Social, Political, Economic and Educational Ideas of Raja Rammohun Roy

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Raja Rammohun Roy holds the key to our understanding of the origins of the nineteenth century Renaissance in India and its far-reaching consequences. For this, he became a legend in his lifetime. He was not a Derozio in the making and did not view the rich cultural heritage of India as dead. To him Indian culture was richer and deeper than what was being represented by the Hinduism of his time. The ideal of his India of tomorrow was based on his perception of the different races and languages of India. Perhaps he was the first producer as well as the first product of the composite culture of India, which some of us have begun to recognise today.

Consequent upon a research work, the book follows an academic persuasion to construe the ideas and ideology of Raja Rammohun Roy in the modern context. The spectrum through which his ideas have been x- rayed is thoroughly empirical and modern. The utility of such a research on him lies in the fact that he has been acknowledged as the first of the Indian moderns. Regarded as the first of the Indian liberals, he was a symbol more of the times ahead of him than of the times he belonged to. As a pragmatic reformer. Rammohun Roy not only realized the importance of the great change that he was initiating but also did his best to give it a definite shape in his lifetime, despite the problems he faced. Herein lies his real greatness. Herein lies his relevance even today.

Dr. (Mrs.) Poonam Upadhyaya (b. 1961) has had brilliant academic career. She passed her M.A. (Political Science) in first class from the Patna University. She was awarded Ph.D. by the same university. She taught for some time the degree classes. Currently she is a Fellow at Jagjivan Ram Institute of Parliamentary Studies & Political Research, Patna.

She has a number of research papers to her credit, published in journals of national repute on subjects like Indian Political Thought, Women's Problems and Politics of Bihar. She has also been engaged in social activities and is associated with various women's voluntary organisations at Patna.

The research work follows an academic pursuasion to con- strue the ideas and ideology of Raja Rammohun Roy in the modern context. The spectrum through which his ideas have been X-rayed is thoroughly empirical and modern. The utility of such a research on him lies in the fact that he has been acknowledged as the first of the Indian moderns. He has also been regarded as the first of the Indian liberals. He was a symbol more of the times ahead of him than of the times he belonged to. As a pragmatic reformer, Rammohun Roy not only realized the importance of the great change that he was initiating but also did his best to give it a definite shape in his lifetime, despite the problems he faced. Herein lies his real greatness. Herein lies his relevance even today.

In the completion of the work, I first owe to my crudite supervisor, Dr. Bachoo Sinha, University Professor, Post- graduate Department of Political Science, Patna University, for his pedagogic guidance. I also feel a sense of gratitude to Dr. M. N. Jha, Head of the Department of Political Science, Patna University. Equally so indebted I am to Shri Shio Shambhoo Ojha, MLA, Assam without whose guardianship and encouragement the fulfilment of the work was infeasible. And I am also thankful to the staff of the National Library, Calcutta and Central Library of the Banaras Hindu University.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages