhak Samaj was to fight caste-based discrimination and exploitation of the lower castes.