Who among the following social reformer started a society for the encouragement of widow remarriage in 1866 in Maharashtra?
- A.Bal Gangadhar Tilak
- B.Jyotirao Phule
- C.Vishnushastri Pandit
- D.Pandita Ramabai
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Vishnushastri Pandit. Vishnushastri Pandit led the society formed in Maharashtra to encourage the remarriage of widows, the Vidhava Vivahottejak Mandal.
In nineteenth-century Maharashtra, widow remarriage was one of the main causes of social reformers. Vishnushastri Pandit, a Sanskrit scholar and writer, translated Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's arguments for widow remarriage into Marathi and organised a society to promote such marriages, which drew sharp opposition from orthodox Brahmins. Bengal had already seen the Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act passed in 1856, thanks to Vidyasagar's campaign.
A is wrong because Tilak led the extremist wing of the Congress and opposed reform imposed by the colonial state, as in the Age of Consent debate. B is wrong because Jyotirao Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873 and a home for widows' infants, not this society. D is wrong because Pandita Ramabai founded the Sharada Sadan for widows in 1889, much later.
Exam tip: Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act 1856 (Vidyasagar); in Maharashtra, Vishnushastri Pandit's widow remarriage society and Ramabai's Sharada Sadan.
Practice Questions
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- A.Piyadassi
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- D.Hindu Mahasabha
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Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements about the All India Depressed Classes Association is not correct?
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- B.The All India Depressed Classes Association was not attended by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar in 1926.
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- D.The All India Depressed Classes Association favoured Ambedkar's demand for separate electorate for the depressed classes.
Show answer
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