(i) Raja Rammohan Roy started a campaign against Sati practise.
(ii) Sati was banned in the year 1829.
(ill) Through their writings, various reformers tried to show that practice of Sati had no sanction in ancient texts.
(iv) In the 19th century, women were considered inferior to men. Most women had virtually no access to education.

The Aligarh Muslim University was founded by Sayyid Ahmed Khan in 1875 at Aligarh. The institution offered modern education, including western science,to Muslims.It also had an enormous impact in the area of educational reform.

Named after Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda's guru, Ramakrishna Mission stressed the ideal of solution through social service and selfless action.

In the Bombay Presidency, as late as 1829, untouchables were not allowed entry in government schools. When they persuaded, they were allowed to sit on the verandah outside the classroom and listen to the lessons without "polluting" the room where" upper caste" boys were taught. This was the mentality of the people towards the untouchables.

By the end of the nineteenth century, women actively participated in reform movements. They wrote books, edited magazines, founded schools and training centres, and set up women's associations.

Raja Rammohan Roy was keen to spread the knowledge of western education in India because he wanted to ring about greater freedom and equality for women. He was moved by the fact that they had to remain indoors, only confined to the home and the kitchen, thereby remaining illiterate.

There were class and caste distinctions in the society, Brahmans and Kshatriyas considered themselves as "upper castes", traders and money lenders Vaishyas came after them. Then came peasants, and artisans such as weavers and potters (referred to as shudras). As the lowest level were "untouchables", considered most injerior human beings.

Sayyid Ahmed Khan was the founder of the Aligarh Movement.
(i) He also established the Mohammedan Anglo - Oriental College in 1875 at Aligarh. It later became Aligarh Muslim University.
(ii)The movement tried to promote educational reformation among the people of Muslims community. It offered modern education and western science to Muslims.
(iii) Another objective of the movement was to reinterpret the teachings of Islam and bring the Muslims in harmony with modern science and philosophy.

Keshub Chandra Sen was a social reformer who attempted to incorporate Christian theology within the framework of Hindu thought. He became a member of Brahmo Samaj in 1856, but founded his own breakaway 'Brahmo Samaj of India' in 1866. Brahmo Samaj publicly inaugurated in January 1830. The Brahmo Samaj literally denotes community (Samaj) of men who worship Brahman, the highest reality. Brahmo Samaj reflected the ideas of Bengal Renaissance in all fields of social reforms, including abolition of caste system, dowry system, emancipation of women and improving the educational system specially for women etc.

Tarabai Shinde was a feminist activist who protested patriarchy and caste in the 19th century India. Her father was a radical and Tarabai was taught Marathi, Sanskrit and English by her father. She was an associate of social activits Jyotirao Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule and was a member of the Satyashodhak Samaj. She wrote 'Stripurushtulna' criticising the social differences between men and women.

In 1927, BR Ambedkar started a temple entry movement because Brahman priests were outraged when the Dalits used water from the temple tank. Ambedkar led three movements for temple entry between 1927 and 1935 through which, he wanted to make everyone see the power of caste prejudice within society.

In 1873, Jyotirao Phule wrote a book 'Gulamgiri', meaning slavery. Phule dedicated his book to all those Americans who had fought to free slaves. Some ten years before the publication of his book, American Civil War had been fought. This war led to the end of slavery in America. By dedicating his books to the American movement, he tried to establish a link between the conditions of the lower castes of India and the black slaves in America.

The following account reveals this:
(i) The poor began leaving their villages to look for jobs that were opening up in the cities. There was work in the factories and jobs in municipalities.
(ii) Drains had to be dug, roads laid, buildings constructed and cities cleaned. Coolies, diggers, carriers, bricklayers, sewage cleaners, sweepers, palanquin bearers, rickshaw pullers.
(iii) Some of them also went to work on plantations in Assam, Mauritius, Trinidad evils and Indonesia. 
(iv) Poor and the people from low castes saw this as an opportunity to get away from the oppressive hold of the upper caste landowners.
(v) The father of BR Ambedkar, the leader of the Dalit Movement, taught at an army school.

Christian missionaries were attacked by many people in our country because people did not support the activities of Christian missionaries. Further many Hindu nationalists felt that Hindu women were adopting Western ways and this would corrupt Hindu culture and destroy our y family values.
Some people have supported the activities of Christian missionaries because:
(i) Christian missionaries, during the 19th century began setting up schools for tribal groups and 'lower caste children'.
This education made them capable to adjust with the changing world.
(ii) Christian missionaries condemned sati system and child marriage. They set-up many schools for women, where women were trained so that they could support themselves economically.

The first schools for girls were opened in the mid-19th century.
People feared to send their girls to school as:
(i) They feared that schools would take girls away from home, prevent them from doing their domestic duties.
(ii) They felt that girls should stay away from public places. Girls had to travel through public place in order to reach school and this would have a corrupting influence on them.