Social evils in a country like India are not new. India is also said to be a land of c superstition. So, a country with superstition will obviously have social evils.
The social evils like untouchability, ethnic aversion, religious infighting still exist. In spite of the presence of a host of social evils, India is fortunate to have great reformers like Chaitanya, Guru Nanak, Kabir and Dayananda Saraswati One cannot forget Raja Rammohan Roy’s struggle for abolishing Satidaha, an ill-practice prevalent in the nineteenth century, India where the Hindu widows were compelled to give up their lives by being burnt alive on the same funeral pyre of their husbands.
The wife was said to be fortunate to go to heaven with the smear of vermilion on her forehead. Neither India can forget Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar who fought for re-marriage of young widows; nor can we forget the role of Mahatma Gandhi who fought against untouchability Social reform movements in India have not remained confined to any one part and to anyone class of people. Social reform movements have been there in West Bengal, Punjab, and Maharashtra. Prarthana Samaj and Arya Samaj became very important in Maharashtra and Punjab, another important feature of social reform movements in India is that it is enjoyed with religion.
Thus, we found religious leaders like Ramkrishna Paramahansadev, Guru Nanak influencing social reform movements in India.Again, Sir Saved Ahmed Khan and his Aligarh Movement has done a lot for the socially backward classes.
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In spite of all these attempts, we are still encircled by a host of social evil, even in the age of science and rationality where we are taught to be rational, in our school days. But we are fortunate enough to see that the intensity of the ill practices of the nineteenth century has been lowered due to the advent of liberalisation and globalisation. Women are now working with men with the same efficiency.
These happen due to social reforms. Again, the “harijans” now not restricted from entering temples, hospitals, taking water from the common well. They can travel in the same bus and train along with others Different religious sects sharing food, enjoying each other’s festivals is another remarkable boon of social reforms. These things can never be thought of without a successful reform movement.
The government has also made strict laws to fight against social evils like untouchability, dowry, communalism, ethnic aversion, etc. But success can only be achieved if people understand the detrimental effects of the social evils on their social health and a sense of awareness is being generated among them.