4.4.1 On Liberty
Liberty was a pivot around.&whicht he entire religio-socio-political thought of Roy
revolved. His protest against idolatory, his agitation against Sati, his demand for
modern western education and his insistence on freedom of press, right of women,
and his demands for "separation for powers" and for the codification of laws were all
expressions of his intense love for liberty. For him, liberty was a priceless possession
of mankind. He was the first to deliver the message of political freedom to India.
Although Roy recognised the positive gains India would get from British rule, he
was never in favour of an unending foreign rule in India. He considered the British
connection necessary for India's social emancipation. Political freedom was bound to
follow.
His lave for liberty however was not limited to one nation or community. It was
universal. He supported all struggles which aimed at human freedom. Freedom for
him was indivisible. He celebrated the establishment of constitutional governments in
Spain and Portugal and was pained when such a government collapsed in Naples in
1821.
Freedom was the strongest passion of Roy's mind. He believed equally in the
freedom of body and mind, so also the freedom of action and thought. He shunned
all restrictions imposed by consideration of race, religion and customs on human
freedoms.
On Rights of the Individual
Roy was the first to create an awareness for civil rights amongst the Indians. He was
grateful to the Britishers because they made available to Indians all those civil rights
which were enjoyed by the Queen's subjects in England. Though Roy did not
specifically enlist the civil rights, he seems to include in it the following rights. Right
to life and liberty, right to have opinions and freedom of expression, Right to
property, Right to religion etc.
Roy gave the greatest importance to the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
To him it included the freedom of creativity of mind and intellect, as well as the
freedom of expressing one's opinions and thoughts through different media.
According to Roy, freedom of expression was equally useful to the rulers and the
ruled. Ignorant people were more likely to revolt against all that the rulers did, they
could turn against authority itself. In contrast an enlightened public would be
opposekl only to the abuse of power by authority and not to the existence of
authority itself. The free press, the Raja argued, had never caused a revolution in
any paft of the world. But many examples could be cited where, in the absence of a
free press, since the grievances of the people remained unrepresented and
unredressed, the situation had become ripe for a violent 'revolutionary' change. A
free and independent press alone could-bring forth the best in the government as well
as the people.
Roy, however, was not against the reasonable restrictions on the freedom of press.
He even accepted some additional restrictions on the Indian Press, which were not
imposed on the press in England. Such restrictions, he believed, might be necessary
here as some Indians were likely to encourage hatred in the minds of the natives
towards the British rulers. Roy also justified the restrictions imposed with a view to
check the seditious attempts of creating hostilities with neighbouring friendly states.
He, however, strongly objected to the restrictions imposed by the bureaucracy in
India. These restrictions, in his opinion, were arbitrary and uncalled for by the
circumstances in this country.
On Law and Judicial Administration
Law, Roy claimed, was the creation of passionless reason. It was the command of
the sovereign. Hence, even the highest officer in the East India Company did not
possess the competence for enacting the laws for India. The king-in-Parliament alone
could have that authority. What is more, Roy argued that the English parliament,
before finalising every piece of legislation relating to India should take into account
the views of the economic and intellectual elites in this country.
Another important Idea that Roy has contributed in the context of law relates to the
codification of law He thinks that such codification was in the interest of both the
rulers and ruled. He suggested that the codification should be done on the basis of
the principles common and agreeable to'all groups and factions in the society. In the
course of codification, the long-standing customs of this country should not be
overlooked. Of course, only those customs which are reasonable and conducive to
general welfare of the people should be picked up. Codified law should be simple,
elear and exact. Codification would make the interpretations of laws more
impersonal and its application more uniform.
Roy had a clear perception of the distinction between law, custom and morality. He
accepted that evolving customs were an important source of law, but the two could
not be identified. He also made a distinction between law and morality. Some laws,
according to Roy, might be legally valid, but morally indefensible. Conversely, some
practices might be morally sound but could not be given legal force. Principles of
morality are relative to the social realities and any law to be effective must take into
account these ethical principles prevalent in a given society.
