UPSC Prelims 2016 Q69: Modern History – Social & Religious Reform Movements
Consider the following:
1. Calcutta Unitarian Committee
2. Tabernacle of New Dispensation
3. Indian Reform Association
Keshab Chandra Sen is associated with the establishment
of which of the above?
- (a) 1 and 3 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only
Explanation
Keshab Chandra Sen and the bodies he founded
| Body | Founded by Keshab Chandra Sen? | Fact |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Calcutta Unitarian Committee | No | Founded in the 1820s by Raja Rammohan Roy, Dwarkanath Tagore and William Adam |
| 2. Tabernacle of New Dispensation | Yes | Centre of his Nava Vidhan (New Dispensation), announced in 1880 |
| 3. Indian Reform Association | Yes | Founded in 1870 for social reform, education and temperance |
Keshab Chandra Sen's career:
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1858 | Joined the Brahmo Samaj under Debendranath Tagore |
| 1866 | Split; formed the Brahmo Samaj of India |
| 1872 | Native Marriage Act passed through his efforts |
| 1878 | Second split; Sadharan Brahmo Samaj formed after his minor daughter's marriage |
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. The Calcutta Unitarian Committee belongs to Rammohan Roy's time.
- (b) CORRECT. He set up the Tabernacle of New Dispensation and the Indian Reform Association.
- (c) Incorrect. He is also associated with the Tabernacle of New Dispensation.
- (d) Incorrect. Body 1 was founded before Keshab Chandra Sen was born (1838).
Key point
Keshab Chandra Sen: Brahmo Samaj of India (1866), Indian Reform Association (1870), New Dispensation (1880). Calcutta Unitarian Committee was Rammohan Roy's.
Remember
Keshab: New Dispensation + Indian Reform Association.
Common mistakes
- Crediting every Calcutta reform body to Keshab Chandra Sen.
- Forgetting that he was born in 1838, after the Unitarian Committee was formed.
- Confusing the 1866 split with the 1878 split of the Brahmo Samaj.
Exam tip
Check birth dates: a body from the 1820s cannot be founded by someone born in 1838.
Sources
- Spectrum — A Brief History of Modern India (Socio-Religious Reform Movements: Brahmo Samaj)
- Bipan Chandra — History of Modern India (Religious and Social Reform after 1858)