BY- DRISANA CHAUHAN

INDIAN
RENAISSANCE
REFORMERS
A STRUGGLE FOR CHANGE

“Social Reform is the desparate decision to remove corns from a person suffering from
INDIAN RENAISSANCE

• A rapid social and religious awakening took place in India during the 19th
century with British arrival.
• The influence of western idology brought about a vast change in the
decaying Indian society,with educated Indians working systematically for its
revival.
• They questioned traditional practices and beliefs of the Hindu society and
refused to practice them.
• The impact of Western ideas gave birth to new awakening. The change that
took place in the Indian social scenario is popularly known as the Indian
Renaissance and its owes its existence to a few renowned leaders.
Notable social
reformers in
India include…
ANNA HAZARE
• Kisan Baburao Hazare, popularly known as Anna Hazare is an Indian social
activist who led movements to promote rural development, increase
government transparency, and investigate and punish corruption in public
life.
• In addition to organising and encouraging grassroots movements, Hazare
frequently conducted hunger strikes to further his causes—a tactic
reminiscent, to many, of the work of Mohandas K. Gandhi.
• Hazare also contributed to the development and structuring of Ralegan
Siddhi, a village in Parner taluka of Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India.
• He was awarded the Padma Bhushan—the third-highest civilian award—by
the Government of India in 1992 for his efforts in establishing this village as a
model for others. 
• Ralegan Siddhi is located in the foothills, so Hazare persuaded villagers to
construct a watershed embankment and associated works to stop water and
allow it to percolate and increase the ground water level and
improve irrigation in the area. These efforts solved the problem of water
scarcity in the village and made irrigation possible.
• In 1980, Hazare started the Grain Bank at the temple, with the objective of
providing food security to needy farmers during times of drought or crop
failure.
• Hazare and the youth group decided to take up the issue of alcoholism to
drive a process of reform. At a meeting conducted in the temple, the villagers
resolved to close down liquor dens and ban alcohol in the village.
(1937- )
“Those who live for themselves die, those who die for the society live.”
ANNIE BESANT
• Annie Besant was born in London to Irish parents.
• In 1893, she left for India having been influenced by the Indian
culture and civilization.
• Famous social worker, educationalist and journalist
• Studied Hinduism
• Founded the Home-Rule League and revived the Theosophical
Society
• Stood for the revival of the ancient Indian religion and
universal brotherhood
• Encouraged Indian national consciousness, attacked caste and
child marriage, and worked effectively for Indian education.
 

(1847-1933)
“Someone ought to do it, but why should I? Someone ought to do it, so why not I? Between these two sentences lie whole
centuries of moral evolution..”
BABA AMTE
• Murlidhar Devidas Amte, commonly known as Baba Amte, was an
Indian social worker and social activist known particularly for his work
for the rehabilitation and empowerment of people suffering from
leprosy.
• Baba Amte during his early life of privilege, he would hunt wild
animals, play sports, and drive luxurious cars. But his life was changed
when he encountered a man suffering from leprosy. The sight of the
man’s decaying body filled him with overwhelming fear.
• He founded the Anandwan Ashram in 1948 as a rehabilitation centre
for leprosy patients.
• he organised Bharat Jodo Abhiyan or the Knit India March to re-
infuse the spirit of national integration at a time of growing cynicism
and communal strife.
• He joined Narmada Bachao Andolan movement, which fought
against both unjust displacement of local inhabitants and damage to (1914-2008)
the environment due to the construction of the Sardar Sarovar dam on
the Narmada River.
• He has received numerous awards including the Padma Vibhushan, the
Dr. Ambedkar International Award, the Gandhi Peace Prize, the Ramon
Magsaysay Award, the Templeton Prize and the Jamnalal Bajaj Award.
• He is also known as modern Gandhi of India.
“When you give roses to others, the perfume is bound to linger on your hands!”
B A S AVA N N A
• Basavanna was an Indian 12th-century Statesman,
philosopher, poet, Lingayat saint in the Shiva-focussed
Bhakti movement.
• Basavanna spread social awareness through his poetry,
popularly known as Vachanaas.
• Basavanna rejected gender or social discrimination,
superstitions and rituals.
• He introduced Ishtalinga necklace, with an image of the
Shiva Liṅga, to every person regardless of his or her
birth, to be a constant reminder of one's bhakti
(devotion) to Shiva.

