Raja Rammohun Roy was born in 1772 at Radhanagar in Hooghly district in West Bengal. He was unanimously considered as the first 'Modern Man'. A pioneer of socio-religious and political reform movements in modern India, Rammohun Roy laid emphasis on human reason and rationality in every aspect of life. He was a believer in monotheism and opposed idol worship. In 1828 he established the BrahmoSamaj at Calcutta in order to purify Hinduism and to preach monotheism.

Raja Rammohun Roy led a life-long crusade against the practice Of sati and finally in 1829 he succeeded in persuading Lord William Bentinck to abolish it. He championed women's rights, like right Of inheritance and property and attacked polygamy and the degraded state Of widows. He also fought for the introduction and spread of modern western education through the medium of English. He passed away at Bristol in England in 1833.


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