The same forces that fueled the Indians’ resistance against British rule also prompted efforts to reform their social and religious lives.

Prevalent Social Issues of the Early 19th Century

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• The Social Reform Movement encompassed various agendas, with a primary focus on improving the status of women in society and eliminating untouchability.

The fight for the betterment of women’s status stemmed from issues such as:

• The low status of women in society.
• The purdah system.
• Early marriage of girls.
• Prohibition of widow remarriage.
• Sati practice.
• Economic and social dependency of women.
• Denied access to education.
• Lack of inheritance rights.
• Termination of marriages.
• Prevalence of polygamy among Hindus and Muslims.
• Gender inequality.
• Female infanticide.
• The fight against untouchability aimed to eradicate caste-based exploitation, as the caste system determined a person’s loyalties even before birth. 
• Caste coefficients regulated various aspects of life, including dress, food, residence, access to temples, and the sources of drinking and irrigation water

Causes of Socio-Religious Reform Movements

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• The examination of the background and prevailing circumstances related to the Socio-Religious Reform Movements in 19th-century India indicates the following as the primary causes for these movements:

Establishment of British Rule

• One significant factor contributing to the social and cultural awakening in the 19th century was the establishment of British Rule in India.
•  The British Rule deeply influenced the political, economic, social, and cultural life of the country, creating conditions conducive to intellectual growth.

Emergence of Middle Class

• The middle class emerged in India under British rule, with industrialization and mass education playing crucial roles in its formation.
• Western education produced early leaders of social-religious reforms, benefiting the entire Indian system.
•  Since the middle class predominantly resided in urban areas, the earliest manifestations of these movements were observed in urban settings.

Role of Modern Western Education

• The introduction of Western education led to the growth of intelligentsia and fueled concepts of liberalism and rationalism. The educated intelligentsia integrated Indian masses into a modern nation, organizing various Socio-Religious Reform Movements in the country.

Socio-Cultural Awakening

• Virtually every major modern Indian political or social figure contributed to the popular Indian language press for social and cultural awakening.
• Newspapers such as Amrit Bazaar Patrika, Som Prakash, and Sanjivani in Bengali; Rast Goftar and Gujarat Samachar in Gujarati; Indu Prakash, Dhvan Prakash, Kesari, and Sudharak in Marathi; Swadesmitra in Tamil; Andhra Prakasika and Andhra Patrika in Telugu; Matrubhoomi in Malayalam; Hindi Pradeep, Hindustani, Aaj, and Pratap in Hindi; and Azad, Akhbar-i-Am, and Koh-i-Noor in Urdu, along with Utkal Dipika in Odia, were among the major newspapers of that time.

Press Growth and its Role

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• The press served as a crucial medium of communication and functioned as a tool for shaping opinions. From Raja Ram Mohan Roy to Gandhiji, individuals utilized the press to form and propagate their opinions.
•  Similarly, in Maharashtra, Gopal Hari Deshmukh, popularly known as Lokhitawadi, played a similar role.