Emergence of Indian Renaissance The period when the Hindu religious system was revived can be termed as Hindu renaissance, which was marked the restoration of the Hindu deities and tradition. The Guptas, pioneer the Golden age resuscitated all lost glory by setting up a tradition, which was very Indian, with developments in Sanskrit literature, art forms and religion at its peak. The late 18th century marked the beginning of a new era with movements essential for a complete reformation. The most significant renaissance had occurred during the period of colonial rule in India. The British imperialists had ruled and dominated for the most prolonged period, till the year 1947. The Indian Independence had earned the countrymen their vision of Swaraj and made them their own masters. Renaissance was a solemn effort by a differentiated and higher class of people, who had made them distinguishable in every sphere of art, culture and education. As a result, these native intellectuals earned themselves an opportunity to interact with the English class, when speaking, writing, or associations are being spoken about. Such was their influence upon the then Indian society, that Bengal renaissance has now come to be coined as a cardinal element under British Indian episodes. Social Reformers in Indian Renaissance Indian Social Reformers had germinated mostly from Bengal, which was inclined towards a tendency to continuously produce luminaries in every field. Some of them are as follows: Ramakrishna Paramahansa was a religious teacher and his contributions were important for a traditional revival of Hinduism comparable to Chaitanya's. Swami Vivekananda had established Ramakrishna Mission on May 1st, 1897, with a motto for assisting in welfare services with a spiritual point of view. He had advocated Vedanta philosophy and Yoga not only to India, but also to the West. Aurobindo Ghose was a nationalist, scholar, poet and philosopher who preached a new spiritual path called the integral Yoga. He had contributed to Hinduism greatly with a new interpretation of Vedas concerned with inner spirituality. Known as the ‘Father of the Indian Renaissance’, Ram Mohan Roy was founder of the Brahmo Samaj and among the pioneers of the Indian socio-religious reform movements. He had exerted supreme influence upon politics, social life, education and religion alike. Swami Dayananda Saraswati was the founder of Arya Samaj. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was a politician and a pioneer of modern education among the Muslim community in India. He was the founder of the Muhammedan Anglo-Oriental College, which later developed into the Aligarh Muslim University. Reformist Groups during Indian Renaissance The religious reformers and reformist groups played an integral part in the ushering in of Indian renaissance, though they also functioned at regional levels. There were many groups that developed during this period.
India did not merely stand still, while Europe had gone on towards some bright goal during the renaissance period. The cultural and ideological struggle taken up by the socio-religious movements helped to build up national consciousness. Thus, Indian renaissance paved the way for the growth of nationalism. |