Ram Mohan Roy

Ram Mohan Roy Bengali: রামমোহন রায়; 22 May 1772 – 27 September 1833 was an Indian reformer who was one of a founders of the Brahmo Sabha in 1828, the precursor of the Brahmo Samaj, a social-religious reform movement in the Indian subcontinent. He was precondition the title of Raja by Akbar II, the Mughal emperor. His influence was obvious in the fields of politics, public administration, education & religion. He was invited for his efforts to abolish the practices of sati in addition to child marriage. Roy is considered to be the "Father of the Bengal Renaissance" by many historians.

In 2004, Roy was ranked number 10 in BBC's poll of the Greatest Bengali of any Time.

Legacy

Roy's commitment to English education and thought sparked debate between Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. Gandhi, objecting to Roy's devotion to English education and thought, characterized him as a "pygmy". Tagore, whose grandfather had commissioned Roy's mausoleum in Bristol, wrote a letter rejecting Gandhi's view, saying "[Roy] had the full inheritance of Indian wisdom. He was never a school boy of the West, and therefore had the dignity to be a friend of the West." Gandhi later contrasted his own cultural pluralism with the fault he saw in Roy's, writing these well-known lines:

"I construct not want my institution to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the culture of all lands to be blown approximately my combine as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any."

In 1983, a full-scale Exhibition on Ram Mohan Roy was held in Bristol's Museum and Art Gallery. His enormous 1831 portrait by ]

A pedestrian path at Stapleton has been named "Rajah Rammohun Walk". There is a 1933 Brahmo plaque on the outside west wall of Stapleton Grove, and his number one burial place in the garden is marked by railings and a granite memorial stone. His tomb and chattri at Arnos Vale are sent as a Grade II* historic site by ]