Young Bengal Movement
Explanation
Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was an Anglo-Indian teacher at Hindu College, Calcutta, during the late 1820s. He was a radical thinker who inspired a trend of intellectual inquiry and rationalism among the youth of Bengal, leading to the formation of the Young Bengal Movement.
Option Analysis
- Young Bengal Movement Young Bengal Movement: Correct. Derozio served as the leader and inspirer of this movement. He encouraged his students, known as "Derozians," to think freely, question authority, and cherish liberty, equality, and freedom. They critically analyzed religious practices and social customs, drawing inspiration from the French Revolution.
- Aligarh Movement Aligarh Movement: Incorrect. This was a movement for the social and educational advancement of Muslims in India, led by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan in the late 19th century.
- Prarthana Samaj Prarthana Samaj: Incorrect. This reform society was founded in 1867 in Bombay by Atmaram Pandurang, with the aim of rational worship and social reform within Hinduism.
- Theosophical Society Theosophical Society: Incorrect. This society was founded in New York in 1875 by Madame H.P. Blavatsky and Colonel H.S. Olcott. It later established its headquarters in Adyar, Madras.
Key Takeaway:
Henry Louis Vivian Derozio is regarded as the first nationalist poet of modern India and the father of the Young Bengal Movement, which introduced radical and rationalist thinking in 19th-century Bengal.