12th Century

“Never lose heart while pursuing the path of trust, Live a principled life.”
 B E G U M R O K E YA
• Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain was a Bengali feminist thinker, writer,
educator and political activist from British India (present day
Bangladesh).
• She is widely regarded as a pioneer of women's liberation in South
Asia.
• She advocated for men and women to be treated equally as rational
beings, noting that the lack of education for women was responsible for
their inferior economic position.
• Her major works include Matichur (A String of Sweet Pearls, 1904 and
1922), a collection of essays in two volumes expressing her feminist
thoughts; Sultana's Dream (1908), a feminist science fiction novella set
in Ladyland ruled by women; Padmarag ("Essence of the Lotus", 1924)
depicting the difficulties faced by Bengali wives; and Abarodhbasini
(The Confined Women, 1931), a spirited attack on the extreme forms of
purdah that endangered women's lives and self-image.
• In 1916, she founded the Muslim Women's Association, an organization
that fought for women's education and employment.
• Bangladesh observes Rokeya Day on 9 December every year to
commemorate her works and legacy. (1880-1932)
“Had God Himself intended women to be inferior, He would have ordained it so that mothers would have given birth
to daughters at the end of the fifth month of pregnancy. The supply of mother’s milk would naturally have been
half of that in case of a son. But that is not the case. How can it be? Is not God just and most merciful?”
BHIMRAO RAMJI
AMBEDKAR
• Babasaheb Ambedkar, was an Indian jurist, economist,
politician and social reformer who inspired the Dalit
Buddhist movement and campaigned against social
discrimination towards the untouchables (Dalits).
• He was independent India's first law and justice
minister, the major architect of the Constitution of India.
• His later life was marked by his political activities; he
became involved in campaigning and negotiations for
India's independence, publishing journals, advocating
political rights and social freedom for Dalits, and
contributing significantly to the establishment of the
state of India. 
• In 1990, the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award,
was posthumously conferred upon Ambedkar.

