The 19th Century Society of India – Udayan Chetia

If we say 19th Century, it comes all the basic things i.e; education, gender, religions etc. First of all in 19th century, woman’s were dominated by the patriarchy. Woman’s were not allowed to got educations, equal rights with men’s etc. They only had to work in kitchen of their respective houses. Women’s in 19th century, get married at a very young age. They are discriminated in the society. The people in 19th centuries society were discriminated on the basis of education, gender, religions, caste, marriage etc.

The lower caste also didn’t get the equal rights as the upper castes gets. Even the people of lower caste couldn’t sit with the people of upper caste in th same layer. The lower caste people also couldn’t visit to a religious place or a temple for worship. But then also many woman’s who worked hard, had educated and also written books and published it.

In 19th Century, subjects studied by many women’s are housekeeping, child marriage, basic literary. These are the three siksha given to women’s. But here we can take Rasundari Devi as an example as she was the first women Bengali writer to be published her autobiography. Rasundari Devi was born in the year 1810 in the village of Pataji, West Bengal. She wrote her first autobiography “Amar Jibon” and she was the first Bengal woman writer. She married at the age of 12 to Soumajit Ray. “Amar Jibon” was first published in 1876 in mid 19th Century. At the age of 25, she could manage to study.

Women’s education, marriage, superstition, gender discrimination is the theme of the text ‘Amar Jibon’ that connected to 19th Century society. ‘Amar Jibon’ narrates the life story of a nineteenth century women’s struggle for literacy. Rassundari Devi was died in 1899.

Like Rassundari Devi, we can take many other people as an example, who get success in their life and they all are also discriminated on the basis of their caste, marriage, religion, gender etc. Rajkumari Banerji, Sailabala Das, Amina Hydari, Susie Sorabji etc; are some of 19th Centuries women’s. Rajkumari Banerji was an Indian social worker and Bengali Philanthropist. Sailabala Das was a social worker and politician. Amina Hydari was an Indian social worker and Susie Sorabji was an Indian educator and Christian Missionary etc.

In India, people are also discriminated by their caste. As upper caste people cannot married to lower caste. A caste is a social group in which an individual born in a social stratification. A man of one caste cannot married to an another caste. Many sociologists defines caste in different ways. The characteristics of caste system are discussed below,

• Restriction on Marriage: Caste has some restrictions on marriage as an individual should marry within his own caste.

• Restriction on Occupation: Caste has also restrictions on occupation. Every caste has its own specific occupation which have to follow by the members of each caste and they cannot go beyond it.

• Restriction on Religion: Caste also has restrictions on religion. The lower caste couldn’t go to the temples to pray. For example, Dalits.

• Restriction on Food Habits: Caste also restricted on food habits. Each caste has its own food habits. So, they restricted in food habits.

Tribes is a group of people that share a common language, area, culture and history. As an example, in the state of Assam language, common culture like they celebrate the Bihu festival in Assam and also had a common history. Ahoms, Gonds etc; are some of the tribes in India, that follows its own culture, language etc.

There are also many wars took place in 19th Century such as Napoleonic Wars, Latin American Independence Revolution of 1848, Abolition and the American Civil War, Decline of the Ottoman Empire, China: Taiping Rebellion, Japan: Meiji Restoration, Colonization etc. Many Reformist Movements of the 18th and 19th Centuries took place in India. Brahmo Samaj, Aligarh Movement, Prarthana Samaj etc; are the Reformist Movements took place in India. Aparts that Revivalist Movements are also took place such as Arya Samaj, Deoband Movement, Wahabi Movement etc. Other important Movements are The Theosophical Movement, Ramakrishna Mission, Satyashodhak Samaj, Widow Remarriage Association, Young Bengal Movement etc.