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Difficulty: Very hardSocio-Religious Reform Movements of the 19th and 20th Centuries

With reference to the socio-religious reform movements of the 19th century in India, consider the following statements:

1. The Tattvabodhini Sabha was founded by Debendranath Tagore in 1839 to promote a rational study of the Upanishads and Indian tradition through its journal, Tattvabodhini Patrika.
2. The Prarthana Samaj, established in Bombay in 1867, emphasized social reforms such as caste abolition and women's education while remaining broadly within the fold of Hindu tradition.
3. The Deoband Movement, initiated in 1866 by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, politically supported the Indian National Congress while religiously opposing the Westernizing doctrines of the Aligarh Movement.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1, 2, and 3Answer
  2. B
    1 and 2 only
  3. C
    2 and 3 only
  4. D
    1 and 3 only

Answer

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are all correct.
All three statements are historically accurate. Debendranath Tagore instituted the Tattvabodhini Sabha in 1839 to disseminate Vedantic thought via the Tattvabodhini Patrika. The Prarthana Samaj (1867) operated within Maharashtra to drive progressive social reform without creating a new religious identity. The Deoband Movement (1866) combined traditional Islamic scholarship with anti-colonial nationalism, supporting the Indian National Congress while opposing the Westernized socio-political orientation of the Aligarh Movement.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Evaluate Statement 1 regarding Tattvabodhini Sabha
Statement 1 is correct.
Debendranath Tagore established the Tattvabodhini Sabha in Calcutta in 1839 to study India's past and promote monotheistic Upanishadic philosophy through the Tattvabodhini Patrika.
2
Evaluate Statement 2 regarding Prarthana Samaj
Statement 2 is correct.
Founded by Atmaram Pandurang in 1867 (and later led by M.G. Ranade), the Prarthana Samaj focused heavily on concrete social reforms like caste reform, widow remarriage, and women's education without establishing a separate religious sect.
3
Evaluate Statement 3 regarding Deoband Movement
Statement 3 is correct.
The Deoband School (Darul Uloom Deoband, 1866) pursued orthodox Islamic revivalism and welcomed the formation of the Indian National Congress in 1885 while issuing fatwas against Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's pro-British Aligarh Movement.

Key Concept

Ideological and organizational nuances of 19th-century reform movements
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Topics

Socio-Religious Reform Movements of the 19th and 20th Centuries

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