(1891-1956)
“I like the religion that teaches liberty, equality and fraternity.”
D AYA N A N D S A R A S WAT I
• Dayanand Saraswati was an Indian philosopher, social leader and
founder of the Arya Samaj, a reform movement of the Vedic dharma.
• He was the first to give the call for Swaraj as "India for Indians" in
1876, a call later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak.
• He went on with the mission of spreading true Hindu religion and
culture all over India. With this purpose he established the Arya
Samaj at Bombay on 10th April, 1875.
• He opposed the caste system and the superiority of the Brahmins in
the society.
• He also challenged the monopoly of the Brahmins to read the Vedas
and supported the right of every individual irrespective of caste,
creed and colour to study the Vedas. Dayananda also opposed the
practice of untouchability.
• He protested against injustice to women and worked for the
education of the females.
• He vehemently opposed child-marriages, polygamy, “Purdah” and
the practice of “Sati” etc. Citing the teachings of the Vedas, he
proved that women should have equal rights with men. (1824-1883)
• Inter-caste marriages and interdining were practised by the members
of the Arya Samaj.
“The tongue should express what is in the heart.”
D H O N D O K E S H AV K A R V E
• Dhondo Keshav Karve, popularly known as Maharshi Karve, was a
social reformer in India in the field of women's welfare.
• In his honour, Queen's Road in Mumbai (Bombay) was renamed to
Maharshi Karve Road.
• He was a pioneer in promoting widows' education.
• Maharshi Karve setup India's first university for women “Shreemati
Nathibai Damodar Thackersey (SNDT) Women's University” in
1916. Initially, only five students got themselves enrolled.
• The social reformer and educator established the widow Marriage
Association in 1893 and in the same year, he shocked everyone
after he opted to marry a widow himself. His first wife had passed
away earlier in the year 1891.
• Continuing with his effort for helping widows, Maharishi Karve even
founded an educational institution, Hindu Widows Home, in 1896,
in Poona to help widows support themselves, in case they were
unable to remarry.
• The Government of India awarded him with the highest civilian (1858-1962)
award, the Bharat Ratna, in 1958, the year of his 100th birthday.
• He was the first living Indian to appear on a postal stamp of India.
“We educate women because it is smart. We educate women because it changes the world. “– Drew Fuast
G O PA L H A R I D E S H M U K H
• Gopal Hari Deshmukh was an Indian activist, thinker, social reformer
and writer from Maharashtra.
• At age 25, Deshmukh started writing articles aimed at social reform in
Maharashtra in the weekly Prabhakar (प्रभाकर) under the pen name
Lokhitawadi (लोकहितवादी). In the first two years, he penned 108 articles on
social reform. That group of articles has come to be known in Marathi
literature as Lokhitawadinchi Shatapatre (लोकहितवादींची शतपत्रे).
• He promoted emancipation (liberation) and education of women, and
wrote against arranged child marriages, dowry system, and polygamy,
all of which were prevalent in India in his times.
• He wrote against the evils of the caste system which was strongly
prevalent in India in his times, condemned harmful Hindu religious
orthodoxy, and attacked the monopoly in religious matters and rituals
which Brahmin priests had through a long tradition (Deshmukh,
himself, belonged to the Brahmin caste).
• Deshmukh founded a public library in Pune under the leadership of the
then governor of the state of Bombay, Henry Brown.
• He also donated some books to Univ. of Bombay (1875) Library, when
it was established by British people.
(1823-1892)
• His personal collection is added to Univ. of Mumbai - J.N.Library,
Vidyanagari, Mumbai -400098 − called as "Deshmukh collection".
“If you limit a woman, then you are not a human...”
I S H WA R C H A N D R A
V I DYA S A G A R
• Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was a Bengali polymath from
the Indian subcontinent, and a key figure of the Bengal
Renaissance.
• He was a philosopher, academic educator, writer, translator,
printer, publisher, entrepreneur, reformer and
philanthropist.
• He was the most prominent campaigner for Hindu widow
remarriage and petitioned Legislative council despite severe
opposition and a counter petition against the proposal with
nearly four times more signatures by Radhakanta Deb and
the Dharma Sabha. But Lord Dalhousie personally finalised
the bill despite the opposition and it being considered a
flagrant breach of Hindu customs as prevalent then and the
Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856 was passed.
• He received the title "Vidyasagar" (in Sanskrit Vidya means
knowledge and Sagar means ocean, i.e., Ocean of
(1820-1891)
Knowledge) from Sanskrit College, Calcutta (from where he
graduated), due to his excellent performance in Sanskrit
studies and philosophy.
"विद्या" सबसे अनमोल 'धन' है; इसके  आने मात्र से ही सिर्फ अपना ही नही अपितु पूरे समाज का कल्याण होता है।"
J YO T I R A O & S AV I T R I B A I
PHULE
• Mahatma Jyotirao Govindrao Phule also known as Jyotiba Phule, was an
Indian social activist, thinker, anti-caste social reformer and writer from
Maharashtra.
• His work extended to many fields including eradication of untouchability and
the caste system, and women's emancipation.
• He is mostly known for his efforts in educating women and lower caste
people.
• He and his wife, Savitribai Phule, were pioneers of women education in India.
• Savitribai is regarded as the first female teacher of India.
• Along with Jyotirao, savitribai played an important role in improving women's
rights in India.
• Savitribai is regarded as the mother of Indian feminism.
• They started his first school for girls in 1848 in Pune at Tatyasaheb Bhide's
residence or Bhidewada.
• On 24 September 1873, he, along with his followers, he formed the
Satyashodhak Samaj (Society of Seekers of Truth) to attain equal rights for
people from lower castes. Jyotiba (1827-1890)
• People from all religions and castes could become a part of this association
which worked for the upliftment of the oppressed classes.
Savitribai (1831-1897)
• Phule is regarded as an important figure in the social reform movement in
Lagrange.
सभी प्राणियों में मनुष्य श्रेष्ठ है. और सभी मनुष्यों में नारी श्रेष्ठ है. स्त्री और पुरुष जन्म से ही स्वतंत्र है. इसलिए दोनों को सभी अधिकार सामान रूप से भोगने का अवसर मिलना चाहिए.
 KAZI NAZRUL ISLAM
• Kazi Nazrul Islam was a Bengali poet, writer and musician
who was later recognized as the national poet of
Bangladesh.
• He produced a large body of poetry and music with themes
that included religious devotion and rebellion against
oppression.
• Nazrul believed in the equality of women, a view his
contemporaries considered revolutionary, as expressed in
his poem Naari (women).
• An advocate of women rights, Nazrul portrayed both
traditional and nontraditional women in his work.
• He talked about the working poor through his works such as
the poem: 'Poverty'
• Nazrul was a critic of the Khilafat Movement in British India
which he condemned as "hollow religious fundamentalism".
(1899-1976)
• His rebellious expression extended to rigid orthodoxy in the
name of religion and politics.
“Remember those in perennial fast, constantly in hunger and deprivation, Share with the poor, orphans and the destitute, to
make inclusive your celebration.”
M AT H M A G A N D H I
• Mahatma Gandhi was many things. He was a son, a husband,
a lawyer, but he was admired worldwide as a
great social reformer, political leader, and thinker.
• Gandhi spoke out against untouchability early in his
life. Before 1932, he and his associates used the
word antyaja for untouchables.
• Gandhi called untouchability a great evil in Hindu society but
observed that it was not unique to Hinduism, having deeper
roots, and stated that Europeans in South Africa treated "all
of us, Hindus and Muslims, as untouchables; we may not
reside in their midst, nor enjoy the rights which they do".
• In 1932, Gandhi began a new campaign to improve the lives
of the untouchables, whom he began to call harijans, "the
children of god".
• Gandhi considered untouchability to be wrong and evil, he (1869-1948)
believed every individual, regardless of background, has a
right to choose whom he will welcome into his home, whom
he will befriend, and whom he will spend time with.

