POLITICAL THOUGHT OF RAM MOHAN ROY

 

Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833) was an Indian reformer who was one of the founders of the Brahmo Sabha. He is regarded as the promulgator of the Modern Age in Indian history specially in Bengal. He was contemporary of Hegel (1770-1831). When French Revolution began, he was seventeen years old. On 20 August 1828, he founded the Brahmo Samaj. The formal opening of the Brahmo Samaj was made on January 23, 1830. Ram Mohan Roy was against of social evils and abuses and declared himself in open opposition to orthodoxy.

 

RAM MOHAN ROY AS MONISTIC THEISM

Ram Mohan Roy taught the concept of goodness of an Almighty Power. He believed in Upanishad but he was also a monotheist means he believe that there is only one supreme God. The unity of Godhead was the central concept of his philosophy.

 

Ram Mohan Roy

THE POLITICAL IDEAS OF RAM MOHAN ROY

Ram Mohan Roy was greatly influenced by western modern thought and stressed on rationalism and modern scientific approach.

THEORY OF PERSONAL AND POLITICAL FREEDOM

Like Locke and Thomas Paine, Ram Mohan Roy believe in Natural Rights. He believed not only the natural rights like life, liberty and the pursuit of property, but also championed the moral rights of the individual. Hence with the concept of natural rights he added the notions of social utility and human welfare.

Ram Mohan Roy, like Montesquieu and Rousseau, had believed in the concept of liberty. He sharply believed in personal freedom. But liberty is also needed for the nation. He appreciated the idea of freedom of the creative spirit which develop by self-confidence. He was against unreason and superstition. He believed that religious orthodoxies have become causes of injury for social life. He admired the English nation which not only enjoyed civil and political liberty, but was interested in promoting freedom, social happiness and rationalism in the area where their influence extended.

Ram Mohan Roy was the first who deliver the message of political freedom to India. He felt the loss of this freedom by his people that even as a boy he left his country and travelled to Tibet. He said that he found it difficult for him to tolerate the domination of his country by another nation. After study he believed that British people was more intelligent, steadier and more moderate in their conduct. But he never believed the idea of British rule over India for moderate Indian people.

But Ram Mohan Roy also recognized the blessings of British rule in India. He expected future benefits from British rule. He loved his country. He was a religious scholar and a social reformer, but he was not martyr because when Marathas (1818) and the Sikhs, were fighting for independence, this ‘father of modern India’ was writing in praise of British rule. He believe in the concept of Political freedom for India but he didn’t totally against of British people.

 

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

Ram Mohan Roy was one of earliest champions of the freedom of the press. He believed in the concept of freedom of written expression. In British rule there was only one medium to connect with each other or express their view that was newspaper or other medium of press. So, like Milton Ram Mohan Roy along with Dwarkanath Tagore, Harchandra Ghosh, Gauri Charan Banerjee, Prasannakumar Tagore and Chandra Kumar TAgore had written a petition in 1823 addressed to the Supreme Court for the freedom of press. That time knowledgeable literature mainly religious books could only read by Brahman and Roy was against this rule. So, they want to spread this knowledge by press to all individual without any discrimination. He said that every individual has right to think and make new ideas and spread these ideas to world. For this it is important to have freedom to press. According to Roy Press freedom is important for both ruler and ruled.

 

JUDICIAL SYSTEM OF INDIA

Ram Mohan Roy appeared before the Select Committee of the British House of Commons when the Bill, which later on was enacted as the Charter Act of 1833, was being discussed. He urged there the separation of the judicial and administrative functions of the magistrates serving India.

He was opposed to the appointment of immature persons to the civil services. Hence, he suggested twenty-two years as minimum age limit for appointment to the covenanted. He also pointed out that lack of proper communication between the administrators of justice and the persons among whom it was administered was an obstacle to fair justice being dispensed. He favored the formation of an Indian code of criminal law which would be based on principles common to and acknowledged by all the different sections of the people of the land.

Ram Mohan Roy was also believed in Rights. A Jury Act had been passed in 1827. This Act introduced religious discrimination into the structure of the judiciary, because Hindu and Muslim could not sit on the jury when a Christian was being tried. A petition was written on August 17, 1829 against that Act, for being presented to both houses of Parliament. It was signed by both Hindus and Muslims. He was associated with this petition movement. Along with the petition Ram Mohan had sent a letter to Mr Crawford wherein he had voiced the actual and possible advantages flowing from a useful connection between India and British empire. This petition to the British Parliament was presented to the House of commons on June5, 1829.

 

HUMANISM AND UNIVERSAL RELIGION

Being a champion of freedom and rights, Ram Mohan was a great humanist and believed in co-operation, tolerance and fellowship. He believed in universalism and regarded humanity as one family with the different nations. He was also the exponent of cosmopolitanism and believe in brotherhood and independence.