View source for Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

{{short description|Indian educator and social reformer}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2026}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}}
{{Infobox writer
| name             = Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
| image            = Vidyasagar.jpg
| imagesize        = 
| alt              = 
| caption          = 
| honorific-prefix = [[Pandit]]
| birth_name       = Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay
| birth_date       = {{birth date|df=yes|1820|9|26}}
| birth_place      = [[Birsingha]],  [[Bengal Presidency]], [[Company Rule in India|British India]]
| death_date       = {{death date and age|df=yes|1891|7|29|1820|9|26}}
| death_place      = [[Calcutta]], Bengal Presidency, British India<br />(now [[West Bengal]], India)
| resting_place    = 
| nationality      = 
| occupation       = Educator, social reformer and author
| language         = [[Bengali language|Bengali]]
| education        = 
| alma_mater       = [[Sanskrit College]] (1828–1839)
| period           = 
| genre            = 
| subject          = 
| spouse           = Dinamayee Devi
| children         = 5
| relatives        = 
| awards           = 
| signature        = বর্ণপরিচয় - (দ্বিতীয় ভাগ) (page 3 crop) 2.png
| signature_alt    = 
| website          = 
| portaldisp       = 
| citizenship      = [[British Raj|British India]]
}}

'''Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay''' (26 September 1820 – 29 July 1891), popularly known as ''Ishwar Chandra 'Vidyasagar{{'-}}'' ({{IPA|bn|iʃːɔɾt͡ʃɔnd̪ɾo bid̪ːaʃaɡɔɾ|lang}}; {{lit|Vidya-Sagar, the Ocean of Knowledge}}),<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |url=https://www.mapsofindia.com/on-this-day/29-july-1891-social-reformer-ishwar-chandra-vidyasagar-passes-away |title=29 July 1891: Social Reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Passes Away |website=www.mapsofindia.com |date=29 July 2013}}</ref> was an Indian educator and [[social reformer]] of the 19th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/26148 |title=Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar: A Profile of the Philanthropic Protagonist |publisher=americanchronicle.com |access-date=20 December 2008}}</ref>

He was renowned as one of the principal proponents of the Bengal Renaissance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vidyasagar Chief Exponent of Bengal Renaissance |url=https://www.stxavierscoochbehar.com/blog/Vidyasagar-Chief-Exponent-of-Bengal-Renaissance/ |access-date=16 May 2025 |website=stxavierscoochbehar.com |language=en}}</ref> He was the most prominent campaigner for Hindu widow remarriage, petitioning the Legislative Council despite severe opposition, including a counter-petition (by [[Radhakanta Deb]] and the [[Dharma Sabha]]) which had nearly four times as many signatures.<ref>{{cite journal | title=The Revolution Behind the Revolt (A comparative study of the causes of the 1857 uprising) | author=Ghosal, H. R. | journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress | year=1957 | volume=20 | pages=293–305|jstor = 44304480}}</ref><ref name="Asthana1974">{{cite book|author=Asthana, Pratima |title=Women's Movement in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AxAqAAAAYAAJ|year=1974|publisher=Vikas Publishing House|isbn=978-0-7069-0333-1|page=22}}</ref> Even though widow remarriage was considered a flagrant breach of Hindu customs and was staunchly opposed, [[James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie|Lord Dalhousie]] personally finalised  the bill, and the [[Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856|''Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act'', ''1856'']], was passed. Against child marriage, the efforts of Vidyasagar led to the [[Age of Consent Act, 1891]]. In which the minimum age of consummation of marriage was 12 years.<ref name="Gupta2015">{{cite book|author=Gupta, Amit Kumar |title=Nineteenth-Century Colonialism and the Great Indian Revolt|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yt6oCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT30|year=2015|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-317-38668-1|page=30}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | title=A Wind of Change: The New British Colonial Policy in Post-Revolt India | author=Belmekki, Belkacem | journal=AEDEAN: Asociación Española de Estudios Anglo-americanos | year=2008 | volume=2 |issue = 2| pages=111–124|jstor = 41055330}}</ref>

A [[weekly newspaper]], ''Somprakash Patrika'', was started on 15 November 1858 (1 Agrahayan 1265 BS) by Dwarakanath Vidyabhusan. Dwarakanath (1819{{ndash}}1886) was a professor of the [[Sanskrit College]] in Calcutta, India. The original plan was mooted by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820{{ndash}}1891), who continued to advise Dwarakanath in editorial matters. He was also associated as secretary with the Hindu Female School, which later came to be known as Bethune Female School.

