FIRST MODERN MAN OF INDIA

SATI  AND RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY

The foundation of this brutal practice lies in the man centric customs of Hindu society where a wife immolated herself at the funeral pyre of her husband. However, the fanciful anecdote about the starting point of Sati Protha says that Sati was simply the spouse of Shiva and she immolated herself in protest against Daksha's humiliation towards her husband Shiva.

Sati was an ancient Hindu custom, as indicated by which In 1811, Roy witnessed his brother's widow being burned alive on her husband's funeral pyre. After three years, he retired and focused on battling against the practice of women dying as Satis. Raja Rammohan Roy was the first Indian to challenge this custom. Lord William Bentick, the Governor General of India passed a law in 1829 abolishing the custom of Sati. As per this law the custom of Sati became illegal and culpable as punishable crime. Raja Rammohan Roy’s social reforms made him the “FIRST MODERN MAN “in India.

SOME FACT

Sati was regarded as barbaric practice by the Islamic rules of the Mughal period.

In the 16^th century, Humayun was the first to try a royal agreement against the practice. Akbar was next to issue official orders prohibiting Sati and since then it was done voluntarily by woman. He also issued orders prohibiting Sati and since then it was without a specific permission from his chief police officers. Akbar had also instructed the officers to delay the woman’s decision for as long as possible.

By the end of the 18^th century, the practice had been banned in terriotories held by some European powers.

The Portuguese banned the practice in Goa by 1515

The Dutch and the French banned it in Hughli-Chunchura (then Chinsurah) and Pondicherry

Sati has occurred in some rural areas of India in the 21^st century

According to some official reports, around 30 cases of Sati, from 1943 to 1987, were documented in India

RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY - 22nd May 1772 - 27th September 1833