In .his book entitled 'An Exposition of Revenue and Judicial System in India' Roy
presented a profou& $scussion on urgent reforms in administrative and judicial
matters. He stresse~hep oint that the administration could not be efficient and
effective unless there were official speaking in the language of the masses. There
should also be several channels of communication between the administration and
the people.
Roy's suggestions of reform in the judicial field are more numerous because for him
an efficient, impartial and an independent judiciary was the supreme guarantee of
liberty. Roy believed that the association of the natives in the judicial process had to
be an essential feature of judicial administration. Other measures advocated by him
included : constant supervision of the judicial proceedings by a vigilant public .
opinion, substitution of English for Persian as the official language to be used in the
courts of law, appointment of Indian assessors in civil suits, trial by jury, separation
of judicial from executive functions, and the constant consultation of the native
interests before the enactment of any law that concerned them. He also suggested the
revival of the age-old Panchayat system of adjudication. Roy thus urged several
- reforms and. corrections in the Indian Judicial system in keeping with political
liberalism.
4.4.4 On Sphere of State Action
Though Roy was a liberal thinker, he did not believe in the policy of laissez-faire. He
could never accept that the sphere of state activity was limited only to the political
field. He had appealed repeatedly in his writings to the state authorities to undertake
many social, moral and cultural responsibilities which did not strictly come under the
category of 'polit~cal'. He wanted the state to protect the tenants against the
landlords, to make arrangements for the useful and liberal education, to eradicate
the ugly practices like Sati and to give equal protection to the lives of-both males
and females, and to make efforts to create a new social ordc. oased on the principles
of liberty, equality, fraternity and social justice. To Roy, the existence of any
government becomes meaningful only if it performs all these functions besid~sth e
functions for which it originated.
On Education
Roy believed that unless the educational system of this country was overhauled,
there was no possibility of the people coming out of the slumber of so many
R~IRIa m Mohun Rov
ldeology of Socio-
Political Reform in '
the 19th Century
cuntories. His ambition was to change the educational system completely. He was
convinced that only a modern, science education could instill new awareness and new
capabilities in the Indian people. W~thoutth is kind of education, social reform in
lndia would be very weak and the country would always remain backward. Though
Roy himself was a great scholar of Sanskrit, he always felt that the Sanskrit learning
was irrelevant to modern lndia and hence he strongly opposed it. He appealed to the
rulers that instead of perpetuating irrelevant Sanskrit learning, they should help
equip the nl.:w generations of Indians with useful modern scientific knowledge. Roy
wanted instruction in useful modern sciences like chemistry, mathematics, anatomy,
natural philosophy and not load young minds with grammatical complexities, and
speculative or imaginary knowledge, Roy's views and activities were really pioneering
in giving a new turn to the educational system in India. He was the first eminent
advocate of women's education.
4.4.6 On International ,Co-existence
Thoughts of Ram Mohan Roy on this subject are the expressions of his future
oriented imagination and insight. He has portrayed a beautiful picture of
international coexistence. He was perhaps the first thinker of the 18th century who
had a clear vision of internationalism. This vision might have occurred to him in the
course of his search for universal religion. Roy, the prophet of un~versalism, argued
that all nations of the world must be placed on an equal footing in order to achieve
global bnity and a sense of broad fraternity. It is only then that the contradiction
betweeh nationalism and internationalism can be ended.
Roy held that the different tribes and nations were merely the branches of the same
family and hence, there must be frequent exchange of views and frequent give and
take in all matters among the enlightened nations of the world. This, according to
Roy, was the only way to make the human race happy and contented. Differences in 1
political persp'ectives could be elim~natedb y thrashing out the differences on the
common platforms composed of equal number of delegates from each of the
contestalnt countries. Such a common forum could also be useful for the settlement
of all international issues, which would enable mankind to live in peace for
generations together.
Roy's ideas in this respect proved prophetic, the League of Nations and the UNO are
in a sense institutional expressions of these ideas.