He excelled in his undergraduate studies of Sanskrit and philosophy. The [[Sanskrit College and University]], where he studied, gave him the honorific title {{lang|hi|Vidyasagar}} ('Ocean of Knowledge'; from the [[Sanskrit]] {{langx|sa|विद्या|vidyā|knowledge|translit-std=IAST|label=none}} and {{langx|sa|सागर|sāgara|ocean|translit-std=IAST|label=none}}).<ref name="sahitya-sasi raj akademi">{{cite book|last=Lal|first=Mohan |title=The Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|year=2006|pages=4567–4569|chapter=Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnPoYxrRfc0C&pg=PA4567 | isbn=978-81-260-1221-3}}</ref>

==Biography==
[[File: Birthplace of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in Birsingha 07.jpg|thumb|Birthplace of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in Birsingha village]]
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was born in a [[Bengali Brahmin]] family  to Thakurdas Bandyopadhyay and Bhagavati Devi at [[Birsingha]] <span lang="bn" dir="ltr">village</span> in [[Paschim Medinipur District]] (erstwhile undivided Midnapore District) on 26 September 1820. The family originally hailed from Banamalipur, situated in the present-day [[Hooghly district]].<ref>''Vidyasagar-jibancharit O Bhramnirash'', Bidyaratna, Shambhuchandra, BookLand Pvt. Ltd., Calcutta, 1947, p. 4</ref><ref>''Vidyasagar Ed. 4th'', Sarkar,[[Biharilal Sarkar|Biharilal]], Calcutta, 1922, p. 14</ref><ref>''Vidyasagar Charit'', Bandyopadhyay, Narayan, The Calcutta Library, 1891, p. 3</ref> At the age of 9, he went to [[Kolkata|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.

His quest for knowledge was so intense that he used to study under a street light, as it was not possible for him to afford a gas lamp at home.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boloji.com/articles/7697/ishwar-chandra-vidyasagar|title=Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar: A Profile of the Philanthropic Protagonist by Aparna Chatterjee|website=www.boloji.com}}</ref> He cleared all the examinations with excellence and in quick succession. He was rewarded with a number of scholarships for his academic performance. To support himself and the family, Ishwar Chandra also took a part-time job teaching at [[Jorashanko]]. Ishwar Chandra joined the [[Sanskrit College]], Calcutta, and studied there for twelve long years and graduated in 1841, qualifying in Sanskrit Grammar, Literature, Dialectics [Alankara Shastra], Vedanta, Smriti, and Astronomy.<ref name="auto"/> As was the custom then, Ishwar Chandra married at the age of fourteen. His wife was Dinamayee Devi. Narayan Chandra Bandyopadhyaya was their only son.

In the year 1839, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar successfully cleared his Sanskrit law examination. In 1841, at the age of twenty-one years, Ishwar Chandra joined [[Fort William College]] as head of the Sanskrit department.

After five years, in 1846, Vidyasagar left Fort William College and joined the [[Sanskrit College]] as 'Assistant Secretary'. In the first year of service, Ishwar Chandra recommended a number of changes to the existing education system. This report resulted in a serious altercation between Ishwar Chandra and College Secretary Rasomoy Dutta. In 1849, against the advice of Rasomoy Dutta, he resigned from [[Sanskrit College]] and rejoined [[Fort William College]] as a head clerk.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ishwar Chandra Vidysagar|url=http://www.vivekananda.net/PDFBooks/BengalCelebs/IswarVidyasagar.html|publisher=vivekananda.net}}</ref>

