Raja Ram Mohan Roy

As was the custom during those days he was first married as a child. When his child-bride died, he was married again. His second wife too predeceased him. His third marriage was to Uma Devi who outlived him. He had two sons.

He contracted meningitis while on a trip to England and died on 27 September 1833. He was buried in Bristol.

Ram Mohan Roy was born into a high-ranking Brahmin family in West Bengal. His father Ramkanto Roy was a Vaishnavite, while his mother Tarinidevi was a Shaivite—this was very unusual during those times where marriages between different religious sub sects were uncommon. His family had been serving the imperial Mughals for three generations.

He was born in an era which marked the darkest period in the history of India. The country was plagued by numerous socio-economic and political problems, the chaos created in the name of religions was aplenty.

He received his basic education in Sanskrit and Bengali in the village school after which he was sent to Patna to study in a Madrasa where he learnt Persian and Arabic.

Furthering his education, he moved to Kashi to learn the intricacies of Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures like the Vedas and Upanishads. He learnt the English language only when he was 22 years old.

After completing his education he found a job in the East India Company where he served for several years and became a revenue officer in 1809.

He was a socially responsible citizen and was troubled by the increasing number of malpractices practiced by the common man in the society. He also voiced his dissent against the unjust actions of the British in India.

Ram Mohan had a strong belief in Lord Vishnu and in fact he is credited with coining the term “Hinduism”. However, he was dead against the malpractices forced upon the masses in the name of religion.

In 1812, his brother died and his widow was forced to burn herself too at his lit pyre. Young Ram Mohan tried his best to stop the evil from occurring but failed miserably. This incident left a deep impact on his mind.

He personally used to visit crematoriums to keep an eye on the people who forced the womenfolk to commit sati at their husbands’ pyre. He struggled a lot to make people realize that not only was sati a meaningless ritual, it was also very cruel and evil.

His biggest achievement was the abolishment of “sati pratha”, a practice in the India of his times, where a widow was made to immolate herself at the funeral pyre of her deceased husband. He struggled for years to get this evil legally eradicated.

He founded the Brahmo Samaj along with other enlightened Bengalis. The samaj was a highly influential socio-religious reform movement which fought against evils like caste system, dowry, ill treatment of women, etc.