ST.

THOMAS SCHOOL, INDIRAPURAM

Class 8 History
Chapter 9 Women, Caste and Reform

Answer the following questions.

1. What social ideas did the following people support?
Ans. These people supported the following ideas:
(a)Rammohun Roy supported the ban of practice of sati.
(b) Dayanand Saraswati supported widow remarriage.
(c) Veerasalingam Pantulu also supported widow remarriage.
(d) Jyotirao Phule supported equality amongst all castes.
(e) Pandita Ramabai supported women's education and remarriage of the widows.
(f) Periyar supported equality amongst all castes.
(g) Mumtaz Ali supported women's education.
(h) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar supported women's education and remarriage of the
widows.

2. How did the knowledge of ancient texts help the reformers promote new laws?
Ans. The reformers tried to convince people that widow burning, caste distinctions, child
marriage, etc had no sanction in ancient texts. Their knowledge of ancient texts gave them
immense confidence and moral support which they utilised in promoting new laws. They did
not get feared when people raised their voice against the reforms they had brought.
3. What were the different reasons people had for not sending girls to school?
Ans. Vidyasagar in Calcutta and many other reformers in Bombay set up schools for girls. The
first schools were opened in the mid-nineteenth century but many people were afraid of
them-
1. They feared that schools would take girls away from home.
2. They would prevent them from doing their domestic duties.
3. Girls had to travel through public places in order to reach school. This would have a
corrupting
influence on them.
4. They believed that girls should stay away from public spaces.

4. Why were Christian missionaries attacked by many people in the country? Would some
people have supported them too? If so, for what reasons?
Ans. Christian Missionaries were attacked in the country by many people because they
suspected that they were involved in forced conversion. Conversion using money power to
convert poor and tribal people from Hinduism to Christianity.
If some people supported them, that was because they felt this might improve the economic
condition and education of the poor and tribals.
Social reformers supported the Christian missionaries for their work against social evils.

5. In the British period, what new opportunities opened up for people who came from
castes that were regarded as “low”?
Ans. In the British period, new opportunities opened up for people who came from castes
that were regarded as low:

• In the British period, expansion of cities created a new demand of labour.

• The poor from the villages and small towns started moving to the cities for taking new
jobs.
• They worked in municipal corporations as sweepers and sewage cleaners.
• They also worked in the building of roads, digging of drains etc. Some also went to
work in plantations in Assam, Mauritius, Trinidad and Indonesia.
• They also found opportunities in the army.
• Though working in new locations was often hard, but the poor took this as an
opportunity for them to get away from the hold of the upper-caste landowners.
6.How did Jyotirao, the reformer, justify their criticism of caste inequality in society?
Ans. Jyotirao Phule was the most vocal amongst the “Low-caste” leaders.

• He attacked the Brahmans’ claim of their superiority to others. He argued the Aryans
were foreigners, who came from outside the subcontinent.
• They defeated and subjugated the true children of the country and looked at the
defeated population as inferior.
• According to Phule, the “upper” castes had no right to their land and power. In reality,
the land belonged to the so-called low castes.
• Phule opined that there existed a golden age when warrior-peasants tilled the land
and ruled the Maratha countryside in just and fairways.
• He proposed that the Shudras (labouring castes) and Ati Shudras (untouchables)
should unite to challenge caste discrimination.
• The Satyashodhak Samaj association founded by Phule propagated caste equality.
7. Why did Phule dedicate his book Gulamgiri to the American movement to free slaves?
Ans. Jyotirao Phule wrote a book “Gulamgiri” meaning slavery in 1873. The American Civil
War had been fought, leading to the end of slavery in America. Phule dedicated his book to
all those Americans who had fought to free slaves. He did this in order to establish a link
between the conditions of the lower castes in India and the black slaves in America.
8. What did Ambedkar want to achieve through the temple entry movement?
Ans. Ambedkar was born into a Mahar family. In childhood, he experienced various forms of
caste prejudices in his everyday life.
• Ambedkar led three such movements for temple entry between 1927 and 1935.
 • His aim was to make everyone see the power of caste prejudices within society.

9. Why were Jyotirao Phule and Ramaswami Naicker critical of the national movement? Did
their criticism help the national struggle in any way?
Ans.
Jyoti Rao Phule was critical of nationalism preached by upper castes. He wrote that they give
advice to Shudra, Muslim and Parsi youth to forget their differences and come together for
the progress of the nation.
E V Ramaswamy Naicker became a member of Congress. But left it in disgust when he found
out that at a feast, organised by nationalists, the seating arrangement was based on caste
distinctions.
Their assertions, forceful speeches and writings did lead to rethink and self-criticism among
the upper caste nationalist leaders.
Their criticism helped in shaping the opinion of nationalist leaders. Reformists started
restructuring their thoughts to get rid of caste inequalities. Thus, the national struggle
became the tool to eradicate the differences related to castes, religions and gender.

Extra Questions
1. Why were changes necessary in Indian society?
Ans. Indian society needs necessary changes because-
• Society had been prey to many evil practices for a long time like the Sati system, child
marriage, caste differences, etc.
• Men and women were treated differently. Women were subjected to many
restrictions. They were not allowed to go to schools, to choose their husbands and
most children were married at an early age.
• All people did not enjoy equal status. The upper-caste consisted of Brahmans and
Kshatriyas, who availed of all privileges. But other than these people were subjected
to exploitation. They were not allowed to enter temples, draw water from the well-
used by the upper castes, and were seen as inferior human beings.
• These evil customs and practices had eclipsed the progress of society. Debates and
discussions began to take place in the early 19th century, with the development of
new forms of communication.
• For the first time books, newspapers, magazines, leaflets and pamphlets were printed.
They spread awareness among the common mass.
• Social reformers like Raja Rammohun Roy, and Ishwarchander Vidyasagar came
forward and took initiatives to bring changes in society by abolishing the evil practices
one after Another.

