Ishwar chandra vidyasagar

Make PDF Manifest Pedagogy: Issues and personalities in news are a good trigger for UPSC to pick questions from. In both preliminary and mains, the role and ideologies of personalities are taking centre stage. The Questions in the new pattern are looking at very detailed events in individual personalities life and comparing ideologies of various personalities. In news Violence in Calcutta during election and damage to the statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Placing it in the syllabus Modern Indian History Dimensions • His time period • Contributions to widow remarriage • Contributions to women’s education • Role as Sanskrit scholar Content His time period • He was born on 26 September 1820 in Midnapore district of Bengal Presidency(now in West Bengal. • From 1829 to 1841 Vidyasagar learned Vedanta, Vyakaran, Literature, Rhetoric’s, Smriti and Ethics in Sanskrit college. • Meanwhile, he took part in a competition testing knowledge in Sanskrit in 1839 and earned the title of ‘Vidyasagar’ meaning Ocean of Knowledge. In the same year, Ishwar Chandra cleared his Law examination. • Vidyasagar j oined the Fort William College as the Head Pandit in the Sanskrit department in 1841. • In 1846, Vidyasagar left Fort William College and joined the Sanskrit College as ‘Assistant Secretary’. • In 1849 he supported John Elliot Bethune to establish the first permanent girls’ school in India, the Bethune School. • In 1851, Vidyasagar became Principal of Sanskrit College. • In 1854, Vidyasag...

• • • Humanist, feminist: Why Iswarchandra Vidyasagar matters Humanist, feminist: Why Iswarchandra Vidyasagar matters In the 1870s, Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar wrote two brilliant critiques of polygamy, arguing to the government that since polygamy was not sanctioned by the sacred texts, there could be no objection to suppressing it by legislation. Iswarchandra Vidyasagar The man whom Michael Madhusudan Dutt, the 19th century pioneer of Bengali drama, described as having “the genius and wisdom of an ancient sage, the energy of an Englishman and the heart of a Bengali mother”, was born Iswarchandra Bandopadhyay on September 26, 1820, in Birsingha village of Midnapore district in a poor Brahmin family. After his elementary education, Iswarchandra moved to Calcutta, where he studied Sanskrit grammar, literature, Vedanta philosophy, logic, astronomy, and Hindu law, and received the title of Vidyasagar — Ocean of Learning — at age 21. Privately, he studied English literature and philosophy. When he was barely 30, Vidyasagar was appointed principal of Calcutta’s Sanskrit College. The Ocean of Learning, who is said to have studied under street lights as a child, was also the “Daya’r Sagar” — Ocean of Compassion — who literally wept at the sight of the poor and destitute, and is said to have spent his salary and scholarships on their welfare. But his most enduring contributions were as an educationist and reformer of traditional upper caste Hindu society. The focus of his reform was ...

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was 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. Standing tall against the conservative power centres of Hindu society, Vidyasagar was a man who was way ahead of his times. In light of the desecration of his statue, it is time to remind ourselves about this visionary of modern Indian history. Born on 26 September 1820 into a poor Brahmin family in Birsing village of Midnapore district, West Bengal, Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay was only six-years-old when he was sent to be educated in Kolkata. He lived in the house of a family friend Bhagabat Charan in the Burrabazar area. “The child settled down quickly in a new household where he was taken under the winds of Charan’s youngest daughter, Raimoni. Her maternal care and affection would go a long way in making Ishwar Chandra feel at home and would remain a lasting inspiration in his future fight to improve women’s situation,” writes Kalyani Mookherji in He was no ordinary student, passing each exam with flying colours, while also finding a way to support himself financially as a tutor for kids in another wealthy household. With limited means, he continued his education at the Sanskrit College of Kolkata, where he studied for 12 ye...

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was born in a Bengali Hindu Brahmin family to Thakurdas Bandyopadhyay and Bhagavati Devi at Birsingha village in Paschim Medinipur District (erstwhile undivided Midnapore District) on 26 September 1820. At the age of 9, he went to Calcutta and started living in Bhagabat Charan’s house in Burrabazar, where Thakurdas had already been staying for some years. Ishwar felt at ease amidst Bhagabat’s large family and settled down comfortably in no time. Bhagabat’s youngest daughter Raimoni’s motherly and affectionate feelings towards Ishwar touched him deeply and had a strong influence on his later revolutionary work towards the upliftment of women. He championed the cause of female education. Shortly after Vidyasagar’s death, Rabindranath Tagore reverently wrote about him: “One wonders how God, in the process of producing forty million Bengalis, produced a man!”