Liberty was a pivot around.&whicht he entire religio-socio-political thought of Roy
revolved. His protest against idolatory, his agitation against Sati, his demand for
modern western education and his insistence on freedom of press, right of women,
and his demands for "separation for powers" and for the codification of laws were all
expressions of his intense love for liberty. For him, liberty was a priceless possession
of mankind. He was the first to deliver the message of political freedom to India.
Although Roy recognised the positive gains India would get from British rule, he
was never in favour of an unending foreign rule in India. He considered the British
connection necessary for India's social emancipation. Political freedom was bound to
follow.
His lave for liberty however was not limited to one nation or community. It was
universal. He supported all struggles which aimed at human freedom. Freedom for
him was indivisible. He celebrated the establishment of constitutional governments in
Spain and Portugal and was pained when such a government collapsed in Naples in
1821.
Freedom was the strongest passion of Roy's mind. He believed equally in the
freedom of body and mind, so also the freedom of action and thought. He shunned
all restrictions imposed by consideration of race, religion and customs on human
freedoms.
On Rights of the Individual
Roy was the first to create an awareness for civil rights amongst the Indians. He was
grateful to the Britishers because they made available to Indians all those civil rights
which were enjoyed by the Queen's subjects in England. Though Roy did not
specifically enlist the civil rights, he seems to include in it the following rights. Right
to life and liberty, right to have opinions and freedom of expression, Right to
property, Right to religion etc.
Roy gave the greatest importance to the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
To him it included the freedom of creativity of mind and intellect, as well as the
freedom of expressing one's opinions and thoughts through different media.
According to Roy, freedom of expression was equally useful to the rulers and the
ruled. Ignorant people were more likely to revolt against all that the rulers did, they
could turn against authority itself. In contrast an enlightened public would be
opposekl only to the abuse of power by authority and not to the existence of
authority itself. The free press, the Raja argued, had never caused a revolution in
any paft of the world. But many examples could be cited where, in the absence of a
free press, since the grievances of the people remained unrepresented and
unredressed, the situation had become ripe for a violent 'revolutionary' change. A
free and independent press alone could-bring forth the best in the government as well
as the people.
Roy, however, was not against the reasonable restrictions on the freedom of press.
He even accepted some additional restrictions on the Indian Press, which were not
imposed on the press in England. Such restrictions, he believed, might be necessary
here as some Indians were likely to encourage hatred in the minds of the natives
towards the British rulers. Roy also justified the restrictions imposed with a view to
check the seditious attempts of creating hostilities with neighbouring friendly states.
He, however, strongly objected to the restrictions imposed by the bureaucracy in
India. These restrictions, in his opinion, were arbitrary and uncalled for by the
circumstances in this country.
On Law and Judicial Administration
Law, Roy claimed, was the creation of passionless reason. It was the command of
the sovereign. Hence, even the highest officer in the East India Company did not
possess the competence for enacting the laws for India. The king-in-Parliament alone
could have that authority. What is more, Roy argued that the English parliament,
before finalising every piece of legislation relating to India should take into account
the views of the economic and intellectual elites in this country.
Another important Idea that Roy has contributed in the context of law relates to the
codification of law He thinks that such codification was in the interest of both the
rulers and ruled. He suggested that the codification should be done on the basis of
the principles common and agreeable to'all groups and factions in the society. In the
course of codification, the long-standing customs of this country should not be
overlooked. Of course, only those customs which are reasonable and conducive to
general welfare of the people should be picked up. Codified law should be simple,
elear and exact. Codification would make the interpretations of laws more
impersonal and its application more uniform.
Roy had a clear perception of the distinction between law, custom and morality. He
accepted that evolving customs were an important source of law, but the two could
not be identified. He also made a distinction between law and morality. Some laws,
according to Roy, might be legally valid, but morally indefensible. Conversely, some
practices might be morally sound but could not be given legal force. Principles of
morality are relative to the social realities and any law to be effective must take into
account these ethical principles prevalent in a given society.