2. What was the aim of non-Brahmanical movements?

Ans. In the early twentieth century, the non-Brahman movement started. The non-
Brahman castes had acquired access to education, wealth and influence. They argued that
Brahmans were heirs of Aryan invaders from the north who had conquered southern
lands from the original inhabitants of the region – the indigenous Dravidian races. They
 also challenged Brahmanical claims to power. They tried to create a sense of self-esteem
among the subordinate castes.

3. Write the name and explain reforms organisation or associations formed during the
19th century.

Ans. The reforms and Organisations during the 19th century are-

1. The Brahmo Samaj

The Brahmo Samaj, formed in 1830 by Raja Rammohun Roy, prohibited all forms of
idolatry and sacrifice, believed in the Upanishads.
2.The Prarthana Samaj
Established in 1867 at Bombay, the Prarthana Samaj sought to remove caste restrictions,
abolish child marriage, encourage the education of women, and end the ban on widow
remarriage.
3.The Aligarh Movement
The Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College, founded by Sayyid Ahmed Khan in 1875 at
Aligarh. The institution offered modern education, including Western science, to Muslims.
4.The Singh Sabha Movement
Reform organisations of the Sikhs, the first Singh Sabhas were formed at Amritsar in 1873
and at Lahore in 1879. They promoted education among the Sikhs, often combining
modern instruction with Sikh teachings.
5.The Veda Samaj
Established in Madras (Chennai) in 1864, the Veda Samaj was inspired by the Brahmo
Samaj. It worked to abolish caste distinctions and promote widow remarriage and
women’s education.
6. The Ramakrishna Mission and Swami Vivekananda
Named after Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda’s guru, the
Ramakrishna Mission stressed the ideal of salvation through social service
and selfless action.

Source Based Questions. (No need to write the paragraph on your notebook, only mention
page no and source no.)

I. Source no 1 Page no. 97

Read the following extract taken from the NCERT textbook and answer the questions that
follow.
We first tie them down to the pile”
Rammohun Roy published many pamphlets to spread his ideas. Some of these were written
as a dialogue between the advocate and critic of a traditional practice. Here is one such
dialogue on sati:
An advocate of Sati:
Women are by nature of inferior understanding, without resolution, unworthy of trust …
Many of them, on the death of their husbands, become desirous of accompanying them; but
to remove every chance of their trying to escape from the blazing fire, in burning them we
first tie them down to the pile.
Opponent of Sati:
When did you ever afford them a fair opportunity of exhibiting their natural capacity? How
then can you accuse them of want of understanding? If, after instruction in knowledge and
wisdom, a person cannot comprehend or retain what has been taught him, we may consider
him as deficient; but if you do not educate women how can you see them as inferior.

Questions:
(a) What notions did the society have in favour of the practice of sati?
(b) What arguments did the reformers put against the practice of sati?
Answers:
(a) The society believed women to be of inferior understanding without resolution and
unworthy of trust. So, she was not allowed to live without her husband. She was forced to be
inflamed with the body of her husband after his death.
(b) The reformers accused the society of not recognising women’s potentialities. They said
that the society had never bothered to educate women and had always neglected them. So,
it was quite unjustified to call them inferior and untrustworthy.

II. “We first tie them down to the pile”

Rammohun Roy published many pamphlets to spread his ideas. Some of these were written
as a dialogue between the advocate and critic of a traditional practice. Here is one such
dialogue on sati:
An advocate of Sati:
Women are by nature of inferior understanding, without resolution, unworthy of trust …
Many of them, on the death of their husbands, become desirous of accompanying them; but
to remove every chance of their trying to escape from the blazing fire, in burning them we
first tie them down to the pile.
Opponent of Sati:
When did you ever afford them a fair opportunity of exhibiting their natural capacity? How
then can you accuse them of want of understanding? If, after instruction in knowledge and
wisdom, a person cannot comprehend or retain what has been taught him, we may consider
him as deficient; but if you do not educate women how can you see them as inferior.

Questions:
(a) What notions did the society have in favour of the practice of sati?
(b) What arguments did the reformers put against the practice of sati?
Answers:
(a) The society believed women to be of inferior understanding without resolution and
unworthy of trust. So, she was not allowed to live without her husband. Therefore, she was
forced to be inflamed with the body of her husband after his death.
(b) The reformers accused the society of not recognising women’s potentialities. They said
that the society had never bothered to educate women and had always neglected them.
So, it was quite unjustified to call them inferior and untrustworthy.
III. Page no. 100 Law against child Marriage

1.Which Act was passed to prevent child marriage and when?

2.What did the Act mention?
Answers:
1. In 1929, the Child Marriage Restraint Act was passed to prevent the child marriage practice.
2. According to the Act no man below the age of 18 and a woman below the age of 16 could
marry.

II. Source 4 Page no 104.

“We are also human beings”
In 1927, Ambedkar said:
We now want to go to the Tank only to prove that like others, we are also human beings …
Hindu society should be reorganised on two main principles – equality and absence of
casteism.

Questions:
(a) Who was Ambedkar?
(b) On what basis did he wish Hindu society to be reorganised?
Answers:
(a) Ambedkar was a Dalit leader. He belonged to a Mahar family. He did a lot for the
upliftment of the condition of Dalits.
(b) He wished Hindu society to be reorganised on the basis of two principles – equality and
absence of casteism.