Brahmo Samaj was the name of the first reform movement of 19th-century Hinduism. It was founded as Brahmō Sabhā by Rāmmohan Roy in Calcutta in 1828, and after a short period of stagnation, it was renamed Brahmo Samaj (Hindi: “Society [of followers] of Brahma”; “Brahma Society”) in 1843 under Debendranath Tagore. The primary purpose of the movement was to reform outdated Hinduism in the course of intensive engagement with Christianity and the British colonial power.

Roy, still regarded today as one of the “fathers of modern India” [3]; [6], was born into a wealthy Brahmin family, wh…