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Glossary Terms
| Term (EN) | Definition | Exam Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Adyar | Suburb of Chennai where Theosophical Society headquarters has been located since 1882 | Theosophical Society geography — tested in 2021 |
| Arya | Noble | |
| Brahmo Samaj | "Society of God" — monotheistic reform organisation founded by Ram Mohan Roy (1828) | First major reform movement; foundational |
| Dalit | Term meaning "oppressed" — first used by Jyotirao Phule for untouchable castes | B.R. Ambedkar, lower-caste reform — contemporary political term |
| Derozians | Followers of H.L.V. Derozio — free-thinking, rationalist Young Bengal students | Early Bengal intellectual awakening (1820s–30s) |
| Gulamgiri | "Slavery" — Jyotirao Phule's 1873 book comparing caste oppression to racial slavery | Phule, anti-caste literature |
| Gurukul | Traditional residential Indian school system; revived by Arya Samaj (Gurukul Kangri, Haridwar, 1902) | Arya Samaj educational system |
| Home Rule League | Annie Besant (1916, Madras) and Tilak (1916, Maharashtra) leagues demanding Indian self-governance | Transition from reform to political nationalism |
| Karma Yoga | Vivekananda's philosophy — active service to humanity as a path to spiritual liberation | Ramakrishna Mission's philosophical basis |
| Mahad Satyagraha | March 1927, Ambedkar — Dalits exercise right to drink from Chavadar Tank, Mahad; Manu Smriti burnt | Ambedkar — landmark anti-caste event |
| Manu Smriti | Ancient Hindu law code (~2nd century BCE–3rd century CE) that codified caste hierarchy and gender discrimination | Target of Ambedkar's symbolic burning (1927) |
| Sati | Practice of widow immolation on husband's funeral pyre; abolished by Regulation XVII, 1829 | Colonial social reform — Ram Mohan Roy's campaign |
| Shuddhi | Arya Samaj purification | |
| Theosophical Society | 1875 organisation promoting ancient wisdom, universal brotherhood, Hindu | |
| Satyashodhak Samaj | "Truth-seeking Society" — founded by Phule (1873) to challenge Brahmin supremacy in Maharashtra | Phule — key lower-caste reform organisation |
| Unitarianism | Monotheistic theology — God is one indivisible person; influenced Brahmo Samaj via Roy's engagement with Unitarians | Brahmo Samaj intellectual heritage |
| Vedanta | Philosophical tradition interpreting the Upanishads; Vivekananda presented as universal philosophy in Chicago | Ramakrishna Mission — philosophical foundation |
| Vivisection | Surgical division; Theosophy opposed the vivisection of animals — one of Annie Besant's early campaigns | Theosophical ideology context |
| Prarthana Samaj | "Prayer Society" founded 1867 in Bombay (Atmaram Pandurang; inspired by Keshab Chandra Sen); promoted widow remarriage, inter-dining; Justice Ranade was its leading figure | Maharashtra reform movement — contrasted with Brahmo Samaj and Arya Samaj |
| Deoband | Dar ul-Ulum Deoband (1867, UP): Islamic seminary preserving traditional learning independent of British patronage; graduates tended toward Congress and Khilafat; world's second-largest Islamic university | Muslim reform tradition — Aligarh vs Deoband distinction tested in exams |
| Young Bengal | Free-thinking movement among students of H.L.V. Derozio at Hindu College (1820s–30s) | Precursor to Bengal Renaissance intellectual movement |