while this might suggest that there was no positive british contribution during the raj era, that is not entirely the case. missionaries' wives such as martha mault née mead and her daughter eliza caldwell née mault are rightly remembered for pioneering the education and training of girls in south india. this practice was initially met with local resistance, as it flew in the face of tradition. raja rammohan roy's efforts led to the abolition of sati under governor-general william cavendish-bentinck in 1829. ishwar chandra vidyasagar's crusade for improvement in the situation of widows led to the widow remarriage act of 1856. many women reformers such as pandita ramabai also helped the cause of women.