In .his book entitled 'An Exposition of Revenue and Judicial System in India' Roy
presented a profou& $scussion on urgent reforms in administrative and judicial
matters. He stresse~hep oint that the administration could not be efficient and
effective unless there were official speaking in the language of the masses. There
should also be several channels of communication between the administration and
the people.
Roy's suggestions of reform in the judicial field are more numerous because for him
an efficient, impartial and an independent judiciary was the supreme guarantee of
liberty. Roy believed that the association of the natives in the judicial process had to
be an essential feature of judicial administration. Other measures advocated by him
included : constant supervision of the judicial proceedings by a vigilant public .
opinion, substitution of English for Persian as the official language to be used in the
courts of law, appointment of Indian assessors in civil suits, trial by jury, separation
of judicial from executive functions, and the constant consultation of the native
interests before the enactment of any law that concerned them. He also suggested the
revival of the age-old Panchayat system of adjudication. Roy thus urged several
- reforms and. corrections in the Indian Judicial system in keeping with political
liberalism.
4.4.4 On Sphere of State Action
Though Roy was a liberal thinker, he did not believe in the policy of laissez-faire. He
could never accept that the sphere of state activity was limited only to the political
field. He had appealed repeatedly in his writings to the state authorities to undertake
many social, moral and cultural responsibilities which did not strictly come under the
category of 'polit~cal'. He wanted the state to protect the tenants against the
landlords, to make arrangements for the useful and liberal education, to eradicate
the ugly practices like Sati and to give equal protection to the lives of-both males
and females, and to make efforts to create a new social ordc. oased on the principles
of liberty, equality, fraternity and social justice. To Roy, the existence of any
government becomes meaningful only if it performs all these functions besid~sth e
functions for which it originated.
On Education
Roy believed that unless the educational system of this country was overhauled,
there was no possibility of the people coming out of the slumber of so many
R~IRIa m Mohun Rov
ldeology of Socio-
Political Reform in '
the 19th Century
cuntories. His ambition was to change the educational system completely. He was
convinced that only a modern, science education could instill new awareness and new
capabilities in the Indian people. W~thoutth is kind of education, social reform in
lndia would be very weak and the country would always remain backward. Though
Roy himself was a great scholar of Sanskrit, he always felt that the Sanskrit learning
was irrelevant to modern lndia and hence he strongly opposed it. He appealed to the
rulers that instead of perpetuating irrelevant Sanskrit learning, they should help
equip the nl.:w generations of Indians with useful modern scientific knowledge. Roy
wanted instruction in useful modern sciences like chemistry, mathematics, anatomy,
natural philosophy and not load young minds with grammatical complexities, and
speculative or imaginary knowledge, Roy's views and activities were really pioneering
in giving a new turn to the educational system in India. He was the first eminent
advocate of women's education.
4.4.6 On International ,Co-existence
Thoughts of Ram Mohan Roy on this subject are the expressions of his future
oriented imagination and insight. He has portrayed a beautiful picture of
international coexistence. He was perhaps the first thinker of the 18th century who
had a clear vision of internationalism. This vision might have occurred to him in the
course of his search for universal religion. Roy, the prophet of un~versalism, argued
that all nations of the world must be placed on an equal footing in order to achieve
global bnity and a sense of broad fraternity. It is only then that the contradiction
betweeh nationalism and internationalism can be ended.
Roy held that the different tribes and nations were merely the branches of the same
family and hence, there must be frequent exchange of views and frequent give and
take in all matters among the enlightened nations of the world. This, according to
Roy, was the only way to make the human race happy and contented. Differences in 1
political persp'ectives could be elim~natedb y thrashing out the differences on the
common platforms composed of equal number of delegates from each of the
contestalnt countries. Such a common forum could also be useful for the settlement
of all international issues, which would enable mankind to live in peace for
generations together.
Roy's ideas in this respect proved prophetic, the League of Nations and the UNO are
in a sense institutional expressions of these ideas.
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