“My fight against untouchability is a fight against the impure in humanity.”

MOTHER TERESA
• Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, commonly known as Mother Teresa is
honoured in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
• After living in Skopje for eighteen years, she moved to Ireland
and then to India, where she lived for most of her life.
• In 1950, Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman
Catholic religious congregation that had over 4,500 nuns and
was active in 133 countries in 2012.
• Love and compassion were the cardinal principles of her
mission she said that serving the needy and poor is serving
God.  
• The congregation manages homes for people who are dying of
HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis.
• It also runs soup kitchens, dispensaries, mobile clinics,
children's and family counselling programmes, as well as
orphanages and schools. (1910-1997)
• Members take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and
also profess a fourth vow – to give "wholehearted free service
to the poorest of the poor."
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
N A R AYA N A G U R U
• Narayana Guru was a spiritual leader and social reformer in India.
• He led a reform movement in Kerala, against the injustice in the
caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritual
enlightenment and social equality
• Casteism was practised in Kerala during the 19th and early 20th
centuries and the lower caste people such as Ezhavas and Thiyyas
and the untouchable castes like Paraiyars, tribals and Pulayars had
to suffer discrimination from the upper caste people such as
Brahmins.
• It was against this discrimination that Guru performed his first
major public act, the consecration of Siva idol at Aruvippuram in
1888. Overall, he consecrated forty five temples across Kerala and
Tamil Nadu.
• His consecrations were not necessarily conventional deities; a slab
inscribed with the words, Truth, Ethics, Compassion, Love.
• The social protest of Vaikom Satyagraha was an agitation by the
lower caste against untouchability in Hindu society of Travancore. It
was reported that the trigger for the protest was an incident when (1855-1928)
Narayana Guru was stopped from passing through a road leading to
Vaikom Temple by an upper caste person.

