Sivnath Sastri (1847-1919) was a leading member of the Brahmo Samaj, a theistic movement within Hinduism that Haimabati Sen herself was a part of. The Brahmo Samaj was indeed closer to Christianity than it was to Hinduism in its denouncement of polytheism, the Indian caste system, and idol worshipping. One of the facets of the Brahmo Samaj most central to Sen’s participation, however, was its strides toward social reform. The movement supported the education of women as well as campaigned for the remarriage of widows and against that of child marriages. As minister of the Brahmo Samaj’s chief congregation, Sivnath Sastri was an influential voice among these campaigns of activism. He was one of the founders of the Indian Association, a precursor to the Indian National congress, as well as an ardent supporter of women’s right to schooling and jobs in workplaces unjustly restricted to men.
As depicted in The Memoirs of Dr. Haimabati Sen: From Child Widow to Lady Doctor, Sen converted to Brahmo Samaj by choice, not by birth. The group’s philosophies concerning the education of women greatly appealed to her as an aspiring medical student and doctor. Similarly, Brahmo Samaj’s acceptance of the remarriage of widows shielded Sen from the persecution she might have gotten from other Hindus as an exceptionally young widow herself looking to remarry. Sen mentions Sivnath Sastri in her text after she decides to leave her teaching position in Bengal and move to Calcutta. Sastri is depicted as someone on the receiving end of one of her letters of introduction (pg 68). Thus, Sen is familiar with Sastri’s name for he was one of the most ardent voices within the group she sought to be a part of: the Brahmo Samaj.
Sources:
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Brahmo Samaj." Encyclopedia Britannica, February 19, 2015. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Brahmo-Samaj.
“Sivnath Shastri.” The Brahmo Samaj. Accessed February 28, 2021. https://www.thebrahmosamaj.net/founders/sivnath.html.