Who appointed Keshav Chandra Sen as the Chief Acharya of Brahmo Samaj?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — C, Devendranath Thakur (Debendranath Tagore). Tagore, who had reorganised and led the Brahmo Samaj from the 1840s, brought the young Keshab Chandra Sen into the Samaj's leadership soon after he joined in 1857-58, and appointed him Acharya (chief minister/preacher) in 1862. The appointment did not last: doctrinal and social differences — especially Sen's push against caste distinctions — led Tagore to remove him from the post in 1865, and the Samaj split in 1866 into Tagore's Adi Brahmo Samaj and Sen's Brahmo Samaj of India.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Founder of the earlier Brahmo Sabha (1828), the movement's precursor — but he died in 1833, five years before Keshab Chandra Sen was even born, so he could not have appointed him to anything.  (b) A Bombay-based judge and social reformer associated with the Prarthana Samaj, a separate reform body — not part of the Bengal Brahmo Samaj's leadership.  (d) Co-founder of the Bombay Prarthana Samaj, a contemporaneous but distinct reform movement — not connected to Sen's appointment as Acharya of the Bengal Brahmo Samaj.

Concept: Devendranath Tagore reshaped the Brahmo Samaj after Ram Mohan Roy's death, giving it a formal creed and organisation from the 1840s. Keshab Chandra Sen joined in 1857-58 and rose quickly on the strength of his oratory and organisational energy; Tagore appointed him Acharya in 1862. The relationship broke down over Sen's radicalism (rejecting caste distinctions and pushing inter-caste practices), and Tagore dismissed him from the post in 1865, precipitating the 1866 split.

State PCS 2024 Q62 — History PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2024 Q62 — History PYQ with Answer