Social Movements and Caste Struggle in India

Flashcards covering key social reformers, organizations, and legal acts related to caste struggles and women's rights in 19th and early 20th century India.

Jyotirao Phule

A social reformer from the Mali community in Maharashtra who organized a movement against Brahmanical domination and founded the Satya Shodhak Samaj.

Satya Shodhak Samaj

Founded by Jyotirao Phule in 1873, this society, also known as the Truth Seekers Society, aimed for the complete abolition of the caste system and social-economic equality.

Savitribai

The wife of Jyotirao Phule who, together with him, opened a school for girls in Poona to pioneer women's education.

Sri Narayana Guru

A social reformer from the Ezhava caste who initiated the S.N.D.P movement to address conflicts between depressed classes and the upper caste.

S.N.D.P Yogam

An organization that took up issues for the Ezhava community, including rights to public school admission, government service recruitment, and access to roads.

Aruvippuram Shiva Linga

A stone from the Neyyar river installed by Narayana Guru on Shivaratri in 1888, which sparked a revolution against social discrimination in Kerala.

One Caste, One Religion, One God

The slogan inscribed by Narayana Guru at the Aruvippuram temple to advocate for brotherhood and the removal of dividing walls of caste and religious hatred.

Widow Remarriage Act 1856

Legislation that allowed Hindu, Jain, and Sikh widows over the age of 18 to remarry and ensured the legitimacy of children born from such marriages.

Regulation XVII of 1829

A regulation that made the practice of Sati (burning alive of Hindu widows) illegal and subject to criminal prosecution for all involve parties.

Veeresalingam Kandukuri

Considered the 'prophet of modern Andhra,' he was a Telugu writer and reformer who established the first Brahma Mandir at Rajahmundry in 1887.

Hitakarini Society

An organization established by Veeresalingam Kandukuri to which he donated all his property for social activities and the improvement of society.

Roy Bahadur

A title conferred by the government on Veeresalingam Kandukuri in 1893 in recognition of his social reforming activities.

Ezhava

A depressed Hindu caste to which Sri Narayana Guru belonged, located primarily in the region of Kerala.

Kumaran Asan

A renowned poet who was a disciple of Sri Narayana Guru during the caste movement.