Question

Who among the following is not responsible for upliftment of women ?

• A. Swami Namdev
• B. Swami Dayanand
• C. Raja Rammohan Roy
• D. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

Hint:

Differentiate between the medieval Bhakti movement reformers (who focused on spiritual equality) and the 19th-century social reformers (who focused on specific legal and educational reforms). The latter group includes Roy, Vidyasagar, and Dayanand.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question asks to identify the individual who was not a key figure in the 19th-century social reform movements specifically focused on the upliftment of women in India.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
- (C) Raja Rammohan Roy: A key figure in the Bengal Renaissance, he famously campaigned against the practice of Sati, leading to its abolition in 1829.
- (D) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar: A great scholar and reformer who championed the cause of widow remarriage and was instrumental in the passing of the Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856.
- (B) Swami Dayanand Saraswati: Founder of the Arya Samaj, he strongly advocated for women's education and condemned child marriage.
- (A) Swami Namdev: A prominent poet-saint from Maharashtra associated with the Varkari tradition of the Bhakti movement. He lived much earlier, in the 13th-14th centuries. While the Bhakti movement promoted spiritual equality, Namdev is not known as a social reformer who organized specific campaigns for women's rights in the modern sense, unlike the other three who were active in the 19th century.
Step 3: Final Answer:
Swami Namdev, being a medieval Bhakti saint, is not considered a social reformer for the upliftment of women in the same context as the 19th-century figures listed.