Contribution of Haji Muhammad Mohsin and Raja Ram Mohan Roy to the People of Colonial Bengal

Abstract

Haji Muhammad Mohsin, a well-known Bengali Muslim benefactor, lived from around 1732 until November 29, 1812. The founding of the Hooghly Mohsin College and the Hooghly Imambara is his most significant achievement. Though these were established after his death, they were established with the surplus amount of Syedpur estate donated by him for philanthropic activities. He also helped thousands of victims during the Great Bengal Famine of 1770, which was a major contribution to his participation in the event. Apart from this, he donated all his property and made a wakf estate for this purpose. Hence, he is called Danveer. Another prominent figure in 19th-century Bengal was Raja Ram Mohan Roy, an Indian reformer who lived from May 22, 1772, to September 27, 1833. He was one of the founders of the Brahmo Sabha, which was established in 1828 and served as the model for the Brahmo Samaj, a social-religious reform movement on the Indian subcontinent. Akbar II, the Mughal emperor, bestowed upon him the title of Raja. His impact might be seen in the domains of public policy, education, religion, and politics. He gained notoriety for his attempts to outlaw child marriage and sati. He is popularly called the "Father of the Indian Renaissance." He came out of orthodoxy, removed the evils from society, and spent his whole life on his philanthropic activities. Through this study, attempts have been made to make a comparative study and make a historiographical representation of these two scholars of Bengal in parallel.