Topics covered: • Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar What to study? For prelims and mains: Roles, contributions and achievements of Ishwar Chandra. Why in News? The giant statue of Ishwar Chandra was recently vandalized by some political goons in Kolkata. About Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar: • He was the 19th century intellectual. • He was perhaps the first Indian reformer to put forward the issues of women. • His Bengali primer, Borno Porichoy, remains, more than 125 years after his death in 1891, the introduction to the alphabet for nearly all Bengali children. • He was a polymath who reconstructed the modern Bengali alphabet and initiated pathbreaking reform in traditional upper caste Hindu society. • He studied Sanskrit grammar, literature, Vedanta philosophy, logic, astronomy, and Hindu law for more than 12 years at Sanskrit College in Calcutta, and received the title of Vidyasagar — Ocean of Learning — at the age of just 21. • Privately, he studied English literature and philosophy and was appointed principal of Sanskrit College on January 22, 1851. Reforms by Ishwar Chandra: • The focus of his social reform was women — and he spent his life’s energies trying to ensure an end to the practice of child marriage and initiate widow remarriage. He argued, on the basis of scriptures and old commentaries, in favour of the remarriage of widows in the same wa...

Premium Explained: Where Vidyasagar stands in the history of Indian social reform The 19th century intellectual giant whose bust was vandalised in the course of a streetfight between BJP and Trinamool Congress supporters in Kolkata on May 14 was perhaps the first Indian reformer to put forward the issues of women. During the clashes between BJP and TMC workers, a bust of Vidyasagar’s bust was destroyed at Vidyasagar College. (Express photo by Shashi Ghosh) Michael Madhusudan Dutt, the 19th century pioneer of Bengali drama, described Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar as having “the genius and wisdom of an ancient sage, the energy of an Englishman and the heart of a Bengali mother”. One of Bengal’s towering cultural icons, and among the greatest personalities of the Bengal Renaissance, Vidyasagar was a polymath who reconstructed the modern Bengali alphabet and initiated pathbreaking reform in traditional upper caste Hindu society. The focus of his social reform was women — and he spent his life’s energies trying to ensure an end to the practice of child marriage and initiate widow remarriage. Vidyasagar’s Bengali primer, Borno Porichoy, remains, more than 125 years after his death in 1891, the introduction to the alphabet for nearly all Bengali children. The making of the ‘Vidyasagar’ Born in 1820 in a Brahmin family, Iswar Chandra is known to have been thirsty for knowledge since his childhood. He studied Sanskrit grammar, literature, Vedanta philosophy, logic, astronomy, and Hindu...

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was a great Indian philosopher, social reformer, and writer. He was born in 1820 in Calcutta and died in 1891. He was a very important figure in the Bengal Renaissance. he is a key figure in the history of modern Indian education. Vidyasagar was one of the earliest advocates for widow remarriage in India. He was also a strong opponent of child marriage. He wrote several books on philosophy, sociology, and literature. One of his most famous books is a translation of the Bhagavad Gita into the Bengali language. He went to college at Krishnagar Government College. After graduating from college he took a job as a translator for the English government. In 1848 Vidyasagar entered politics and joined the Brahmo Samaj, a religious movement in Bengal founded by Ram Mohan Roy. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was a key figure in the Bengal renaissance Impact of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's Work Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's work had a major impact on Indian society. He was one of the earliest advocates for widow remarriage and child marriage. He also wrote several books on philosophy, sociology, and literature. One of his most famous books is a translation of the Bhagavad Gita into the Bengali language. His work helped to promote education and social reform in India. Vidyasagar's Contributions to Society Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was an important figure in the Bengal Renaissance. He was one of the earliest advocates for widow remarriage in India. He also supported ed...

New Delhi: The The desecration of the statue has trampled upon Bengali pride and sentiment. This is, however, not the first time that his statue has been vandalised. Nearly half a century ago, another statue of Vidyasagar was bhadralok’s idea of renaissance”. In those days, statues of other icons of Bengal Renaissance such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy were also smashed. For Bengalis, Vidyasagar is a household name. Almost every school student in Bengal has learned to recite the Bengali alphabet in the sequence set by him in his book Borno Porichoy (Introduction to the Alphabet). Due to his vast knowledge in several subjects, Ishwar Chandra had earned the title ‘Vidyasagar’. ThePrint recounts the man who revolutionised the education system in Bengal and also fought tooth and nail to usher in reforms to empower women in society. Early life Vidyasagar was Vidyasagar spent his childhood in abject poverty. He would study under street lights as his parents could not afford gas light at home. He joined a He got married at the young age of 14 to Dinamani Devi and the couple had a son named Narayan Chandra. Also read: Education reforms After his grandfather’s demise in 1826, Thakurdas decided to take Vidyasagar to Calcutta for further studies. He got numerous scholarships, and in 1839, he successfully cleared his law examination. Vidyasagar then joined Fort William College’s Sanskrit department at the age of only 21. Thereafter, in 1846, Vidyasagar joined the Sanskrit C...