THE EARLIEST ACTIVISTS

Broadly speaking, the modem period in India started with advent of the British and the English
education in the early 19" cenrury. Raja Rammohan Roy of Bengal was the first intellectual
activist of modem India. He was not a revivalist; he ushered in a movement for freedom, social
justice, and human right  professed that' all men are born equal. This doctrine spread in a few 0thr
intellectuals Hence, a number of intellectual-activists and reformists in the 19" &early 20"
century. This intellectual movement, unfortunately, paled into insignificance during the . freedom
movement in the 20" century, particularly since the early nineteen twenties. It is regrettable that
after independence too there has not been any such movement. It is precisely for this reason that
our human rights educationists and social activists ought to give the utmost importance to our
intellectual heritage.

Raja Rammohan Roy  

Rarnmohan Roy realised that for the success of any scheme of social and religious reform it was
necessary to carry the people with him. Sati abolition would not have succeeded if he had not
prepared the ground through his researches and had not carried on an agitation. He educated and
roused public opinion against the practice of Sati. He was convinced that legislation without
preparation of the ground might drive the practice underground. He maintained that legal
sanctions alone will not help because of "the peculiar practice of Hindu idolatry which destroys the texture of the society". He added that "advocates of idolatry and their misguided followers
continue, under the form of religious devotion, to practice a system which  prescribes crimes of
most heinous nature, which even the most savage nation would blush to commit". These religious
practices are "the source of the total destruction of moral principles.. ."

Rammohan spoke the language of reason and had a rational and iconoclastic approach. He quoted
Vasistha approvingly: "If a child says something reasonable it should be accepted, if Brahma
himself says something unreasonable it should be discarded as a piece of straw." He approached
the issue of the liberation of women with the seriousness it deserved, in a scientific and rational
manner. Rammohan was not only well versed in the text of the Brahminical religion, he had also
studied Islam, western history, philosophy, sciences and Christianity. Although he was critical of
both Christianity and Islam in certain aspects, he was drawn towards Islam for its egalitarianism.
He wrote: "I myself have read all of the Quran again and again, and has that made me
Mussalman? No. I have studied the whole Bible, and you know I am not a Christian. Why then do
you fear to read it? Read it and judge for yourself." This is exactly what our middle and upper
middle class people must do. Today, we tend to ignore our debt to other religions and cultures,
particularly Islam. 

Rammohan was influenced by the teachings of Islam and Christianity, and he acknowledged it.
He had shown the path to a solution of communal problem by giving "an intellectual nod to
Islamic thought".Regrettably, none except M.N. Roy gave any attention to than "nod". A
champion of civil liberties and freedom, Rammohan petitioned to both the houses of British
parliament against the Jury Act of 1827, which had introduced religious bias into Judicial system
of India. The petition was signed by both Hindus and Muslims. He protested against the provision
of the Bill according to which ""natives, either Hindu or Mohammedan; are subject to judicial
trial by Christians, either European or Native ..."" while Christians were exempted from being
tried either by a Hindu or Mussalman juror. The Raja protested against a Government action in
1823 which took away the freedom of newspapers and periodicals. He was the first and the only
intellectual to send a memorandum to the authorities severely criticising this action and strongly
upholding the freedom of the press. He submitted petitions to the Supreme Court and the King in
Council. He made a strong case for the "unrestricted liberty of publication". In his "Appeal to the King in Council", Rammohan protested against "an invasion on our civil rights ...". The appeal
concludes: "Do not consign the natives of India to perpetual oppression and degradation."

 Bankim Chandra Chatterjee 

Bankim Chandra Chaterjee, one of the first graduates of .the Calcutta University set up by the
British to turn out middle level officials for the British empire in India, turned out to be a
revivalist. He rejected outright several Hindu traditions calling them effeminate and pleaded for a
vigorous Hinduism which could take over the country in course of time. "Bankim was the prophet
of nationalism in literature, and yet a Hindu revivalist with an excessive stress on the Hindu
character, and tradition seemed to speak out through him." 

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar  

Several contemporaries of Bankim Chandra shared this outlook, while many others, particularly
in Bengal, saw nothing positive in a continued British Rule. One of the contemporaries of Bankim
Chandra, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, proved to be the best defender of human rights. He pleaded
for such social reforms as widow remarriage, education to all, and help to the needy and
deserving. He rejected the line of the Bhakti movement espoused by one of his contemporaries,
Ram Krishna Paramhams. Rama Krishna, it was reported, had suggested to Ishwar Chandra not to
go ahead with social reforms for that would be an interference with the divine dispensation.
Ishwar Chandra did not accept the theory of Bhakti and asserted there was something lacking in
Sanskrit literature, and therefore in the syllabus devised for graduations western philosophers
should be included. Vidyasagar once got so exasperated, in the context of widow remarriage, that
he exclaimed in sheer disgust, "Let not the unfortunate weaker sex (abala) be born in a country
where the men have no pity, no dharma, no sense of right and wrong, no ability to discriminate
between beneficial and harmful, where preservation of what has been customary is considered the
only duty, the only dharma . . . by what sin do women come to be born in Bharatvarsha, at all.. .
Oh unfortunate women, what sin had you committed that you should have born in this blessed
country where men are so insensitive

