Write a detailed introduction to socio-political reform in nineteenth-century India.

In the nineteenth century, largely in response to the British occupation of India, the country entered a period known as the Indian Renaissance. It was a time of socio-political reform, when the Indian people were exposed to western ideals that challenged traditional beliefs and practices that formed the basis of Hindu life. These traditional beliefs revolved around adherence to the caste system (the basis of the Hindu religion and a system which people came to see as a cause of decay within their country).
Before the nineteenth century, India had isolated itself from western ideas and clung tight to the tenets of Hinduism. Hinduism was the law of the land, and the people considered it their duty to preserve it. During the Indian Renaissance, however, the Indian people began to see that the caste system conflicted with the idea that all people are free and equal. In the past they had protected the system, but now many began to question it, as liberty and equality were ideals they had come to accept.
When the Indian people began to see oppression in their society, they wanted to correct it, and the people had learned that, as in a Western democracy, they could work together to change the structure of their society in order to better it. The socio-political reforms that took place in India did not change the traditional system, however; it simply allowed for new ideas to exist alongside it. Thus, change took place gradually, as attempts were made unify the factions in society that divided the interests of the country. To introduce the reforms that characterized the Indian Renaissance, I would discuss the work of Raja Rammohan Roy, a reformer who is considered the father of the Indian Renaissance. Roy, along with other reformers, worked tirelessly to implement progressive policies and to mobilize the people in a common goal to create a nation that promoted justice and ensured social progress.