Background
He was born of a high-caste family at Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1838. His family originally belonged to Gariffa village on the banks of the river Hooghly.
He was born of a high-caste family at Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1838. His family originally belonged to Gariffa village on the banks of the river Hooghly.
He was educated at one of the Calcutta colleges, where he became proficient in English literature and history.
For a short time he was a clerk in the Bank of Bengal, but resigned his post to devote himself exclusively to literature and philosophy. Like many other educated Hindus, Keshub Chunder Sen had gradually dissociated himself from the popular forms of the native religion, without abandoning what he believed to be its spirit. As early as 1857 he joined the Brahma Samaj, a religious association aiming at the reformation of Hinduism. In 1862 he undertook the ministry of one of its branches. In the same year he helped to found the Albert College and started the Indian Mirror, a weekly journal in which social and moral subjects were discussed.
In 1863 he wrote The Brahma Samaj Vindicated. He also travelled about the country lecturing and preaching. The steady development of his reforming zeal led to a split in the society, which broke into two sections, Chunder Sen putting himself at the head of the reform movement, which took the name " Brahma Samaj of India, " and tried to propagate.
In November 1865 he was caused to leave the Brahma Samaj after "an open break with its founder Debendranath Tagore" over Christian practices in Brahmoism, and the next year (1866) with encouragement of the Unitarian preacher Charles Dall he joined another new organisation BharatBarshiya Brohmo Samaj (Brohmo Samaj of India) as its Secretary (the President being "God").
Sen was convinced that only Christian doctrine could bring new life to Hindu society. Perceiving Christianity as a model tradition from which the Indians could learn, Keshab became convinced that the British presence in India served a divine purpose for the Indian people.
Quotations: "Philosophy first taught me insight and reflection, and turned my eyes inward from the things of the external world, so that I began to reflect on my position, character and destiny. "
He had at ten children, five sons - Karuna, Nirmal, Profullo, Saral and Subrata and five daughters - Suniti, Savitri, Sucharu, Monica and Sujata.
