IshwarChandraVidyasagarBiographyIshwar Chandra Vidyasagar was an Indian polymath and asocial reformer. This biography of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagarprovides detailed information about his childhood, life,achievements,works&timeline.

QuickFactsFamousas SocialReformer,PhilosopherNationality IndianBornon 26September1820ADZodiacSign LibraBornin PaschimMidnaporeDistrict,WestBengal,IndiaDiedon 29July1891ADPlaceofdeath Kokkata,India

Father ThakurdasBandyopadhyayMother BhagavatiDeviSpouse: DinamaniDeviChildren NarayanChandra

The social reformer who strived to make life better for thewomenof India and pushed theBritish government to pass theWidow Remarriage Act, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was aBengalipolymathwho livedduringthe19thcentury.Vidyasagarwas a brilliant man, an educator by profession; he was deeplypainedby the injustices facedbyseveral sectionsof the Indiansociety.Hewasmovedparticularlybytheplightofchildwidowswhowereoften ill-treatedand tortured.Heplayeda key role inconvincing theBritishgovernment toallowfor theremarriageofthese innocent young girls so that they could have a secondchance at life. In addition to being a social reformer, he wasalso a writer, philosopher, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Hewas a key figure of the Bengal Renaissance which had begunwith Raja RamMohanRoywhowas among the first Indians tochallengethetraditionalnormsofthesociety.Vidyasagarhadadeep love of learning and it is no surprise that he became aneducator. He was a kind hearted man who tried his best toreform the society so that the downtrodden like so-called lowercastesandwidowscouldalsoliveadignifiedlife.

Childhood&Early LifeHewasborntoThakurdasBandyopadhyayandBhagavatiDevi inasmallvillage.WhenhewassixyearsoldhewassenttoCalcuttatostaywithBhagabatCharan.Bhagabat Charan had a large family which was veryaffectionate towards the littleboy.Theyoungestdaughterof the houseespecially dotedonhim, and this imbibed inhim a great respect and concern for the women, which

laterinfluencedhissocialactivities.His thirst for knowledge was so great that he used tostudyunder thestreet lightsashecouldnotafford tobuyagas lamp.Hewasagoodstudentandearnedanumberofscholarshipstofurtherhiseducation.He attended the Sanskrit College, Calcutta where hestudiedSanskritGrammar,Literature,Vedanta,SmrutiandAstronomy, and passed out in 1841. Meanwhile he hadalsoclearedhisLawexaminationin1839.Duetohis in-depthknowledgeinSanskritandphilosophy,hereceivedthetitleVidyasagar fromSanskritCollege.

CareerHe joined Fort William College (FWC) as a PrincipalLecturer in 1841.G.T.Marshallwhowas the secretary ofthe college was much impressed by the young mansdedication and hard work. He worked in the college forfiveyears.In 1846, he joined the Sanskrit College as AssistantSecretary. During his first year he suggested severalchanges to theexistingeducationsystem.ThisdidnotgowellwiththeCollegeSecretaryRasomoyDutta.Vidyasagar resigned due to the differences with Dutta,andtemporarilytookupthepositionofheadclerkpositionat FWC on Marshalls advice. He joined the SanskritCollegeagainin1849asaprofessorofliteratureandwasmadetheprincipalofthecollegein1851.Hewasmadethespecial inspectorofschoolsin1855.Hetraveled around Bengal and visited schools. During histravels, he witnessed the pathetic conditions in whichpeople lived. Superstitions and blind faith were prevalentduetolackofeducation.Thismotivatedhim toestablishschoolsalloverBengal tospread the light of education. Within two months hearranged for20schools tobebuilt. Inorder toencouragegender equality, he also established 30 schools

exclusivelyforgirls.The FWC was closed in 1854 and a Board of Examinerswascreated in itsplace.Hewasanactivememberof theboard.The Education Department had a new head by now whodid not give Vidyasagar the freedom or the respect hedeservedtogoabouthiswork.ThusheresignedfromtheSanskritCollegein1854.DisturbedbytheplightofchildwidowsinIndia,heworkedhard tomake lifebetter for theseyounggirlsandwomen.He was a staunch believer in the remarriage of widowsandtriedtocreateawarenessaboutthisissue.One of the major factors contributing to the increase innumber of child widows was the fact that many wealthymen of high castes used to have numerous wives whichthey would leave behind as widows upon their death.Thus Vidyasagar also fought against the system ofpolygamy.Hewas a very kind hearted personwho felt sorry for thesick, poor, and downtrodden. He used to donate moneyfromhissalarytotheneedyregularly.Healsonursedsickpeople back to health, admitted students of so-calledlower castes to his college, and cremated unclaimedbodiesatthecrematorium.Asanacademicianhe reconstructed theBengali alphabetand laid thebase forBengaliprose. It ishewhoreformedBengali typography into alphabets consisting of twelvevowelsandfortyconsonants.

MajorWorksHeisbestrememberedforhisrelentlesseffortsinfightingthe injustices meted out to women, especially widows.Moved by the plight of child widows, he persuaded theBritish Government to take action and pushed for it topassTheHinduWidows'RemarriageAct,1856.

PersonalLife &Legacy

In 1834 when he was 14 years old he married DinamaniDevi.Thecouplehadoneson,NarayanChandra.Hewas very unhappywith his family due to their narrow-mindednessandwent to livewiththeSanthalsat NandanKanan in the district of Jamtara where he spent the lasttwo decades of his life. During his later years his healthdeterioratedandhediedin1891.