== Widow Remarriage Act ==
{{Main|Widow Remarriage Act}}
Vidyasagar championed the upliftment of the status of women in India, particularly in his native [[Bengal]]. Unlike some other reformers who sought to set up alternative societies or systems, he sought to transform society from within. Vidyasagar also fought against child marriage and the practice of men marrying many girls (polygamy)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hinduweb.org/home/children_and_youth/omnnagarajan/filename6.html |title=Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar |publisher=hinduweb.org |access-date=20 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021118094324/http://www.hinduweb.org/home/children_and_youth/omnnagarajan/filename6.html |archive-date=18 November 2002}}</ref>

Unable to tolerate the ill-treatment, many of these girls would run away and turn to prostitution to support themselves. Ironically, the economic prosperity and lavish lifestyles of the city made it possible for many of them to have successful careers once they stepped out of the confines of society and into the demi-monde. In 1853, it was estimated that Calcutta had a population of 12,700 prostitutes and public women. Many widows had to shave their heads and don white saris, supposedly to discourage attention from men. They led a deplorable life, Vidyasagar thought it  was unfair, and sought out the  changes.<ref>Sarkar, Nikhil [Sripantho] (1977) ''Bat tala''. Calcutta: Ananda.  p. 66. (in Bengali)</ref>

== Opposing Spread of Education beyond Higher Classes ==
The [[Wood's despatch|Wood's despatch of 1854]]—considered the [[Magna Carta]] of Indian education—adopted a new policy towards 'mass education'. Hitherto, the official focus was on the upper classes of the population for education. Dubbed the 'Downward Filtration Theory', this implied that education always filters down from the upper classes of society to the common masses.

In 1859, the government's education policy reiterated "the spread of vernacular elementary instruction among the lower orders".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stark |first=Herbert Aligk |date=1916 |title=Vernacular education in Bengal from 1813 to 1912 |url=http://cslrepository.nvli.in/bitstream/123456789/3973/2/RB826.pdf |publisher=The Calcutta General Publishing Co. |language=en |access-date=20 October 2020 |archive-date=22 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022211327/http://cslrepository.nvli.in/bitstream/123456789/3973/2/RB826.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Upon this, Vidyasagar addressed a letter, dated 29 September 1859, to [[John Peter Grant]], the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, underlining his perception:<blockquote>''An impression appears to have gained ground, both here and in England, that enough has been done for the education of the higher classes and that attention should now be directed towards the education of the masses... An inquiry into the matter will, however, show a very different state of things. As the best, if not the only practicable means of promoting education in Bengal, the Government should, in my humble opinion, confine itself to the education of the higher classes on a comprehensive scale.''<ref>{{Cite news|last=Biswas|first=A K|date=23 December 1993|title=A Nation of Slow Learners|work=The Telegraph}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|journal=Mainstream|volume= 47|issue= 38|title=Universalisation of Education: India in a Trap|url=https://mainstreamweekly.net/article1615.html|author=Biswas, A. K.|date=5 September 2009}}</ref></blockquote>The words "higher classes" in Bengali parlance do not entail anything but caste, which bestows or withdraws the privilege of education on a person by birth. Thus, Vidyasagar explicitly advocated for confining education to "higher classes".<ref name=":0" />

Earlier in 1854, Vidyasagar had scoffed at the admission of a wealthy man from the goldsmith caste of Bengal in the [[The Sanskrit College and University|Sanskrit College, Calcutta]]. His argument was that "in the scale of castes, the  goldsmith class ([[Suvarna Banik|Subarnabanik]]) stands very low".{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} Notably, [[Sanjib Chattopadhyay]], a biographer of Vidyasagar, revealed that Ishwar Chandra started his primary education in a school established and maintained by Shibcharan Mallick, a rich man of the goldsmith caste in Calcutta.<ref>Bartaman, Sharad Special Issue, Calcutta, 1411 B.S., p. 345.</ref>

== Vidyasagar in Santhal Pargana ==
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s long association with [[Karmatanr, Jamtara|Karmatar]], a sleepy hamlet in present-day [[Jharkhand]], about 20&nbsp;km from the district headquarters of [[Jamtara]], seems to have been forgotten by the people of the state.

Vidyasagar came to Karmatar in 1873 and spent more than 18 years of his life here. He had set up a girls' school and a night school for adults on the premises of his house, which he called Nandan Kanan. He also opened a free homoeopathy clinic to provide some medical care to these unprivileged tribal people.

