Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar : Sea of Knowledge.
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar took birth on September 26, 1820, in a city called Birsingh at Ghatak in the state of Bengal. It was that time when India was under British rule. He belonged to a poor Hindu Brahmin family. He was a person who always craves for knowledge, and he wanted to learn new things every day. He always studied efficiently and was good in academics. As he was a good student, he got several scholarships that helped him to study further. He used to read different other books other than his course books so that he can gain more knowledge of various things.
He continued his studies in a Sanskrit college that helped him to learn Sanskrit grammar, literature and bidding. Because of his knowledge of Sanskrit, he was appointed as a chief in Fort William College’s Sanskrit department at the age of 21. After working there for some year, he then joined a government Sanskrit College as assistant secretary.
Ishwar Chandra was acknowledged for his knowledge and was awarded the title of Vidyasagar, which means Sea of Knowledge. He believes that education is the power that one needs to survive in this world, and he was the living example of this. He also supported girl child education and inaugurated schools in different areas so that girls can enhance their education and stand along with men. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was always enthusiastic about learning new things. The thirst of knowledge motivates him to read more and more so that he can enhance his knowledge to higher levels. He also wanted to share his knowledge with others which is why he started writing about his thoughts. He didn’t fail as a writer and was quite popular among many readers. He wrote some books that inspired people all over the world. He was appreciated for his writings in every corner.
Books Written by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Some of the famous books of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar are Betaal Panchabinsati published in 1847, Bangala-r Itihaas published in 1848, Jeebancharit published in 1850, Bodhafoy published in 1851, Upakramanika also published in 1851, Borno Parichay published in 1854, Kotha Mala published in 1856 and Sitar Bonobas published in 1860. He was also an author in the Bengali newspaper Shome Prakash. The newspaper started publishing in the year 1858.
Betal Panchabindati was one of his special and popular books. This book contains stories of legends who belong to the Indian background. It was first published in Sanskrit. He also wrote different books on widows and how they are treated in the country. He tried to give a detailed overview of the Hindu customs.
Quotes From Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Here is one of the most inspirational quotes written by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
“Education should not only mean learning, reading, writing and arithmetic, it should provide broad knowledge, education in geography, geometry, literature, natural philosophy, ethical philosophy, physiology, political economy etc. is very important. We want teachers who know both Bengali and English, as well as free from religious prejudices.” The books and quotes were written by Ishwar Chandra not only interest people of their era but are still popular among youth to this day.
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar is considered as a Bengali polymath. He was popular among people because of many reforms in the society. He was against many norms which were accepted in India and challenged them so that Indian citizens can live a more comfortable life. Some of the norms that he challenged are:
Efforts for Widow Remarriage
At that time, widows were suffering a lot in Indian society because of the norms. Vidyasagar was totally against these norms and didn’t like it. Widows were forced to shave their heads, wear white sarees and serve their husband’s family till death. During that time, there were many widows because the elderly were used to marry teen girls at that time.
To escape from all this hardship, many widows try to run away from their husband’s home and live a free life. Many turn into prostitutes to earn a living, but they were degraded by society. So in both ways, they were unhappy and disgusted by other people.
Vidyasagar’s aim was to change the thinking of Indian people and prevent the widows from all these hardships. He was responsible for starting many reforms in order to give freedom and respect to the widows of the society. He claimed that every widow should get treated like other people and have equal rights so that they can’t get degraded by society.
Many people stand against him, claiming that he is violating Hindu traditions and customs, but he also got the support of many influential people like Akshay Kumar Dutta. This gave him the strength to fight further against society.
Rebuilding the Bengali Alphabet
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was responsible for rebuilding the Bengali alphabet. He was known for making the Bengali typography easier by excluding some Sanskrit sounds and punctuations. He also added three new characters so that it can match the modern pronunciation. Ishwar Chandra revised the Bengali typography in the alphabet if twelve vowels and forty vowels.
Supporting Girl Child Education
Vidyasagar has the sole purpose of increasing the social status of women in India. This was the reason he established nearly 35 schools promoting girl child education. He explained to people why a girl needs to be educated and urge them to send their daughters to the school so that they can be independent.
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar didn’t only work for widows and women of India but has also contributed his work towards developing the society as a whole. His contributions to society are commendable.
