The document discusses the oppression and social evils faced by women in 19th century Indian society, such as sati, child marriage, and purdah. It describes the work of various social reformers like Raja Rammohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and Pandita Ramabai who campaigned against these practices and worked to improve women's status through efforts like establishing schools for girls and advocating for widow remarriage. The movement for women's liberation later gained momentum through their participation in India's freedom struggle and reform movements led by Gandhi.

1. HISTORY PROJECT

2. Indian society of the nineteenth century was in
the grip of several social and religious evils. The
caste system was prevalent and it was the cause
of much misery for the lower caste sections of
the society.

3. The position of women in the society was pitiable.
They were the victims of a number of social evils
like sati, infanticide, purdah, devadasi system,
polygamy, child marriage and illiteracy. Women had to
follow the customs of the husband’s household. After
her husband’s death, she was forced to live in a
difficult situation as a widow or become a sati,
immolating herself at the funeral fire of her husband.

4. • BENGAL
 Raja Rammohan Roy’s name is usually listed first
among the nineteenth century reformers concerned
with the upliftment of women’s status. Historians have
often called him the ‘Father of modern India’ and ‘a
champion of women’s rights’. He established the
Brahmo Samaj to work for social welfare. The Brahmo
Samaj campaigned against sati, child marriage,
polygamy, caste distinctions and untouchability.

5.  Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar championed the cause of female
education. As an inspector of schools he set up as many as 35
schools for girls, many of which were run at his own expense.
Ishwar Chandra was instrumental in the setting up of the first
Indian school for girls in Calcutta in 1849. The widow remarriage
was passed in 1856. The marriage of a widow and the first one,
from the upper caste was celebrated in Calcutta on 7 December,
1856 under the supervision of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.
Vidyasagar personified the best of nineteenth century reformers
and demonstrated an ‘untiring will for positive social action.’

6. Swami Vivekananda, the founder of the
Ramakrishna Mission in Calcutta, gave
further impetus to the cause emancipation
of women by emphasizing on spiritualism.

7. • Maharashtra
In Maharashtra, the Prathana Samaj founded in 1867
did the same as was done in Bengal by the Brahmo
Samaj and got the active support of eminent persons
like Mahadev Govind Ranade and R G Bhandarker.
Ranade founded national social conference to focus
attention on social reforms.
Another important reformer in Maharashtra was
Jyotiba Phule. He and his wife started a girl’s school at
Poona. He also actively campaigned for the remarriage
of widows. He actively campaigned for social reformers

8. • North India
In north India Swami Dayanand, the founder of the Arya Samaj,
carried the work of women’s reform further. He encouraged female
education and to further the cause of the Arya samaj, established
kanya-gurukuls for the education of women.
Khwaja Altaf Hussain Hali and Shaikh Muhammad Abdullah
introduced education for girls.

9. • South India
R Venkata Ratnam Naidu fought against the devadasi system
while Veerasalingam Pantulu worked for widow remarriage.
Both tried to increase the opportunities for female
education.

10. • Women Reformers
Pandita Ramabai was one such pioneer in the field of women’s reform. She was a woman educated
in the sacred Sanskrit texts by her father and had become a widow at a young age. Her own
experience as a widow led her to work for the welfare of widows.
Ramabai began her social work with Arya Mahila Samaj in Poona. Later she established the Sharda
sadan, a school for Indian widows, in Bombay. Ramabai’s greatest contribution was her effort to
educate the widows and she left behind her pupils to carry her work forward.
Sarojini Naidu was another well-known social worker. She fought for women’s right and was
associated with the All India Women’s Conference in 1927.
The movement for the liberation of women also got stimulus from the rise of nationalism in the
twentieth century. Their participation in agitation against the partition of Bengal, the Home rule
movement, the Swadeshi movement and the movements led by M K Gandhi like Non-cooperation,
Civil disobedience, etc. contributed to their liberation.

11. Group Members-
1.Aryan Kar
2.Deep Chanda
3.Prince Prasad
4.Priyanka Mandal
5.Kamakhya Saha
6.Subham Kr. Roy