After his death, the Nandan Kanan, the abode of Vidyasagar, was sold by his son to the Mallick family of [[Kolkata]]. Before Nandan Kanan could be dismantled Bengali Association  of [[Bihar]] on 29 March 1974 purchased it with money collected by house-to-house contribution of one rupee each. The Girls' School has been restarted, named after Vidyasagar. The Free Homeopathic Clinic is serving the local population. The house of Vidyasagar has been maintained in its original shape. The most prized property is the 141-year-old 'Palanquin' used by Vidyasagar himself.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://jamtara.nic.in/history/ |title=Official Web of Jamtara, Govt. of Jharkhand}}</ref>

The [[Government of Jharkhand]], on 26 September 2019, named [[Jamtara|Jamtara district]]'s [[Karmatanr (community development block)|Karmatand block]] as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Block as a mark of respect on the birth anniversary of the great social reformer.
An official release quote of Jharkhand's former Chief Minister [[Raghubar Das]]:<blockquote>''"Jamtara's Karmatand prakhand (block) was the 'karma bhumi' (workplace) of social reformer and strong supporter of women's education Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. Now the block will be known as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar prakhand"''{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}
</blockquote>

He was also the secretary of Hindu Female School which later came to be known as Bethune Female School.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

==Meeting with Ramakrishna==
Vidyasagar was liberal in his outlook, even though he was born in an orthodox Hindu Brahmin family. Also, he was highly educated and influenced by Oriental thoughts and ideas. [[Ramakrishna]], in contrast, did not have a formal education. Yet they had a nice relationship with each other. When Ramakrishna met Vidyasagar, he praised Vidyasagar as the sea of wisdom. Vidyasagar joked that Ramkrishna should have collected some amount of salty water from that sea. But, Ramakrishna, with profound humbleness & respect, replied that the water of the general sea might be salty, but not the water of the sea of wisdom.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=http://www.belurmath.org/gospel/chapter03.htm |title=Gospels of Sri Ramakrishna by M, translated by Swami Nikhilananda |chapter=Visit to Vidyasagar |page=37 |archive-date=2 January 2018 |access-date=4 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102215945/http://belurmath.org/gospel/chapter03.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Accolades==
[[File:Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar 1970 stamp of India.jpg|upright|thumb|Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar on a 1970 stamp of India]]
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!"<ref>{{cite web |title=Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar |url=https://wbchse.nic.in/html/iswar_ch_vidyasagar.html |website=WBCHSE |publisher=West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education |access-date=15 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Life And Times of Ramakrishna Parmahamsa |date=1 August 2013 |publisher=Prabhat Prakashan |isbn=978-8184302301 |page=53 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eLwwBQAAQBAJ }}</ref>

After death, he is remembered in many ways, some of them include:
# In 2004, Vidyasagar was ranked number 9 in BBC's poll of the [[Greatest Bengali of all time]].<ref name="ISB1">—{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3623345.stm |title=Listeners name 'greatest Bengali' |date=14 April 2004 |access-date=16 April 2018 |work=BBC}}<br />—{{Cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/2004/04/17/stories/2004041703001700.htm |title=International : Mujib, Tagore, Bose among 'greatest Bengalis of all time' |date=17 April 2004 |last1=Habib |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |first1=Haroon}}<br />—{{Cite news |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/2004/04/16/d4041601066.htm |title=Bangabandhu judged greatest Bangali of all time |work=The Daily Star |date=16 April 2004 |access-date=16 April 2018 |archive-date=25 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225011711/http://archive.thedailystar.net/2004/04/16/d4041601066.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>
# Rectitude and courage were the hallmarks of Vidyasagar's character, and he was certainly ahead of his time.  In recognition of his scholarship and cultural work the government designated Vidyasagar a [[Companion of the Indian Empire]] (CIE) in 1877<ref name="Romesh Dutt 1962 p. 117">Dutt, Romesh (1962) ''Cultural Heritage of Bengal''. Kolkata, Punthi Pustak. p. 117.</ref> In the final years of life, he chose to spend his days among the "[[Santhal people|Santhal]]s", an old tribe in India.
# Indian Post issued stamps featuring Vidyasagar in 1970 and 1998.<ref>[[:File:Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar 1970 stamp of India.jpg]], [[:File:Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar 1998 stamp of India.jpg]]</ref>
;List of places named after Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
[[File:Vidyasagar Setu.jpg|thumb|upright|Vidyasagar Setu, which connects [[Howrah]] and [[Kolkata]], is named after him.]]
[[File:Entrance gate of College Square, Kolkata.jpg|thumb|upright|Vidyasagar Udyan (College Square) at [[College Street (Kolkata)|College Street]] in Kolkata, named after him.]]
* [[Vidyasagar College]]
* [[Vidyasagar Evening College]]
* [[Vidyasagar College for Women]]
* [[Vidyasagar Institute of Health]]
* [[Vidyasagar Mahavidyalaya]]
* [[Vidyasagar School of Social Work]]
* [[Vidyasagar Setu]]
* [[Vidyasagar Shishu Niketan]]
* [[Vidyasagar Teachers' Training College, Kalna]]
* [[Vidyasagar Teachers' Training College, Midnapore]]
* [[Vidyasagar University]]
* [[Vidyasagar Vidyapith]]
* [[Vidyasagar Vidyapith Girls' High School]]
* [[Vidyasagar Railway Station]], [[Karmatanr, Jamtara]]
* [[Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Polytechnic]]

