RAJA RAM ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a champion of women's rights in India. He laid the foundations of the women's liberation movement in this country. He revolted against the subjection of women and pleaded for the restoration of their rights. The condition of the Hindu women in those days was very pitiable. They were subjected to different kinds of injustices and deprivations. According to Roy, the root cause of the all-round deterioration of Hindu women was the complete denial of their property rights. The Hindu girl was not given the traditional right to share with her brothers the property of her deceased father. The married Hindu woman was refused the right to share with her sons the property left by her deceased husband. 

In 1822, Roy wrote a book entitled Brief Remarks Regarding Modern Enchroachments on the Ancient Right of Females. He pointed out that the ancient Hindu lawgivers gave the mother the right to have an equal share with her sons in the proberty left by her husband; and the daughter to have 1/4 part of the portion which a son could inherit in the property left by the father. Roy indicated how these rights were gradually taken away by the modern lawgivers. He tried to prove that all these deprivations were blatant violations of the provisions in the ancient texts written by the authorities such as Yagnyawalakya, Narad, Katyayana, Brihaspati and others. The utter helplessness and humiliation of the Hindu widow was one of the major reasons that prompted the inhuman practice of Sati. 
Women completely robbed of their property rights quite naturally lost their independence and became the slaves of the male members of the family. They were thought to have less intellectual capabilities than the males. They were supposed to have an existence only at a physical level. Men were free to marry as many women as they thought fit for the satisfaction of their lust. Women however were not allowed to marry a second time. As equality of sexes was an article of faith for Roy, he could not accept that women were inferior to men in any respect. He believed that they were even superior to men in some respects. Whatever inferiority seemed to be on their part was the result, Roy argued, of keeping them away for generations from the sources of knowledge and the opportunities to shoulder different responsibilities in life. 
Roy vehemently opposed polygamy and with utmost vigour brought to light, its shameful evil consequences. He pleaded for an enactment allowing a Hindu male to marry second wife only after getting a clearance from the magistrate. Roy was in favour of the remarriage of women under certain circumstances. Brahmo Samaj which he founded paid special attention to women's education.