“One Jati(Caste) One Religion, One God for Man”

PA N D I TA R A M A B A I
• Pandita Ramabai Sarasvati was an Indian social reformer, a pioneer in the
education and emancipation of women in India.
• She was the first woman to be accorded the titles of Pandita as a Sanskrit
scholar and Sarasvati after being examined by the faculty of the University
of Calcutta.
• In the late 1890s, she founded Mukti Mission at Kedgaon village, Pune. The
mission was later named Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission.
• In 1882, she founded Arya Mahila Samaj (Arya Women's Society). The
purpose of the society was to promote the cause of women's education
and deliverance from the oppression of child marriage.
• She declared with fervor, "In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred the
educated men of this country are opposed to female education and the
proper position of women. If they observe the slightest fault, they magnify
the grain of mustard-seed into a mountain, and try to ruin the character of (1858-1922)
a woman."
• She suggested that teachers be trained and women school inspectors be
appointed. Further, she said that as the situation in India was that women's
conditions were such that women could only medically treat them, Indian
women should be admitted to medical colleges.
• Ramabai's effort created a great sensation and reached Queen Victoria. It
bore fruit later in starting of the Women's Medical Movement by Lord
Dufferin.

,“A life totally committed to God, has nothing to fear, nothing to lose, nothing to regret.”
 PA N D U R A N G S H A S T R I AT H AVA L E
• Pandurang Shastri Athavale, also known as Dadaji, which literally
translates as "elder brother" in Marathi, was an Indian activist
philosopher, spiritual leader, social revolutionary and religion reformist.
• He founded the Swadhyaya Parivar (Swadhyaya Family) in 1954.
• Swadhyaya is a self-study process based on the Bhagavad Gita which
has spread across nearly 100,000 villages in India, with five million
adherents.
• He was also noted for his discourses on the Bhagavad Gita, the Vedas
and the Upanishads. He is known for his selfless work and brilliant
knowledge in scriptures.
• The Swadhaya Parivar was started in the year 1978 in the UK where all
the adherents would meet on Sunday to sing prayers and seek
preachings from Athavale via video recording.
• Athavale, the founder of Swadhyaya Parivar focused on the Vedic
Philosophy of the In-depth study of self.
• There were many Prayogs carried out in the Indian Villages by the
family.
• The followers of Spiritual leader and social activist do not only limit to (1920-2003)
India but also have followers across 35 countries such as Asia, Europe,
America, Middle East Africa and more. 

“Devotion does not mean only Chanting praise and singing glory of God, nor fasting and offerings made to God. Devotion is a
specific attitude towards life and existence.”
P e r i y a r E . V. R a m a s a m y
• Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy, commonly known as
Periyar, also referred to as Thanthai Periyar, was an Indian
social activist and politician who started the Self-Respect
Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam.
• He is known as the 'Father of the Dravidian Movement'.
• He did notable work against Brahminical dominance and
gender and caste inequality in Tamil Nadu. 
• He carried out the most vigorous attack against
traditionalism of all kinds, prevalent in the society, and
along the axes of caste and religion in particular.
• This attack was based on the inherent irrationality of these
age-old systems and Periyar never let one opportunity
pass to expose the inconsistencies and blind spots in the
material and ideological structures of caste and religion.
(1879-1973)
• . Periyar consistently argued for equal rights of women in
marriage, inheritance of property and civic life in general.

