In 1905, while Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was in South Africa, he wrote a biographical sketch of Iswar Chandra. “Beginning with Ram Mohan Ray one heroic figure after another have raised Bengal to a position higher than that of the other provinces. It can be said that Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar was the greatest among them…”

Iswar Chandra was not an ocean of learning only, he was an ocean of compassion, of generosity, as well as many other human qualities. He was a Hindu, and a brahmin too. But to him Brahmin and sudra, Hindu and Muslim were all alike. Among many good deeds that he performed, he made no distinction between high and low. When his professor had an attack of cholera, he himself nursed him. As the professor was poor, Iswar Chandra paid for all the expenses occurring in his treatment and himself attended to the nursing of the patient including his nature’s calls. He himself cleaned and washed him.

He used to buy food and curds and feed the poor Muslims at his own cost in Chandan Nagar (in West Bengal) and helped with money whosoever needed.

Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar was a towering figure of Indian Renaissance, one of the greatest social reformers of the country, a great scholar, an architect of modern Bengali prose and moreover an example of secular humanism. He was originator of everything modern in India in the 19th century. But his most successful deed was obviously the remarriage of Hindu widows. In 1855 he was the principal of the Sanskrit College, and published his paper on the re marriage of Hindu widows which caused wild stir in the tradition bound feudal society. Though it was a problem of upper caste Hindus, it had an all pervasive effect on the society. In 1856 Vidyasagar persuaded the members of the Legislative Council to pass an act approving the re-marriage. Within a few months of passing the act, on December 7, 1856 he arranged the first Hindu widow re marriage in Kolkata. The bride was a ten year old brahmin widow named Kalimati and the groom an educated man named Siris Chandra Vidyaratna.

This was the greatest revolt ever made against the sectarian traditionalist society and the name of Vidyasagar travelled wide throughout the country. It influenced reform movement in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Assam and Orissa. The Hindu re- marriage efforts were initiated by social reformers of respective states. Earlier in 1850, Vidyasagar became vocal against the system of child marriage and emerged as a rationalist reformer. He also wrote against high caste (Kulin) polygamy. He strongly believed that his country could progress only through education. In 1848, Bethun established the first public Girls’ School in Kolkata and the school was later known as Bethun School. Vidyasagar became the secretary of the school in course of time. Between 1851 and ’58, he established 31 girls school in different parts of Bengal. Raja Ram Mohan Roy ignited the lamp of Bengal renaissance which was rationlistic and humanistic in nature and against deep rooted feudal customs.

The Young Bengal who were the followers of Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, the stormy petrel of early 19th century, attacked the evil customs of Hinduism. But their opposition was sensational in nature and not constructive. The Brahmo Samaj under the leadership of Devendranath Thakur, Keshab Chandra Sen and others exerted some influence on the upper strata, particularly they tried to restrict the Christian Missionaries making inroads in the Hindu society. But the missionaries were gradually penetrating among poverty stricken illiterates. However, their contribution in the formative part of Bengali prose and spreading of education is undeniable. Vidyasagar was one and alone who was the catalyst in imposing social changes in India. True that he was able to do his reform activities with the support of British rulers.

Vidyasagar’s distinctive personality, his self respect, his upright character and courage, determination, and rational behaviour attracted the ruling class. The colonial rulers of Bengal from their own class position wanted to fight feudal obscurantist ideas and customs and that was the common cause with Vidyasagar. There was not a single instant that he did unjust compromise with the Britishers. He, however, had exposed the brutal and corrupt character of the colonial rulers through his writings. In his book called ‘BangalarItihas’, (history of Bengal) he pointed out how the then governor general Warren Hastings in connivance with the Chief Justice of Supreme Court Elijah Impey instutionalised a cut money raj in Bengal in late 18th century.

Nandkumar, a very influential person and dear to people was hanged publicly just because he was opposed to Hastings. In his another book Akhyan Manjari (Buds of stories).He narrated at least four or five stark stories exposing how barbaric the colonial aggressors were. A section of ultra left or naxalite movement once branded Vidyasagar as an agent of imperialism and broke headpiece of this great man in 1970. This kind of thinking is nothing but mechanical determinism. On the other hand, in May 1919 the head of Vidyasagar statue in the Vidyasagar college in Kolkata was again broken down allegedly by BJP elements. Though they have denied the allegation, but their orthodox views are in contrary to Vidyasagar’s secular ideas.

Vidyasagar was involved in multifarious activities in promoting education, women emancipation, widow remarriage, development of vernacular literature and language and so on. He was engaged in the Fort Willam College for about seven years in separate two spells. The period might not be eventful but it was the formative part of his life. During the first spell (1841- 1846), he published Betal Panchabinshati and Vasudeb Charit. He was able to improve his Hindi and English knowledge from that college. Vidyasagar worked as a Principal of the Sanskrit college for seven years from 1851 to 1858. Before that he was engaged in that institution in 1846 just for a year. He was able to bring about a fundamental change in college curriculum.

He was in favour of modern education based on philosophy and science. His secular views were reflected in his education planning. In a letter dated September 7, 1853, Vidyasagar remarked to Dr Mouat, the then Secretary of the Council of Education, ”That Vedanta and Sankhya are false systems of philosophy is no more a matter of dispute...whilst teaching these in the Sanskrit College we should oppose them by sound philosophy in the English course to counteract their influence.” In those days to term Sankhya and Vedanta as false systems required immense courage which Iswarchandra had. While he was the principal of the Sanskrit College, castes distinction in admission was abolished. It was a significant step of reform. Despite his workload he used to write primers for the students. In 1855 an important Bengali primer – Barna Parichay (introducing letters) was published.

In many other fields Vidyasagar’s contribution is formidable. He was involved in journalistic writing regularly. His name was associated with five news papers – Tattwabodhini Patrika, Sarba Suvankari Patrika, S omprakash, Hindu Patriot and Bibhidhartha Sangraha. He introduced Madhusudan Dutta as the Editor of the Hindu Patriot after Harish Chandra Mukherjee. He also took homeopathy as an hobby and treated patients at times. In the latter part of his life he spent at least 18 years at Karmatar now in Jharkhand state. The sense of ingratitude among the middle class and relatives might have drawn Vidyasagar among the santhals and other tribes of Karmatar. He tried to change the course of life of aborigins. He was the pioneer in this activity. He fed the poor santhals with his own hands and treated them with homeopathy medicines free of cost and cured many of them.

Iswarchandra was born on Sept 26,1820 in a remote village of Birsingha, now in West Midnapore, in a very poor family. Rabindranath Tagore evaluated him in these words, “A study of Vidyasagar’s life repeatedly reminds us that he is not to be assessed as eminent Bengali or an impeccable Hindu for he was far greater than all that—he was a man in the real sense of the term. The greatest glory of his life was the extraordinary abundance of this humanity”.

Vidyasagar passed away on July 29,1891 at the age of seventy one. According to Gandhiji, “There have been few in this world like him”. (IPA Service)