Consider the following statements: Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar founded the Bethune School at Calcutta with the main aim of encouraging education for women. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was the first graduate of the Calcutta University. Keshav Chandra Sen's campaign against Sati led to the enactment of a law to ban Sari by the Governor General. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Modern History : Socio-Religious Reform Movements In 19th-Century India

Q 12 / 15

UPSC CSE Prelims 2005

Consider the following statements:

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar founded the Bethune School at Calcutta with the main aim of encouraging education for women.
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was the first graduate of the Calcutta University.
Keshav Chandra Sen's campaign against Sati led to the enactment of a law to ban Sari by the Governor General.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

EXPLANATION

Correct Option (B):

Statement 1 is correct. The Bethune School, established in Calcutta in 1849 by J.E.D. Bethune, aimed at promoting women's education. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar played a crucial role in its management and expansion after Bethune's demise, significantly contributing to the advancement of female education in Bengal.

Statement 2 is correct. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was among the first two graduates of the Calcutta University in 1858, alongside Jadunath Bose. This marked a significant milestone in Indian higher education.

Incorrect Options:

Statement 3 is incorrect. The campaign against Sati was primarily led by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, whose persistent efforts resulted in the enactment of the Bengal Sati Regulation Act of 1829 by Governor-General Lord William Bentinck, which declared Sati illegal and punishable. Keshav Chandra Sen, a prominent Brahmo Samaj reformer, was active in social reforms later in the 19th century but was not associated with the Sati abolition movement.

SOURCEA Brief History of Modern India by Spectrum, Chapter 10: Socio-Religious Reform Movements