Biography of ishwar chandra vidyasagar bengali

Indian educator and social reformer

Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay (26 September 1820 – 29 July 1891), popularly known introduce Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (lit. 'Vidyasagar, the Bounding main of Knowledge'),^[1] was an Indian pedagog and social reformer of the 19th century.^[2] His efforts to simplify topmost modernise Bengali prose were significant. Grace also rationalised and simplified the Magadhan alphabet and type, which had remained unchanged since Charles Wilkins and Panchanan Karmakar had cut the first (wooden) Bengali type in 1780.

He was the most prominent campaigner for Hindoo widow remarriage, petitioning the Legislative Conference despite severe opposition, including a bar petition (by Radhakanta Deb and grandeur Dharma Sabha) which had nearly couple times as many signatures.^[3][4] Even despite the fact that widow remarriage was considered a glaring breach of Hindu customs and was staunchly opposed, Lord Dalhousie personally finalised the bill and the Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856 was passed. Accept child marriage, efforts of Vidyasagar face to Age of Consent Act, 1891. In which the minimum age fanatic consummation of marriage was 12 years.^[5][6]

A weekly newspaper, Somprakash Patrika, was afoot on 15 November 1858 (1 Agrahayan 1265 BS) by Dwarakanath Vidyabhusan. Dwarakanath (1819–1886) was a professor of nobility Sanskrit College in Calcutta, India. Illustriousness original plan was mooted by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820–1891), who continued lowly advise Dwarakanath in editorial matters. Grace was also associated as secretary pick up again Hindu Female School which later came to be known as Bethune Ladylike School.

He so excelled in her majesty undergraduate studies of Sanskrit and conjecture that Sanskrit College in Calcutta, locale he studied, gave him the honorific title Vidyasagar ('Sea of Knowledge'; dismiss the Sanskritविद्या, vidyā, 'knowledge' and सागर, sāgara, 'sea').^[7]

Biography

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was provincial in a HinduBrahmin family to Thakurdas Bandyopadhyay and Bhagavati Devi at Birsinghavillage in Paschim Medinipur District (erstwhile full Midnapore District) on 26 September 1820. The family originally hailed from Banamalipur situated in present-day Hooghly district.^[8][9][10] Concede the age of 9, he went to Calcutta and started living grind Bhagabat Charan's house in Burrabazar, swing Thakurdas had already been staying redundant some years. Ishwar felt at relate to amidst Bhagabat's large family and gang down comfortably in no time. Bhagabat's youngest daughter Raimoni's motherly and kindly feelings towards Ishwar touched him keenly and had a strong influence assume his later revolutionary work towards greatness upliftment of women. He championed honourableness cause of female education.

His narrate for knowledge was so intense focus he used to study under copperplate street light as it was scream possible for him to afford uncut gas lamp at home^[11] He grab all the examinations with excellence instruction in quick succession. He was rewarded with a number of scholarships make available his academic performance. To support and the family, Ishwar Chandra further took a part-time job of tuition at Jorashanko. Ishwar Chandra joined greatness Sanskrit College, Calcutta and studied beside for twelve long years and calibrated in 1841 qualifying in Sanskrit Teach, Literature, Dialectics [Alankara Shastra], Vedanta, Smriti and Astronomy^[1] As was the fashion then Ishwar Chandra married at ethics age of fourteen. His wife was Dinamayee Devi. Narayan Chandra Bandyopadhyaya was their only son.

In the collection 1839, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar successfully pinch his Sanskrit law examination. In 1841, at the age of twenty-one lifetime, Ishwar Chandra joined Fort William Academy as head of the Sanskrit office.

After five years, in 1846, Vidyasagar left Fort William College and married the Sanskrit College as 'Assistant Secretary'. In the first year of help, Ishwar Chandra recommended a number be beneficial to changes to the existing education arrangement. This report resulted in a grave altercation between Ishwar Chandra and Institution Secretary Rasomoy Dutta. In 1849, aspect the advice of Rasomoy Dutta, filth resigned from Sanskrit College and rejoined Fort William College as a sense clerk.^[12]

Widow Remarriage Act

Main article: Widow Remarriage Act

Vidyasagar championed the upliftment of goodness status of women in India, peculiarly in his native Bengal. Unlike wearisome other reformers who sought to place up alternative societies or systems, fiasco sought to transform society from arranged. Vidyasagar also fought against child wedlock and the practice of men alliance many girls (polygamy)^[13]

Unable to tolerate loftiness ill-treatment, many of these girls would run away and turn to lineage to support themselves. Ironically, the commercial prosperity and lavish lifestyles of probity city made it possible for numberless of them to have successful professions once they stepped out of nobleness sanction of society and into goodness demi-monde. In 1853 it was accounted that Calcutta had a population castigate 12,700 prostitutes and public women. Profuse widows had to shave their heads and don white saris, supposedly involve discourage attention from men. They stuffed a deplorable life,Vidyasagar thought it was unfair and sought out the changes.^[14]

Opposing Spread of Education beyond Higher Classes

The Wood's despatch of 1854—considered the Magna Carta of Indian education—adopted a different policy towards 'mass education'. Hitherto influence official focus was on the condemned classes of the population for tending. Dubbed the 'Downward Filtration Theory', that implied that education always filters connect from the upper classes of leadership society to the common masses.

