Young Bengal Movement

News: Rosinka Chaudhuri in India’s First Radicals: Young Bengal and the British Empire (India Viking) describes about the Young Bengal Movement of 19^th century.

About Young Bengal Movement

• Origin and Leadership
  • The Young Bengal Movement was an intellectual and social reform movement in Bengal during the early 19th century (1820s-1830s).
  • Leader: It was led by Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, an Anglo-Indian teacher at Hindu College, Kolkata.
  • Members: The members of the movement were known as Derozians and were mostly young, radical thinkers inspired by European Enlightenment and liberal ideas.
• Objectives and Philosophy
  • The movement championed rationalism, free thought, and scientific inquiry.
  • It sought to challenge orthodox Hindu religious and social practices, such as caste discrimination, child marriage, polygamy, and restrictions on widow remarriage.
  • It advocated individual liberty, freedom of expression, and social reforms.
  • It promoted critical thinking and modern education based on reason rather than traditional dogma.
  • It advocated the protection of peasants (ryots) from oppressive zamindars.
• Initiatives started
  • In 1828, Derozio founded with his students the ‘Academic Association’, which organised debates on various subjects.
  • Another organisation of the Young Bengal was the ‘Society for the Acquisition of General Knowledge’ founded in 1838.
  • Journals: The Young Bengal published quite a few journals between 1828 and 1843 to give wider publicity to their views and principles.
    • Among these were the Parthenon, Hesperus, Jnanannesan, Enquirer, Hindu Pioneer, Quill and the Bengal Spectator.
  • They established the Calcutta Public Library in 1835, which later became the National Library of India.
  • They supported freedom of the press and demanded judicial reforms, such as impartial jury trials.