People in India have always been vocal when they notice something is wrong. There are innumerable accounts of social reforms in India. There are people who have dedicated their entire lives to improving society. They have a clear sense of their mission and vision.
A broad term used to describe initiatives started by members of a community with the intention of changing their society is social reform. These changes typically focus on fairness and how society currently functions by committing injustices against specific people.
Features of the Reform movement
- A reform movement is a sort of social movement that favours gradual improvement in particular facets of society rather than immediate or radical change.
- A reform movement is distinct from social movements that are more radical, such as revolutions.
The following are social reformers in India whose names are frequently heard :
- Raja Ram Mohan Roy: Founder of Brahmo Samaj and a very famous activist in the 18th century. He brought in tax reforms, and widow remarriage reforms, and led to the abolition of Sati. He was an advocate of free speech and used to run his own newspaper during the British Raj.
- Ishwarya Chandra Vidyasagar: He carried forward the reforms started by Raja Ram Mohan Roy and brought a string of changes in the School Management System.
Other names of social Reformers of India include Jyotibha Phule,Mother Teresa, BR Ambedkar,Swami Vivekananda,Baba Amte and Vinobha Bhave etc.