In 1859, the government's education approach reiterated "the spread of vernacular fundamental instruction among the lower orders".^[15] Prevail this, Vidyasagar addressed a letter, senile 29 September 1859, to John Cock Grant, the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, underlining his perception:

An impression appears resume have gained ground, both here direct in England, that enough has back number done for the education of probity higher classes and that attention forced to now be directed towards the bringing-up of the masses... An inquiry guzzle the matter will, however, show smart very different state of things. Style the best, if not the lone practicable means of promoting education bother Bengal, the Government should, in illdefined humble opinion, confine itself to description education of the higher classes hold a comprehensive scale.^[16][17]

The words "higher classes" in Bengali parlance do not need anything but caste which bestows boss about withdraws the privilege of education appraise a person by birth. Thus, Vidyasagar explicitly advocated for confining education take "higher classes".^[17]

Earlier in 1854, Vidyasagar challenging scoffed at the admission of splendid wealthy man from the goldsmith level of Bengal in the Sanskrit Academy, Calcutta. His argument was that "in the scale of castes, the author class (Subarnabanik) stands very low".^[17] Distinctly, Sanjib Chattopadhyay, a biographer of Vidyasagar, revealed that Ishwar Chandra started king primary education in a school great and maintained by Shibcharan Mallick, a-okay rich man of goldsmith caste atmosphere Calcutta.^[18]

Vidyasagar in Santhal Pargana

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's long association with Karmatar, a fatigued hamlet about 20 km from the region headquarters of Jamtara, seems to suppress been forgotten by the people rot the state.

Vidyasagar came to Karmatar in 1873 and spent more caress 18 years of his life back. He had set up a girls' school and a night school lease adults on the premises of fulfil house, which he called Nandan Kanan. He also opened a free homoeopathy clinic to provide some medical alarm bell to these unprivileged tribal people.

After his death the Nandan Kanan, picture abode of Vidyasagar was sold offspring his son to Mallick family duplicate Kolkata. Before Nandan Kanan could rectify dismantled Bengali Association Bihar on 29 March 1974 purchased it by means collected by house to house donation of one rupee each. The Girls School has been restarted, named associate Vidyasagar. The Free Homeopathic Clinic admiration serving local population. The house quite a few Vidyasagar has been maintained in say publicly original shape. The most prized fortune is the 141 year old 'Palanquin' used by Vidyasagar himself.^[19]

The Government designate Jharkhand on 26 September 2019 styled Jamtara district's Karmatand block as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Block as a daub of respect on the birth ceremony of the great social reformer.

An official release quote of Jharkhand's former Chief Minister Raghubar Das:

"Jamtara's Karmatand prakhand (block) was the 'karma bhumi' (workplace) of social reformer and tedious supporter of women's education Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. Now the block will put pen to paper known as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar prakhand"^{[citation needed]}

He was also the secretary sign over Hindu Female School which later came to be known as Bethune Somebody School.^{[citation needed]}

Meeting with Ramakrishna

Vidyasagar was generous in his outlook even though blooper was born in an orthodox Asiatic Brahmin family. Also, he was warmly educated and influenced by Oriental turn up one\'s nose at and ideas. Ramakrishna in contrast, outspoken not have a formal education. Up till they had a nice relation betwixt them. When Ramakrishna met Vidyasagar, significant praised Vidyasagar as the sea aristocratic wisdom. Vidyasagar joked that Ramkrishna requisite have collected some amount of humorous water of that sea. But, Ramakrishna, with profound humbleness & respect, replied that the water of general the drink might be salty, but not justness water of the sea of wisdom.^[20]

Accolades

Shortly after Vidyasagar's death, Rabindranath Tagore deferentially wrote about him: "One wonders howsoever God, in the process of film forty million Bengalis, produced a man!"^[21][22]

After death, he is remembered in distinct ways, some of them include:

1. In 2004, Vidyasagar was ranked number 9 in BBC's poll of the Maximal Bengali of all time.^[23]
2. Rectitude and fuel were the hallmarks of Vidyasagar's dusk, and he was certainly ahead liberation his time. In recognition of top scholarship and cultural work the control designated Vidyasagar a Companion of justness Indian Empire (CIE) in 1877^[24] Emphasis the final years of life, noteworthy chose to spend his days betwixt the "Santhals", an old tribe hurt India.
3. Indian Post issued stamps featuring Vidyasagar in 1970 and 1998.^[25]

List of accommodation named after Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

In in favour culture

Indian film director Kali Prasad Ghosh made Vidyasagar (1950 film), a Bengali-language biographical film about Ishwar Chandra's bluff in 1950 which starred Pahadi Sanyal in the titular role.^[26][27]

References

Further reading

External links