Ram Mohan started the Samvad Koumudi – a weekly paper – in 1821, andwith it he was able to make a bolder and more sustained onslaught on the forcesof prejudice and reaction. By 1823, he had fully matured and sharpened hisdialectical instrument. Ram Mohan’s interest and inquiries ranged from therights of women and the freedom of the press to English education in India, the revenue and judicial systems in India,religious toleration and the plight of Indian peasantry. He wanted India to becomea new and modern country and the Indians to become a virile new people, byachieving a new integration of our traditional strength with the new scientificdisciplines from the West.

Roy's effortsto abolish the practice of Sati were largely driven by his concern for themoral dimensions of religion. It was the sight of the burning of his brother'swidow on her husband's funeral pyre and his inability to save her that spurredRam Mohan into action.

He delved into the scriptures in great detail and proved that the practice ofSati could not gain moksha (salvation) for the husband as each man wasresponsible for his own destiny. He also realized that very often it was greedyrelatives interested in the property of the dead husband who were behindpromoting the practice.

His relentless efforts in the form of petitions, writings and the organizing ofvigilance committees paid off when the William Bentinck administration passed alaw in 1829 banning the practice of Sati. Royalso succeeded in starting a revolution for women's education and women's rightto property. By delving into Hindu scriptures, he showed that even ancient Indianwomen enjoyed equal freedom with men.

Among Roy'sother firsts was the publishing of a newspaper in an Indian language. TheAtmiya Sabha brought out a weekly called the 'Bengal Gazette'. He alsopublished a newspaper in Persian called 'Miratul-Akhbar'. Roy placed a great deal of importance on thedevelopment of his mother tongue. His 'Gaudiya Vyakaran' in Bengali is ratedhighly among his writings in prose.

The founding of the Brahmo Samaj was among Roy's most important contributions. Beginningin 1828 as a small group, the Samaj played a major role in Renaissance Bengalof the 19th century by attracting luminaries like Keshub Chandra Sen andRabindranath Tagore and other members of the Tagore family. The objectives ofthe Samaj were to follow a theistic form of Hinduism combining the best of whatRoy inculcatedthrough his exposure to other religions.