Google celebrates social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy
New Delhi, May 22: Google on Tuesday celebrated the 246th birth anniversary of renowned social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy recognised as the "Father of the Indian Renaissance", who paved the way for a modern India.
Roy was a non-conformist to many a tradition he was born into on this day in 1772, in Radhanagar village in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
Although born into a Hindu Brahmin family, where his father Ramkanto Roy, was a Vaishnavite, Roy at a young age left home, shunned orthodox rituals and idol worship and became a staunch supporter of monotheism.
Following his differences with his father, Roy went on a journey that took him far from his roots. He travelled extensively including in Tibet and the Himalayas.
He studied Persian and Arabic along with Sanskrit, which influenced his thinking about God. He read Upanishads, Vedas and the Quran and translated a lot of the scriptures into English.
When he returned home, his parents married him off in a bid to change his outlook. But Roy continued to explore the depths of Hinduism only to highlight its hypocrisy.
After his father's death in 1803 he moved to Murshidabad, where he published his first book Tuhfat-ul-Muwahhidin (A Gift to Monotheism).
Roy took a keen interest in European politics and followed the course of the French Revolution.
In 1814, he settled in Calcutta, and the following year he founded the Atmiya Sabha. In 1828, he established the Brahmo Samaj, which is considered to be one of India's first socio-religious reform movements.
However, his most significant contribution as a social engineer was towards women's rights. Nearly 200 years ago, when evils like -- Sati -- plagued the society, Roy played a critical role to bring about a change.
He opposed the regressive practice that forced a widow to immolate herself on husband's pyre.
The doodle on Roy, created by Beena Mistry, a designer based out of Toronto, shows Roy speaking at a public meeting with his detractors in the background. There is also the presence of a woman among the audience, this is at a time when the purdah system was rigidly followed.
He campaigned for equal rights for women, including the right to remarry and the right to hold property.
In 1830, 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.
Roy was also one of the pioneers of Indian journalism. He published several journals in Bengali, Persian, Hindi and English to propagate social reforms.
Bengali weekly Samvad Kaumudi was the most important journal that he published. The Atmiya Sabha published an English weekly called the Bengal Gazette and a Persian newspaper called Miratul-Akbar.
Roy died in a village near Bristol in England on September 26, 1833 of meningitis, and was buried there.
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Panchamasali Lingayat quota: Will place previous BJP govt's affidavit to SC before Assembly, says CM
Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 9: In a bid to corner opposition BJP that has extended support to Panchamasali Linayats' protest demanding higher reservation, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday told the state Assembly that he will place before it, the previous saffron party government's affidavit to the Supreme Court on the issue.
The Chief Minister's statement came a day ahead of Panchamasali Lingayats, a sub-sect of the dominant Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, planning to stage a protest near Suvarna Vidhana Soudha here demanding to be included in category 2A (15 per cent) of OBC reservation matrix. They are currently included under 3B (5 per cent).
He was responding to senior BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal urging the CM to take a concrete decision on Panchamasali Lingayats' demand.
ALSO READ: Panchamasali seer upset over restrictions on protests in Belagavi
"Panchamasali Lingayats have been demanding that they be included under 2A, I held two meetings with Kudalasangama Panchamasali Peetha seer Basava Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami and other leaders and I have told them clearly that I'm not opposed to their reservation demands," Siddaramaiah said.
Noting that there are categories in OBC like category 1, 2A, 3A, 3B, and Veershaiva Lingayats and Panchamasali Lingayats come under category 3B, he said, "If we have to include any community under category 2A or 1 freshly, an application has to be filed before a permanent backward class commission."
Further stating that the previous government did not include the Panchamasali Lingayats under 2A category, Siddaramaiah said, "They instead cancelled 4 per cent reservation given to Muslims and gave 2 percent from it to communities that come under 3B and 2 per cent to 3A communities."
When Muslims appealed against it in the Supreme Court, the previous BJP government had filed an affidavit undertaking that they will not withdraw 4 per cent reservation given to Muslims and will maintain the status quo, he said.
At this point, some BJP MLAs demanded CM not to make his own statement and to place the actual facts from the affidavit, and sought for discussion. Responding to it, Siddaramaiah said, "It is not my personal statement, I will place Supreme Court orders before the House the day after tomorrow.
What has happened in the Supreme Court, what undertaking you have given there, I will place everything before the House. I expect everyone will abide by the Supreme Court orders." The government will give a reply and make its stand clear when the issue is raised, he added.
Earlier, Home Minister G Parameshwara clarified to the Legislative Assembly that there are no restrictions on the protest by the Panchamasali Lingayat community on Tuesday, demanding higher reservation, but tractors will not be permitted, as there was a plan to bring 5,000 tractors to the protest site near Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, where the session is on.
"The Panchamasali community has planned a protest regarding their reservation demands, according to information I received they have plans to stage a protest near Suvarna Vidhana Soudha by bringing 5,000 tractors. If 5,000 tractors come, we will not be able to hold the session here and it will not be possible to maintain the law and order. So we have decided not to allow tractors and we have already communicated it," he said.
"Protesting is their right and we won't restrict it, but as it will be difficult to maintain law and order, we have said that tractors should not be brought. We will allow people to come in jeeps, with some restrictions, and we will maintain law and order. If we don't do it, you (opposition) will accuse us of not maintaining law and order. So if they do it with restraint, we will give permission," he said.
The Home Minister was responding to some BJP MLAs earlier in the day protesting from the well of the House alleging that the Belagavi district administration has put restrictions on a protest planned by the Panchamasali Lingayat community on Tuesday.
