Union Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) G Kishan Reddy virtually inaugurated the statue of Ram Mohan Roy at the Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library Foundation, Kolkata. The Governor of West Bengal, Jagdeep Dhankhar was also present on the occasion. The Union Minister paid his regards for the great contribution Raja Ram Mohan Roy has done towards the emancipation of the Indian society. The installation of the statue is a way of paying a true tribute to him and he hopes that it will continue to inspire the younger generation about the great deeds, high ideals of the visionary, he said
Calling him the ‘Architect of Modern India’ the minister looked back at the achievements of Ram Mohan Roy in improving the condition of women in the Indian society. “On child marriage, he clearly believed that the age of marriage for women should be increased and women should get the right of remarriage. In a true sense, he was the architect of Modern India and the father of Bengal Renaissance” he said.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a pioneer in Indian modern education and fought against superstitions. He crusaded against Hindu customs such as ‘Sati’, polygamy, and child marriage, and demanded property inheritance rights for women. In 1828, he set up the Brahmo Sabha to fight against social evils.
The minister further hailed the efforts of the Ministry of Culture for upgrading the libraries across the country. He informed that 54 crores INR has been provided to 50 libraries across the country to expand and modernize the libraries across the country. He called for the strengthening of the ‘Public Library Mahotsav’ with active participation in the National Library Model and moving towards digital or E-Library.
The Governor of West Bengal said that future generations must continue to follow the ideas of Ram Mohan Roy.
A seminar, quiz program, and multimedia presentation on various aspects of the life of Raja Ram Mohan Roy were also organized at the inaugural event.