The Renaissance in India

 

Introduction:-

                      The conquest of India by the British during the 18th and 19th century exposed some of the serious weakness and drawbacks of Indian social institutions. As a result, several individuals and organised movements sought to bring changes in social, religious and cultural practices with a view to reforming and revitalizing the society. These efforts were collectively known as the "Indian Renaissance".

                    Indian Renaissance appears as a  awakening of the latent society, quivering with the threats of orthodoxy, dowry and narrow cast system. Moreover, foreign colonialism at that time was an intense blight over India. Several social uprising and organisations were developed to liberate the society from the shackles of superstitions. Renaissance in Indian literature includes several significant creative works of renowned authors. Indian literature as a whole, experienced a new beginning with the Hindu Renaissance in the beginning of mid 19th century. Which is mostly centred on Bengal province, eminent authors like Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra chattopadhyay contributed significantly in the Renaissance in Indian literature by establishing a literary genre of the nation, no more the borrowed tongue.

Beginning of Renaissance:-

                     Renaissance India begin with arrival of sir William Jones. He founded the Bengal Asiatic society, published various renderings of Shakuntalam and Hitopadesha and wrote series of odes to Hindu Gods. The ruling ideas of the French revolution fired the imagination of Derozio, which led him to know the castigation, Hindu beliefs and custom of India which was like toxic. The Derozio men was accepting the certitude of Christian faith, it carried the ceaseless war against Hinduism. All these things were affected in India. It's influences led the mind of Indians to tried to westernise their lives and outlook of life.

                    Raja Rammohan Roy had been attracted to the west. He saw many belief of Hinduism. To seek the truth, he went to to Vedas and Upanishads. He found there many foolish things like Sati, Cast and idolatry. At that time he was alone. With the help of few friends, to perish that ideas, he found Brahmo samaj or Brahma Sabha in 1828. It was continued by Prince Dwarkanath Tagore. The members of Brahma Sabha were require 7 vows.

                     Raja Rammohan Roy had started several great tasks of national reconstruction. Ishvar Chandra Vidyasagar became prominent social reformer after him, who was "an informal gladiator, whom no adversary could oversaw regeneration come in argument". The task of religious regeneration was taken up by Keshub Chunder Sen. He seems to have created a great impression on his hearers. Rev. Joseph Cook declared that; 

Keshub Chunder Sen is an orator born, not made. He has a splendid physique, excellent quality of organisation, capacity of sudden heat and of tremendous impetuosity and lightning like swiftness of thought and expression, combined with a most iron self-control.

                  The Hindu leader, from the Punjab, Dayanand Saraswati, founder of Arya samaj was very important reformer. Dayanand Saraswati wanted a return to Hinduism in its pristine Vedic simplicity, clarity and spirituality. Dayanand's work was continued by Lala Hanssaj, Swami Shradhanand and Lala Lajpat Rai.

               In Bombay, the movement for religious reform or regeneration took the form of Prarthana Samaj. Poona and Bombay were important intellect centres. Many of the young man that passed out of the colleges were possessed of an idealism and capacity for intellectual discipline that were rather exceptional. Social reform, educational reform and religious reform had to go together. The prarthana Samaj didn't dissociate itself from the parent  Hindu community, but was content to  continue the tradition of the prophets and saints of Mahabharata. Kashinath Trambak Telang and Mahadev Govind Ranade were the leaders of  the movement. 

                    Kashinath Telang read Browning's Stuart Mill, deeply read English and Sanskrit and translated Bhagvad Gita for the sacred  books of the  East series. 

Telang had a perfect house of commons style, capable of playing upon the moods of an intellectual audience with the skill of a musician upon a familiar instrument.

                     His activities were manifold the Prarthana Samaj, the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, its quarterly journal, the oratory Encouragement society, the Indian National Congress. Ranade has also been called rightly the Father of Indian Economics; and Mr. A. O. Hume, the founder of the Indian National Congress, himself called Rande, his "Political Guru". 

                    Ranade and Telang were choice spirits, and Bombay and all india benefited greatly from their educative work. Telang was more intellectual, Ranade was more intuitive; Telang was a Thinker an advocate, a wise councellor, but Ranade was not only these but also a sage who knew all, and ready with consolation at the right time.

                      Like Ranade and Telang, Sir Narayan Chandavarkar was also journalist, judge, orator, politician, Prarthana Samajist, all rolled in one.

                       The new education game Madras a succession of able lawyers, jurists, teachers, journalists and administrators. The real ferment in Madras came from an initially foreign movement The Theosophical Society. It was a western attempt to fuse with the spring of Indian spirituality, founded at New York in 1875 by Madam Bavatsky, Annie Besant. She was again a little responsible for the starting of the general Hindu College at Banaras. 

                   The old "Avatars" and Massiahs, Rama and Krishna, Mahavir and Buddha, Shankara and Ramanuja, the mystic singers and saints were dimmed distance, while Rammohan Roy, Keshub Sen, Dayanand and Ranade were but superlatively gifted with men not Avatars or Massiahs. Ramkrishna Paramhansa occurred at the nick of time, occurred in Bengal. He save Indian culture and set it on new foundations. Romain Rolland rightly saw in Ramakrishna,

The consummation of two thousand years of The spiritual life of three hundred million people and his owl animates modern India.

                   When Ramakrishna passed away, his disciple Swami Vivekananda established Ramkrishna mission, a spiritual and humanitarian movement that has been doing not able work.

                   Today, principle organ of the Ramakrishna mission is the monthly English journal Prabudhha Bharata. However, Rajam Iyer steepd in English, Sanskrit and Tamil. He is Kamalambal is one of the great novels in Tamil, first Tamil novel. Left incomplete, for all its delicates mangling of light and shade, and the plays of humour and fantasy, the novel is a promise more than an achievement, but like Derozio, Rajam Iyer too died young before he could redeem the promise of his youth.

Conclusion:-

                    Thus, Renaissance was the most important time period in the development of humanity because of the significant adjustments in science, exploration, the church government, art and writing. In the medieval period, the society had fallen into a deep slumber. Significant amounts of people decided to adhere to ideas that were to thought up by blind thinkers. The Renaissance was an awakening to reality.

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