In
The Brahmo Samaj and its Vaiá¹£á¹ava Milieus: Intersections of Hindu Knowledge and Love in Nineteenth Century Bengal, Ankur Barua offers an intellectual history of the motif of religious universalism in the writings of some intellectuals associated with the Brahmo Samaj (founded in 1828). They constructed Hindu worldviews that were simultaneously rooted in some ancient Sanskritic materials and orientated towards contemporary universalist visions with western hues. These constructions were shaped by their dialectical engagements with three groups: members of the Bengali middle classes with sceptical standpoints (âYoung Bengalâ), Christian missionaries, and Hindu Vaiá¹£á¹ava thinkers. In this genealogy of religious universalisms, Barua indicates how certain post-1900 formulations of the universalist compass of Hinduism were being enunciated across Brahmo circles from the 1820s.
Atul Prasad Sen is remembered today for his songs, known as “Atul Prasader Gaan”, a body of devotional, patriotic or intensely romantic songs written and set to music by him. They occupy a special place in Bengali culture and in the hearts of Bengalis. But Sen was also a dedicated social worker, a very successful barrister, an endearing man, and, in his quiet way, a rebel.
He was born in Faridpur district, currently in Bangladesh. After the early death of his father, he was brought up by his maternal grandfather Kalinarayan Gupta, a noted Brahmo Samaj reformer who was also a kirtan singer. His mother later married another Brahmo Samaj reformer, Durga Mohan Das. Sen, who followed the Brahmo faith, imbibed his love for music and also his spirituality from his grandfather, and his songs belong as much to Brahmo tradition as to the Hindu devotional style.
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“Maharshi” Debendranath Tagore, the eldest son of industrialist and reformer “Prince” Dwarakanath Tagore, was a founder of the Brahmo movement, one of the most significant socio-religious reforms in nineteenth century India based on monotheism.
The first assembly of the Brahmo Sabha, the precursor of the Brahmo Samaj, was held in Calcutta in 1828 at the initiative of Raja Rammohan Roy and Dwarakanath. Rammohan left for England soon and the group lost its enthusiasm.
In 1839, Debendranath, who had been inspired by
Ishaponishad and also the ideas of Rammohan, started the Tattwaranjini Sabha with his friends. The association was later renamed Tattwabodhini Sabha, which aimed at spreading the knowledge of the Upanishads and promoting spiritual and intellectual enquiry. It attracted 500 members in two years, among whom were two other luminaries of the Bengal Renaissance, the great social reformer and scholar Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Akshay Kumar Datta, a pioneer of Bengal