250th Birth Anniversary of Raja Ram Mohan Roy

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The Ministry of Culture is celebrating the 250th birth anniversary of Raja Ram Mohan Roy from 22 May 2022 to 22 May 2023 under the aegis of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'.

• The opening ceremony will be held at Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library Foundation, Salt Lake, Kolkata and Science City Auditorium, Kolkata.

• During the event, a statue of Raja Ram Mohan Roy will be unveiled by the Minister of Culture, G Kishan Reddy at the Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library Foundation, Kolkata.

• About Raja Ram Mohan Roy

• Born - 22 May 1772 in a Hindu Brahmin family in Radhanagar village in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, Bengal. 

• Gopal Krishna Gokhale called him the 'Father of Modern India'.

• He was one of the pioneers of the Indian Renaissance. 

• He was awarded the title of Raja by the Mughal Emperor Akbar II.

• He opposed customs such as Sati, polygamy, child marriage, the rigidity of the caste system. 

•  He formed Atmiya Sabha (Friendly Society) In 1814. It was for the religious reforms in the society. 

• In 1828 he founded the Brahmo Samaj.

• The Brahmo Samaj was a reformist movement of Hinduism that aimed to fight the social evils prevalent in the society.

• As a result of hard work in fighting the practice of Sati, the Governor of Bengal Presidency Lord William Bentinck banned the practice of Sati in the year 1829.

• He died of meningitis on September 27, 1833, at Stapleton, near Bristol, while on a visit to Britain.