2402:3A80:1A44:FA90:C2C4:8150:5CAC:98D at 09:28, 24 April 2021

2021-04-24T09:28:12Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Dwarkanath Vidyabhusan
| image =A marble bust of Dwarakanath Vidyabhushan at Harinabhi school.jpg
| image_size =200px
| caption =Statue:Dwarkanath Vidyabhusan
| birth_date = 1820
| birth_place = Chingripota, [[South 24 Parganas district|South 24 Parganas]]
| death_date = {{Death date|1886|8|22|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Satna]], [[Madhya Pradesh]]
| occupation = Scholar, editor, founder
| spouse =
}}

'''Dwarkanath Vidyabhusan''' ({{lang-bn|দ্বারকানাথ বিদ্যাভূষণ}}) (1820 – 22 August 1886) was an [[India]]n scholar, editor and publisher of the trend-setting weekly [[Bengali language|Bengali]] newspaper ''Somprakash''.

==Father==
Vidyabhusan's father, Harachandra Bhattacharya (better known as ''Nyayratna'') was a scholar. He had studied under Kashinath Tarkalankar, who had a popular traditional centre of education at Hatibagan in north [[Kolkata]], Nyayratna taught in the traditional centres of [[Sanskrit]]-based education called ''tol-chatuspatis'' and also taught some boys in his spare time at his home. Amongst his renowned students were [[Ishwar Chandra Gupta]] and [[Ramtanu Lahiri]].<ref name= "Sastri">Sastri, Sivanath, ''[[Ramtanu Lahiri O Tatkalin Bangasamaj]]'', {{in lang|bn}}1903/2001, p167-170, New Age Publishers Pvt. Ltd.</ref>

==Early life==
After initial education in the traditional centre of village education, ''the pathsala'', Dwarkanath joined [[Sanskrit College]], Kolkata in 1832, and studied there up to 1845, winning many prizes and earning fame as a scholar.<ref name= "Sastri"/> He won the title of ''Vidyabhusan'' in his last examination. He had a short stint as a teacher in [[Fort William College]] and then joined Sanskrit College as a librarian. He later rose to the position of a professor and also assisted [[Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar]], when he was principal of the college.<ref name= "Bose">Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 1976/1998, ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (Biographical dictionary) Vol I, {{in lang|bn}}, p223, {{ISBN|81-85626-65-0}}.</ref>

A strong supporter of the women's education, Dwarkanath Vidyabhusan joined other liberals to support Bethune School (established by [[John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune]]) for twenty years.<ref>[[David Kopf|Kopf, David]], ''The Brahmo Samaj and the Shaping of the Modern Indian Mind'', 1979, p34, Princeton University Press, {{ISBN|0-691-03125-8}}.</ref>

In 1856, his father established a printing press.<ref name= "Sastri"/> It must be mentioned that it was an age when publishers concentrated on an incongruous double bill of religion and erotica but tastes had started changing. In 1857, forty-six Indian-owned printing presses put out 322 books for sale. Although religion still held sway, erotica had started ebbing out.<ref>Sarkar, Nilhil, "Printing and the Spirit of Calcutta" in "Calcutta, the Living City", Vol I, edited by [[Sukanta Chaudhuri]], p135, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|0-19-563696-1}}.</ref> However, his father fell ill and died shortly after establishing the printing press. Vidyabhusan inherited the press and published in Bengali two volumes on the history of Greece and history of Rome, he had written. That was possibly the first time that fat volumes of history written in easy flowing Bengali language was published and it immediately established Vidybhusan as a writer.<ref name= "Sastri"/><ref>Majumdar, Swapan, ''Literature and Literary Life in Old Calcutta'' in "Calcutta, the Living City", Vol I, edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, p. 113, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|0-19-563696-1}}.</ref>

==Somprakash==
[[File:Somprokash.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Front page of Somprakash, 17 June 1861]]

Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar proposed the publication of a weekly newspaper ''Somprakash'' partly with the objective of providing employment for a deaf scholar. The newspaper hit the stands in 1858 but the deaf scholar never joined it. The entire responsibility of editing and publishing the newspaper vested in Vidyabhusan. At that time, Bengali newspapers such as ''Sambad Prabhakar'' and ''Sambad Bhaskar'' were 'defiling the moral environment in Bengal'.<ref name= "Sastri"/> With its dignified tastes, lucid language and fearless criticism, ''Somprakash'' occupied the top position in the field of Bengali newspapers.<ref name= "Bose"/>

Initially, ''Somprakash'' was published from a lane in Champatala in Kolkata. When the railway was extended to Canning in 1862, he shifted the printing press to his native village Chingripota (renamed as [[Subhashgram]]), now in South 24 Parganas.<ref name= "Sastri"/>

It strongly criticised the powerful indigo planters and landlords. In his evidence before the Indigo Enquiry Committee, Rev. James Long emphatically stated, "These periodicals play a significant role as the mouthpiece of the Indian public."<ref name = "Sengupta">Sengupta, Nitish (2001) ''History of the Bengali-speaking people'', p238-239, New Delhi : UBS Publishers' Distributors. {{ISBN|978-81-7476-355-6}}.</ref> In 1878, when the viceroy, [[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton|Lord Lytton]], introduced the [[Vernacular Press Act]], specially targeting the Bengali press, Vidyabhusan closed down ''Somprakash'', rather than sign an undertaking about it, agreeing to follow the dictates of the authorities.<ref name= "Bose"/><ref name = "Sengupta"/> [[Sir Richard Temple, 1st Baronet|Sir Richard Temple]], lieutenant governor, called him to his house and requested him not to close down the newspaper. Later, when the Act was withdrawn, he resumed publication of ''Somprakash'', but it never regained its past form and glory.<ref name= "Sastri"/>

==Later life==
He established an English school in his native place called [[Harinavi DVAS High School]](Harinavi '''D'''warkanath '''V'''idyabhusan '''A'''nglo '''S'''anskrit High School) and bore the expenses of running the same. A man of high moral standards he stood by the down trodden in society. With advancing age, his health started faltering. He published a monthly magazine ''Kalpadrum'' for sometime. Once he went and stayed in [[Varanasi]] for sometime and was shocked by the wretched state of affairs of religion and morals. He died at [[Satna]] where he had gone to recoup his health.<ref name= "Sastri"/>

[[Sivanath Sastri]] was his sister's son.<ref name= "Bose"/>

==Works==
History: ''History of Greece'', ''History of Rome'' (both in Bengali).<ref name= "Sastri"/>
Text books: ''Nitisar'', ''Pathamrita'', ''Chhatrabodh'', ''Bhusansar Byakaran''.<ref name= "Bose"/>
Poetry: ''Prakrito Prem'', ''Prokrito Sukh'', ''Biseswar Bilap''.<ref name= "Bose"/>
Somprakash. Published by vidyabhushan

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Bengal Renaissance}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidyabhusan, Dwarkanath}}
[[Category:Bengali people]]
[[Category:Scholars from Kolkata]]
[[Category:1820 births]]
[[Category:1886 deaths]]
[[Category:People from South 24 Parganas district]]
[[Category:The Sanskrit College and University alumni]]
[[Category:Writers from Kolkata]]
[[Category:Bengali writers]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian scholars]]

Dwarkanath Vidyabhusan - Revision history

2402:3A80:1A44:FA90:C2C4:8150:5CAC:98D at 09:28, 24 April 2021