“By helping the poor, we must be able to remove their poverty. By extending help to one here and one there in the form of
providing food will not remove poverty”
Raja Ram Mohan Roy
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy was one of the founders of the Brahmo
Sabha, a social-religious reform movement in the Indian
subcontinent.
• He was given the title of Raja by Akbar II, the Mughal emperor.
• His influence was apparent in the fields of politics, public
administration, education and religion.
• Roy founded the Atmiya Sabha and the Unitarian Community to
fight the social evils, and to propagate social and educational
reforms in India.
• He was the man who fought against superstitions, a pioneer in
Indian education, and a trend setter in Bengali Prose and Indian
press.
• He Crusaded against Hindu customs such as sati, polygamy, child
marriage and the caste system.
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy is considered to be the "Father of the Indian (1772-1833)
Renaissance" by many historians.
• In 2004, Roy was ranked number 10 in BBC's poll of the Greatest
Bengali of all time.

“समाचार- पत्रों को पिछड़ी जातियों तक पहुंचाया जाए, जिससे कि वे ज्ञान के प्रकाश से सराबोर हो सके .”
S H A H U O F KO L H A P U R
• Shahu (also known as Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj or Chhatrapati Shahu
Maharaj)was considered a true democrat and social reformer.
• From his coronation in 1894 till his demise in 1922, he worked for the
cause of the lower caste subjects in his state.
• Primary education to all regardless of caste and creed was one of his
most significant priorities.
• He also ensured suitable employment for students thus educated,
thereby creating one of the earliest affirmative action (50% reservation
to weaker sections) programs in history.
• Rajaram college was built by Shahu Maharaj, and later was named
after him.
• He established hostels for different ethnicities and religions.
• He established the Miss Clarke Boarding School for the socially
quarantined segments of the community.
• He introduced several scholarships for poor yet meritorious students
from backward castes.
• He also initiated compulsory free primary education for all in his state.
(1874-1922)
• He leavid 1 Rupee fine for the parents who don’t send their children to
school.

ऐक्य, परस्पर प्रेम, विश्वास व चिकाटीचे सतत प्रयत्न ही आमची शस्त्रे असली पाहिजेत.
Vi n o b a B h a v e
• Vinayak Narahari "Vinoba" Bhave was an Indian advocate of
nonviolence and human rights.
• Often called Acharya (Sanskrit for teacher), he is best known for the
Bhoodan Movement.
• He is considered as a National Teacher of India and the spiritual
successor of Mohandas Gandhi.
• The Gita has also been translated into Marathi language by him with
the name as Geetai means mother Geeta.
• Acharya observed the life of the average Indian living in a village and
tried to find solutions for the problems he faced with a firm spiritual
foundation.
• This formed the core of his Sarvodaya movement.
• Another example of this is the Bhoodan (land gift) movement started
at Pochampally on 18 April 1951, after interacting with 80 Harijan
families.
• He walked all across India asking people with land to consider him as
one of their sons and so gave him one-sixth of their land which he (1895-1982)
then distributed to landless poor.
• Non-violence and compassion is a hallmark of his philosophy, he also
campaigned against the slaughtering of cows.
“It is only when our life proceeds within bounds and in an accepted, disciplined way, that the mind can be free.”
VITTHAL RAMJI SHINDE
• Mahrshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde was one of the most important
social and religious reformers in Maharashtra, India.
• He was prominent among the liberal thinkers and reformists
in India, prior to his independence.
• His greatest contribution was to attempt to remove the
practice of untouchability and bring about equality to the
depressed classes in Indian society.
• After returning from England in 1903, he devoted his life to
religious and social reforms.
• He continued his missionary work for the Prarthana
Samaj.
• In 1905 he established a night school for the children of
untouchables in Pune, and in 1906 he established the
Depressed Classes Mission in (Bombay).
• Also in 1910 he founded MURALI PRATIBANDHAK SABHA
and in 1912 organised a "ASPRUSHATA NIWARAN (1873-1944)
PARISHAD".
“The removal of UNTOUCHABILITY is one of the highest expressions of ahimsa.” – M.K. Gandhi
CONCLUSION

• In order to built a progressive society we must be rational and liberal in our

thinking and behavior.
• We must develop moden outlook and get rid of the social evils that can
stagnate our society and make it decadent and backward.
THANK YOU