Swami Vivekanand 

Swami Vivekanand, the famous disciple of Ram Krishna Paramhams, pleaded that for a stronger
India we need the confluence of two great systems: Hinduism and Islam. Vedantic brain and
Islamic body. He felt that education must be given the top priority in India so that the outcastes
could also equate with the Brahmins. "To the non-Brahmin castes I say wait, be not in a hurry. He
said, "Do not seize every opportunity of fighting the Brahmins because as I have shown, you are
struggling for your own fault. Who told you to neglect spirituality and Sanskrit learning? What
have you been doing all this time? Why have you been inefficient? Why do you now fret and
fume because somebody else had more brains, more energy, more pluck and go than you? Instead
of wasting your energies in vain discussions and quarrels in the newspapers, instead of fighting
and quarrelling in your own home - which is sinful - use all your energies in acquiring the culture
which the Brahmins have done. Why do you not become Sanskrit scholars? Why do you not
spend millions to bring Sanskrit education to all the castes of India? That is the question. The
moment you do these things you are equal to the Brahmins. That is the secret of power inIndia." 
Justice Ranade
In other parts of the country, for instance in Bombay presidency, the Hindu society did not have
anyone like Vivekananda,justiceice Ranade was sympathetic to the issues of social reforms. He
Opposed Hinduism. He contended: "What shall we revive?. . . The men and the gods of those old
days ate and drank forbidden things to excess in a way no revivalist will now venture to
recommend. Shall we revive 12 forms of sons, or eight forms of marriage, which included capture
and recognised mixed and illegitimate intercourse? Shall we revive the Niyoga system of
procreating sons on our brother's wives when widowed? Shall we revive the old liberties taken by
the rishis and by the wives of the rishis with the marital tie? Shall we revive the hecatombs of
animals sacrificed from year's end to year's end and in which human beings were not spared as
propitiatory offerings.. 

Tilak and Phule 

The British in India sought through legislation to ban child marriages. Tilak opposed it tooth
andnail and organised an opinion in the country that British must not be permitted to reform the
Hindu system. Again it was he who made use of pronouncedly Hindu symbol such as Ganapati to  draw the common people into the anti imperialist movement. It is rightly argued that Ganapati
turned out to be a symbol of Hindu revivalism alienating the Muslims from the freedom
movement. In Bombay presidency were heard the first stirrings of the dalits (Scheduled Castes)
for a better life and more opportunities. The great reformer Jyotiba Phule rose against
Brahminism and espoused the cause of the socially deprived communities of the Hindu system. In
the year 1885, when a handful of affluent citizens of the country, under the leadership of a retired
British civil servant A.O. Hume, founded the Indian National Congress, Jyotiba Phule, dressed as
a common man of Bombay presidency, stood a few yards away and sought to submit a
memorandum to the Governor pressing for reservation of jobs for the Dalits.

It is' generally recognised that Tilak represented the Brahminical aspirations and Phule the
aspirations of the down trodden. See this passage: "Phule vehemently attacked the scriptural
doctrine of supermacy of Brahmins and their codes of social behaviour. He could discover and
correctly interpret the villainy of the Brahminical system, of social interactions. Supermacy of the
Brahmins was directly linked to and supported by the servitude of the Shudras, he maintained."

Sir Syed Ahmed 

Sir Syed Ahmed sought to break the alienation of the Muslims by founding Aligarh Muslim
University. He successfully convinced the Muslims to avail themselves of European education
and knowledge and inspired them to participate in the British administration like Hindu upper
castes. The great reformer of the 19" century, Sir Syed Ahmed was brought up in affluence. His
mother was a very strict disciplinarian and a liberal woman of religious virtues. Her teachings
gave him a sense of idealism. He grew up to be a staunch realist and a hater of superstitions. He
was a close witness of 1857 mutiny. He wrote a book about it, wherein he urged that keeping the
Indians away from law-making was the prime cause of the mutiny. He asserted that the Indian
people must have their say in the Councils. The British were greatly impressed by his thoughts.
He was not a fundamentalist. He wanted equal opportunities of development for both Muslims
and Hindus. His contribution in the sphere of education will remain indelible.

