Young Bengal, Vidyasagar and the Reformers of Western India
Henry Derozio's Young Bengal, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in Bengal and the Prarthana Samaj and Paramahansa Mandali in Maharashtra worked for reason, widow remarriage and education.
Young Bengal Movement
- Led by Henry Louis Vivian Derozio (1809 to 1831), a teacher at Hindu College, Calcutta from 1826. His followers were called Derozians or Young Bengal.
- They questioned all authority, attacked superstition and caste, supported women's education and freedom of the press, and formed the Academic Association (1828). Derozio was dismissed in 1831 and died of cholera the same year.
- Limits: the movement had no link with the masses and was too radical for the time.
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820 to 1891)
- Principal of the Sanskrit College, Calcutta (1851). Great scholar and educator, author of Barna Parichay (1855).
- Widow remarriage: Campaigned strongly, and the Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856 was passed. The first widow remarriage took place in December 1856.
- Opposed polygamy and child marriage, and worked for girls' education (about 35 girls' schools). He helped J.E.D. Bethune to set up the Bethune School (1849).
Maharashtra and Western India
| Reformer / body | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Paramahansa Mandali (1849) | Secret society of Dadoba Pandurang and Durgaram Mehtaji against caste. |
| Gopal Hari Deshmukh ("Lokahitawadi") | Wrote on social reform in the Prabhakar; asked for a rational society. |
| Prarthana Samaj (1867) | Founded in Bombay by Atmaram Pandurang, inspired by Keshab Chandra Sen. Leaders: M.G. Ranade and R.G. Bhandarkar. Its approach was gentle and reformist: widow remarriage, girls' education, against caste and child marriage. |
| M.G. Ranade | Supported the Widow Remarriage Association; helped found the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha (1870); founded the Indian National Social Conference (1887). |
| Behramji Malabari | Led the campaign that led to the Age of Consent Act (1891) and founded the Seva Sadan (1885). |
| Gokhale | Servants of India Society (1905). |
| D.K. Karve | Widow remarriage and women's education; founded the Hindu Widows' Home (1896) and SNDT Women's University (1916). |
Keep practising
Notes are only half the work. Test yourself with questions and discuss doubts with other aspirants.
Prepared for exam revision from standard sources such as NCERT, Bipan Chandra, Spectrum and official records. Historians differ on some dates, figures and interpretations, so check your exam syllabus and a standard textbook. Found a mistake? Tell us.