Bristol adopts Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Bristol, September 27
This quintessential English city was the unlikely final resting place of renowned Indian social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy, and 178 years after his death it has officially adopted the activist as one of its own. On Sunday, the Lord Mayor of Bristol, Geoffrey Gollop, unveiled a new painting at the Arnos Vale Cemetery depicting 40 famous Bristolians, which included Roy.
So, the town that has consistently cherished the memory of Roy, now calls him "an adopted Bristolian". The cemetery is the final resting place of Roy, who died here on September 27, 1833.
This year, the Arnos Vale Trust organised a series of events to commemorate his death anniversary. In the literature for the events, he was described as the "international social reformer, and adopted Bristolian". Bristol's eagerness to perverse and cherish Roy's memory “despite reservations expressed by some residents” is evident from the many landmarks in the city.