Google celebrated one of India’s best-known social reformer, Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s 246th birth anniversary with a doodle.
The doodle has been illustrated by Beena Mistry, a Toronto-based UX designer and illustrator.
Roy was born on 22 May1774 in Radhanagar, a hamlet in Murshidabad district in West Bengal.
At an early age, Roy left home and traveled extensively outside Bengal. During his travels, he learnt and read Sanskrit, Arabic, and Persian literature. Over the years, he was drawn to monotheism (the doctrine that there is only one god).
In 1803, he wrote Tuhfat Al-Muwahhidin or A Gift to Monotheism, a short treatise where he propounded his thoughts on religion. In his book, he advocated for reason in religion, monotheism (the notion of the existence of one god) and opposed religious ritualism.
In 1814, he formed the Atmiya Sabha. Through this organisation, he worked towards eradicating regressive social practices like Sati, the practice that forced a widow to immolate herself on husband's pyre, child marriage, dowry, and infanticide, among others. He also advocated for property inheritance rights for women.
He succeeded in his cause and in 1829, Lord William Bentinck, the then governor-general of India, made Sati illegal and a punishable offence.
To change archaic ritualism in the society, Roy along with Debendranath Tagore founded the Brahmo Samaj, a social reformist movement on 20 August 1828, in Calcutta.
He also was a proponent of English education in India and believed that classical Indian literature, alone, would not help in preparing the Bengali youth for the world. He helped establish the Hindu College in Calcutta, the Anglo-Hindu School, and the Vedanta College. His also wrote a journal called Sambad Kaumudi which stood for press freedom.
On 27 September 1933, Roy passed away due to meningitis, at Stapleton in England.
Owing to his monumental contributions which helped modernise Indian society, Roy is regarded as the ‘Maker of Modern India’ and ‘Father of Indian Renaissance.’
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