== In popular culture ==
Indian film director Kali Prasad Ghosh made ''Vidyasagar'', a Bengali-language biographical film about Ishwar Chandra's life in 1950 which starred [[Pahadi Sanyal]] in the titular role.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Madhuja Mukherjee|author2=Kaustav Bakshi|title=Popular Cinema in Bengal: Genre, Stars, Public Cultures|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3NXpDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP92|date=9 June 2020|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-00-044892-4|page=92}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Kalika Prasad Ghosh |title=Vidyasagar(1950) |date=29 September 1950 |url=http://archive.org/details/vidyasagar-1950 |access-date=6 March 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* Indramitra, ''Karunasagar Vidyasagar'', Ananda Publishers, Kolkata {{ISBN|81-7215-040-7}}
* {{cite book |title=Thinkers of the Indian Renaissance |first=Gopal. |last=Haldar |year=1997 |editor-first=Donald H. |editor-last=Bishop |edition=Second |publisher=New Age International |location=N |pages=81–91 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sGXRtaQklagC |isbn=978-81-224-1122-5 |access-date=14 May 2012}}
* {{cite book |title=Women and Social Reform in Modern India: A Reader |editor1-first=Sumit |editor1-last=Sarkar |editor2-first=Tanika |editor2-last=Sarkar |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2008 |isbn=9780253220493 |first=Sumit |last=Sarkar |chapter=Vidyasagar and Brahmanical Society |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GEPYbuzOwcQC |pages=118–145}}
* ed. Dwijendra Bhowmik, "Janmadwishatabarshe Vidyasagar", Ananda Publishers,{{ISBN?}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Americana Poster|Vidyasagar, Iswar Chandra|Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar}}
* [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Isvar-Chandra-Vidyasagar Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar] at the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''
* {{Cite EB1911 |last=Dutt |first=Romesh Chunder |authorlink=Romesh Chunder Dutt |wstitle=Vidyasagar, Iswar Chandra |short=x}}

{{Bengal Renaissance}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Indian Independence Movement}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidyasagar, Ishwar Chandra}}
[[Category:Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar| ]]
[[Category:1820 births]]
[[Category:1891 deaths]]
[[Category:Bengali writers]]
[[Category:Bengali Hindus]]
[[Category:Bengali nationalists]]
[[Category:Indian reformers]]
[[Category:Writers from Kolkata]]
[[Category:People from Paschim Medinipur district]]
[[Category:Translators of Kalidasa]]
[[Category:Indian Sanskrit scholars]]
[[Category:The Sanskrit College and University alumni]]
[[Category:Widowhood in India]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian educational theorists]]
[[Category:Founders of Indian schools and colleges]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian translators]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian educators]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian philosophers]]
[[Category:Scholars from West Bengal]]
[[Category:Sanskrit scholars from Bengal]]
[[Category:Language reformers]]
[[Category:Sanskrit College people]]