Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar CIE, born Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay, was a Bengali polymath from the Indian subcontinent, and a key figure of the Bengal Renaissance. He was a philosopher, academic educator, writer, translator, printer, publisher, entrepreneur, reformer and philanthropist.Wikipedia Born: September 26, 1820, Ghatal, India Died: July 29, 1891, Kolkata, India Full name: Ishwar Chandra Bandopadhyay Spouse: Dinamani Devi (m. 1834–1888) Movies: Bhranti Bilas Books: Barnaparichay, Marriage of Hindu widows, Unpublished Letters of Vidyasagar, More In fact, shortly after the demise of Vidyasagar, Rabindranath Tagore reverently wrote about him: "One wonders how God, in the process of producing forty million Bengalis, produced a man!" Life and Education Ishwar Chandra Bandopadhyaya was born in Birsingha village of Midnapore district in Bengal on September 26, 1820. His father, Thakurdas Bandyopadhyay and mother Bhagavati Devi were very religious persons. The economic condition of the family was not well so Ishwar had to spend his childhood amidst scarcity of basic resources. Amidst all this, Ishwar Chandra was an obstinate boy with a brilliant mind and he focused his obstinacy in his studies. He learned basics of Sanskrit at the village pathshaala after which he set out Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820-1891) was as one of the pillars of Bengal renaissance who managed to continue the social reforms movement that was started by Raja Rammohan Roy in the early 1800s. Vidyasagar was a well-known writer, intellectual and above all a staunch supporter of humanity. He had an imposing personality and was revered even by the British authorities of his time. He brought about a revolution in the Bengali education system and refined the way Bengali language was written and taught. His book, ‘Borno Porichoy’ (Introduction to the letter), is still used as the introductory text to learn Bengali alphabets. The title 'Vidyasagar' (ocean of knowledge) was given to him due to his vast knowledge in several subjects. Poet Michael Madhusudan Dutta while writing about Ishwar Chandra said: "The genius and wisdom of an ancient sage, the energy of an Englishman and the heart of a Bengali mother". According to Kathamrita, August 5, 1882, was the first time that Ramakrishna had met. While one was a liberal individual who was highly educated and influenced by Oriental thoughts and ideas, Ramakrishna, in contrast, did not have a formal education. When they first met, Ramakrishna praised Vidyasagar as the ocean of wisdom. Vidyasagar on his part joked that the saint should have collected some amount of saltwater of that sea. But, Ramakrishna, with profound humbleness and respect, replied that the water of general sea might be salty, but not the water of the sea of wisdom. Standing tall against the conservative power centres of Hindu society, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was a man who was way ahead of his times. A legendary educationist, a Sanskrit scholar and a social reformer who not only changed the Bengali alphabet and type but also challenged Hindu orthodoxy by playing a pivotal role in passing the Widow Remarriage Act. He also fought for women’s education and vigorously challenged the barbaric practice of child marriage. A key figure of the Bengal Renaissance, he was a multifaceted man. His efforts to simplify and modernise Bengali prose were significant. He received the title “Vidyasagar” (in Sanskrit Vidya means knowledge and Sagar means ocean, Vidyasagar stands for Ocean of Knowledge) from Sanskrit College, Calcutta (from where he graduated), due to his excellent performance in Sanskrit studies and philosophy. Till the end he was a true BHARATIYA and was a pal bearer of Raja Rammohan Roy widow remarriage Movement Compiled by cnupne from my iPhone -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/20BFADA0-80CC-4D2A-BCA9-B4F96337EC79%40gmail.com.
