250th Birth Anniversary of Raja Ram Mohan Roy

May 25, 2022

On May 22^nd, the ministry of culture held the inaugural ceremony to commemorate the yearlong celebrations of Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s 250th birth anniversary.

What are the highlights of the inaugural ceremony?

The inaugural ceremony was held at Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library Foundation, Kolkata, and at Science City Auditorium, Kolkata. The ceremony was organized by the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC), an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Culture. Union Minister of Culture, G Kishan Reddy participated in the ceremony virtually and unveiled a statue of Raja Ram Mohan Roy at Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library Foundation, Kolkata. The Governor of West Bengal also participated.

What is the contribution of Raja Ram Mohan Roy?

Raja Ram Mohan Roy is considered the architect of Modern India and the father of the Bengal Renaissance. He is one of the most influential social and religious reformers of the 19th century. He was born on May 22, 1772, in the then Bengal Presidency’s Radhanagar. He learned many languages (Bengali, Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, and English). He established Atmiya Sabha (Society of Friends) in 1814. In 1817, he collaborated with David Hare to set up the Hindu College.

He set up Brahmo Sabha in 1828, along with Debendranath Tagore. Brahmo Sabha later became the Brahmo Samaj. Brahmo Samaj aims to reform Hindusim by fighting social evils such as superstitious practices, caste discrimination, customs such as Sati, child marriage, etc. Due to the relentless efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Lord William Bentinck (Governor of the Bengal Presidency) banned sati in 1829. He also argued for the property rights of women and petitioned the British for freedom of the press.

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