Today marks the 246th birthday of a man who changed the face of India. A man worked vehemently to abolish the practice of sati, champion women rights, build a strong, modern educational curriculum and challenge the stereotypical notions of God and religion to rightly earn the title of the ‘Father of Indian Renaissance’. And while many of us today who live in the modern world he shaped and enjoy the rights we sometimes take for granted, Google has a beautiful way of making sure that we never forget the struggle that was once waged for them. Today, it honours the legend, Raja Ram Mohan Roy with a doodle.
Created by Toronto based UX Designer and Illustrator Beena Mistry, the doodle in hues of green, yellow and orange shows Roy delivering a speech in a public meeting with his detractors in the background. What is striking about this doodle is the presence of women amongst his critics, that rightly showcases Roy’s vision for women.
Born in 1772 into a prosperous Brahmin family in a tiny village in West Bengal, Roy started challenging the unorthodox practices that plagued society from a young age. In 1828, he established the Brahma Sabha, an influential social-religious reform movement that preached and believed in the oneness of God, an idea that was influenced by his extensive study of Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit. Not believing in idol worship, he persuaded people to give up crude rituals such as those of animal sacrifices and encouraged love, charity, brotherhood and benevolence. This social engineer also introduced English in the curriculum and pioneered several journals that reiterated his beliefs in achieving a modern, enlightened India. In fact, it was through his efforts that Charles Metcalfe, provisional governor-general of India removed all the restrictions imposed on Press in 1835.
But Roy’s most significant feat was to abolish Sati, a regressive tradition that existed 200 years ago, that forced women to immolate themselves on their dead husband’s pyre. In fact, a TOI report mentions that in1830, he travelled to the UK as the Mughal Empire’s envoy to ensure that Lord William Bentinck’s law banning the practice of Sati was not overturned. He also advocated for women to hold property and widows the right to remarry.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy has been one of the few path-breaking leaders of the country. His non-conformism is what rid the nation of the many social evils. The Google Doodle is just a tiny yet a meaningful way to show the world his immense contribution to many things that are good in Indian society today.
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