This picture is of Bristol Cathedral and in foreground stands the statue of Raja Ram MohunRoy
an Indian reformer who died whilst visiting friends in Bristol.
I always feel like making a bow to him as I pass him by very often as he is a great hero.
As a religious and social reformer the modern day Indians owe him a great deal.
Whilst working tirelessly against what he saw as superstitious and unjust practises in his homeland such as sati (the practise in which the widow was burned on her husband's funeral pyre), caste rigidity, polygamy and child marriage he also fought courageously to get the British Government on the side of giving welfare to the Indian nation which they ruled and for the education system, such as it was, not only to improve but to include girls. He died at the age of 61 of meningitis whilst visiting friends in Bristol who were supporting his cause with the Government but not before he had seen the Hindu Nation ban sati for ever. He is buried in the Arnos Vale Cemetery in southern Bristol. Lots of visitors from the Indian Continent visit his grave - he lived and died a hero.
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