SNDP Movement

• The Shri Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, or SNDP Movement (1902-03), was a significant initiative for the emancipation of oppressed sections of society initiated by Sree Narayana Guru in Kerala. 
• Born in 1854 into an Ezhava family, considered untouchables, Narayana Guru received a Sanskrit education and dedicated himself to uplifting the Ezhavas and other oppressed communities.

Nair Movement

• Commencing in 1861 under the leadership of CV Raman Pillai, K Rama Krishna Pillai, and M Padmanabha Pillai, the Nair Movement opposed Brahminical dominance. Raman Pillai formed the Malayali Memorial in 1891, while Padmanabha Pillai established the Nair Service Society in 1914.

Aravippuram Movement (1888)

• Also recognized as the Ezhava movement, the Aravippuram Movement was initiated by Sri Narayana Guru in 1888 at Aravippuram in Kerala. The movement aimed to counter Brahmin domination and advocate for the rights of oppressed classes, particularly the Ezhavas or Iravas caste in Kerala. Sri Narayana Guru himself belonged to the Ezhava caste.

Seva Sadan

• Behramji M Malabari, a Parsi social reformer, dedicated his life to combating child marriage and enforced widowhood. In 1885, he established Seva Sadan as a social reform and humanitarian organization, focusing on the care of socially discarded and exploited women of all castes. The organization provided education, welfare, and medical services.

Seva Samiti

• Founded in 1914 at Allahabad (now Prayagraj), Seva Samiti was another organization initiated by Hridayanath Kunzru, a prominent member of the Servants of India Society. The objective of Seva Samiti was to organize social services during natural disasters like floods and epidemics, promote education, cooperation, and sanitation, uplift depressed classes, reform criminals, and rescue those who had fallen.

Temple Reform Movements

• Numerous reformers in Southern India dedicated their efforts to reforming practices associated with Hindu temples.
• They advocated for the abolition of Devadasis, temple servants often associated with the temples. Additionally, they urged that the wealth accumulated by some affluent temples should not be controlled solely by priests but should be subject to public oversight.
• In various temples, individuals from the so-called lower castes were denied entry, and in some instances, access to roads adjacent to the temples was restricted for them. Reformers initiated impactful movements advocating for temple entry and challenging other detrimental practices linked to temples.

Paramhansa Mandali

• Founded in 1849 by Dadoba Pandurang and Bal Shastri Jambhekar, Paramhansa Mandali members consumed food prepared by individuals from lower castes. The organization endorsed widow remarriage and the education of women.

The Radhaswami Movement

• Established in 1861 by Agra banker Tulsi Ram, widely known as Shiv Dayal Saheb or Swamiji Maharaj, the Radhaswami Movement centers around the belief in one supreme creator.

Self-Respect Movement

• A radical movement initiated in Tamil Nadu in 1925 by EV Ramaswami Naicker, also known as Periyar, the Self-Respect Movement opposed Brahman domination. Periyar advocated for simple marriages without Brahman priests and rituals, forced temple entry, and the burning of Manusmriti.

Deva Samaj

• Founded in 1887 in Lahore by Shiv Narain Agnihotri, a former follower of the Brahmo Samaj, Deva Samaj’s teachings were compiled in a book called Deva Shastra. Emphasizing the supreme being, the soul’s eternity, the Guru’s supremacy, and the importance of good actions.

Veda Samaj

• The Veda Samaj emerged as a significant social reform movement in Southern India. Established in Madras in 1864, it owed much of its inception to the endeavors of Sridharalu Naidu and Keshab Chandra Sen.
• The fundamental philosophies of the Veda Samaj closely resembled those of the Brahmo Samaj, particularly in the realm of theistic principles.

Jat-Pat Todak Mandal

• Founded in Lahore in 1922, the Jat-Pat Todak Mandal emerged as a splinter group with a more militant anti-caste stance within the Arya Samaj. Members committed themselves to an agenda of anti-caste advocacy, alongside promoting interdining and intermarriage.

Bahujan Samaj Movement

• The Bahujan Movement endeavors to challenge prevailing narratives and advocate for equality and justice for marginalized groups within a caste-ridden society. In the post-1919 period, Bhaskar Rao Jadhav, influenced by Jyotiba Phule’s ideas, established an anti-Brahman and staunchly anti-Congress party. This party aimed to combat the caste system and claimed to represent the Bahujan Samaj against moneylenders and Brahmans.
• Starting in 1920, Mukundrao Patil began publishing a Satyashodhak Paper and Din-Mitra.

Namshudras

• The Namshudras, impoverished untouchable peasants in Bengal, were aligned with the British Government and stood against the national movement. Collaborating with Muslims, they opposed Hindu nationalists and championed the abolition of Zamindari as a central feature of their program.

Mahar Movement

• Under my leadership, the Mahar Movement marked the embracing of Buddhism, completely renouncing Hinduism. 
• Occupying a low position in the caste and occupational hierarchy, the Mahars faced numerous religious, economic, educational, and political disadvantages. Consequently, the Mahar movement’s ideology represents a complete rejection of the hierarchical and unequal aspects associated with the religion of caste Hindus.

Social Service League

• Founded in 1911 by Narayan Malhar Joshi, a prominent member of the Servants of Indian Society, the Social Service League took initiatives such as establishing day and night schools, libraries, and dispensaries, and launching boys’ clubs and scout corps.

Servants of Indian Society

• Gopal Krishna Gokhale founded the Servants of Indian Society in 1905 to build a dedicated group committed to social service and reforms. The society excelled in famine relief, union organization, cooperatives, and uplifting tribals, and the depressed classes.

Justice Party Movement

• Initiated by TM Noor, P Tyagraj Chettiar, and CN Mudaliar in Chennai (Tamil Nadu), the Justice Party Movement protested against Brahmin domination in government service, education, and politics. Their primary medium of expression was the newspaper ‘Justice.’

Bahiskrit Hitkarini Sabha

• Founded by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in 1929 in Bombay, the Bahiskrit Hitkarini Sabha aimed to propagate social equality among Hindus and untouchables. It also demanded constitutional safeguards for the depressed classes.

Harijan Sevak Sangh

• Launched by Mahatma Gandhi in Pune, the Harijan Sevak Sangh focused on eliminating untouchability and social discrimination against untouchables.
• The term “Harijan” or the “Children of God” was coined by Gandhi, and he started the publication ‘Harijan’ while imprisoned in Yerwada Jail. The Harijan Sevak Sangh, established in 1932, aimed to improve the conditions of untouchables.

Bhakti and Neo-Vedantic Movements

• Initiated by Hindu religious and social reformers, these movements aimed to remove untouchability by integrating Dalits into the caste system. The pioneers of these movements asserted that untouchability was not an intrinsic part of Hinduism or the caste system.
• The neo-Vedantic and non-Brahmin movements played a catalytic role in fostering anti-caste or anti-Hinduism Dalit movements in various parts of the country. 

Sanskritisation Movements

• In the early years, many untouchables and intermediate castes sought to elevate their social and economic status within the caste hierarchy through caste competition, engaging in battles for higher positions. 
• They adopted Sanskritic customs, abandoning aspects of their cultural practices. These phenomena are commonly referred to as Sanskritisation movements.