 Maulana  Abul Kalam Azad 

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was another legendary Muslim reformer. He cautioned the
countrymen against the narrowness of anti-English movement. He said: "There is no greater
hindrance in the progress than narrow mindedness. In the new era of freedom that has dawned, it
is our duty to free ourselves from this disease. There is no other disease dangerous for the healthy
growth of national life. It makes its appearance in every field of thought and action. Like an actor,
it masquerades in disguise. In the .domain of religion it appears in the form of blind faith and
deceives us in the name of orthodoxy. In learning and culture, it appeals to us under the
(exclusive) name of our nation and country. It behoves us not to be taken by these fictitious
names. We must remember that the root cause of all this is nothing but narrow mindedness." The
above quoted and the following words of this great man evince his concern for the human beings,
his countryman in particular, and their rights. These thoughts speak of his universalist and
cosmopolitan bent of mind. His openness and liberalism let in a fresh breeze into the minds of the
Indian nationals. He prescribes a judicious mixture of nationalism and universalism for the ills of
his times. Let us see: "Man is always inclined to go to extreme in realms of thought and action. It
is seldom that he steers a middle course, and that is where he stumbles. It is not many years that
our educated young men had lost themselves in imitating the English in their language, dress,
manners, etc. They were not mindful of their own heritage. Some of them were ever ready to
quote Shakespeare, Milton, Goethe and Wordsworth but they felt no love for Valmiki, Kalidasa,
Khusaro or Anis. 

Then there came a time when under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, the national movement
took a new turn and the craze for imitating the British began to wane. But not I notice that a
number of my countrymen are on the verge of making another mistake. Previously, they were on
one brink of the precipice and now they want to jump over another extreme. Indian nationalism is
now taken to have nothing to do with Milton or Shakespeare. From certain quarters I hear that, in
order to be true nationalists, we should have no tinge of modern civilisation or literature to the
extent that you might forget the grand and proud civilisation of your own country, similarly it
would be wrong to put yourself in a cage so that the ray of light of western learning and
civilisation may not enter it. Do not forget that you can seal all your worldly possessions within
national and geographical limits but no seal can be put on learning and civilisation. For them thereare no territorial limits. They are above nationalities. They are free from the stains of race, colour
and factions. They might have originated in any part of the world but they are now the common
heritage of all countries and nations. No doubt, Shakespeare was born in England, but the
immortal works of Shakespeare are for all countries. Even if England wants it, she cannot keep
Shakespeare to herself. Do you think that the dramas of Kalidasa were also Indian national just as
Kalidasa was? Do you think no foreigner has a claim on them?" 

Mahatma Gandhi  

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who appeared on the Indian scene in the early decades of the 20h
century was not averse to using religious symbols to win over the people for political
campaigning. On the one side he talked of Ramrajya and the Gita and his Vaishnav Dharma to
placate the Hindus and on the other side he sought to use Khilafat movement to win over the
Muslims. He was a firm believer in Chaturvarna but he was against the practice of untouchability.
But it is also a fact that no other Congress leader, except Gandhi raised the issue of caste and
untouchability during the freedom struggle. As is known, Gandhiji was compelled to withdraw his
temple entry and eradication of untouchability movement under pressure from his colleagues. On
a number of occasions he declared that we have no right to claim independence from the British
until these two evils - communalism and scheduled caste problem relating to untouchability - are
eradicated. "This monster ofuntouchability has invaded every form of society in India and the idea
of this message is that there should not only be no untouchability between Hindus and Hindus but
there should also be no untouchability between Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis and the rest.
It is untouchability in its subtle forms that separates us and makes like itself unlovely and difficult
to love", he had said

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar  

From the year 1920 onwards Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who single-handedly fought for the human
rights of the Dalits, made earnest efforts in this regard within the Hindu framework. He wanted
the doors of the temples to be opened for dalits. He struggled hard to make the village ponds
accessible to the Dalits. He fought relentlessly against the Brahminical traditions such as 'Manu
Smriti' and sought to obtain support of the upper caste Hindus for reforming some. He gave a call
for annihilation of castes which according to him accounted for the absence of equality in the
Hindu fold. However, the upper castes turned a deaf ear. In desperation, at the fag end of his life, he renounced Hindu religion and embraced Buddhism. He took the step to ensure Human Rights
for the dalits. Citing his reason for embracing Buddhism in a broadcast on All India Radio on
October 3rd, 1954, he said, "Every man should have a philosophy, for every one must have a
standard by which to measure his conduct. Negatively, 'I reject Hindu social philosophy
propounded in the Bhagwatgita based as it is, on the Triguna philosophy of the  Sankhya
philosophy, which in my judgement is a cruel perversion of the philosophy of Kapila, and which
had made the caste system and the system of graded inequality the law of Hindu social life.
Positively, my social philosophy may be said to be enshrined in three words - liberty, equality and
fraternity. My philosophy has roots in religion and not in political science. I have derived them
from the teachings of my Master, the Buddha." 

He addressed, "There are two aspects of conversion, social as well as religious, material as well
as spiritual. Whatever may be the aspect, or line of thinking, it is necessary to understand the
beginning, the nature of untouchability and how it is practiced. Without this understanding, you
will not be able to realise the real meaning underlying my declaration of conversion. In order to
have a clear understanding of untouchability and its practice in real life, I want you to recall
stories of the atrocities perpetrated against you. Very few of you might have realised why all this
happens. To me it is very necessary that we understand it ... Three factors are required for the
uplift of an individual. They are sympathy, equality and liberty. Can you say by experience that
any of these factors exists for you in Hinduism? The Hindus can be ranked among those cruel
people whose utterance and acts are two poles apart. They have this Ram on their tongues and a
knife under their armpits. They speak like saint but act like butchers."