Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Contribution as a Social Reformer

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar: Some people are born to make a difference in a chaotic society when the malpractices go to an extent. In this article, we are portraying the prominent character of India, who was born on September 26, 1820, in Birsingha village of the Bengal Presidency to a well-respected Brahaman family. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was born to Bandyopadhyay and Bhagavati Devi. He took his education from Sanskrit College and cleared his law exam.

In 1841, he joined as head of the Sanskrit Department of Fort William College at the age of 21. He had a great knowledge of Sanskrit, English, Hindi, and Bengali. A man with distinctive expertise is an entrepreneur, a writer, a philanthropist, and a social reformer. Ishwar Chandra was so kind-hearted that he couldn’t see people in pain or distress. He used to give a part of his salary and scholarship to needy people for their welfare, and he also provided medicine facilities to those who couldn’t afford them. Read below this article to learn about the Contributions of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar to Education and Society in depth.

Contributions of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar to Education

After returning to Sanskrit college, the very first step he took was to include English and Bengali besides Sanskrit for the students. He also introduced science, European history, and philosophy so that students could explore other cultures as well, along with the knowledge of Sanskrit.

A lot of amendments were initiated in the admission procedure of colleges by him for non-brahmans to get the basic human right of education. He believed that everyone should get an education regardless of their caste and gender.

Around 35 schools for women were opened across Bengal. The sole purpose of these institutions was to make women aware, independent, and educated. The Calcutta Metropolitan School is one of these schools built by Vidyasagar.

He was not only a great writer but also played a significant role in the construction of the Bengali language. Because of his vivid efforts, the Bengali alphabet was reformed into 12 vowels and 40 consonants, which have been taught to the learners of the Bengali language. He even wrote a book on the rules of Sanskrit’s grammar, which has been in use to this day. Two major books, such as “Upakramonika’ and ‘Byakaran Koumudi’, were written to emphasize the complexity of Sanskrit’s grammar in the trouble-free Bengali language.

He brought a change in the education system by introducing the term “school fee and tuition fee” and opening schools for teachers as well to educate them on the same edge to bring uniformity in the education system.

Contributions of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar to Society

Vidyasagar implies the “ocean of knowledge,” and to honor this great personality, this title was given to him by the college where he graduated because of his commendable expertise in every subject.

On July 16, 1856, the Hindu Widow Remarriage Act was passed, which is known as Act XV. Other prominent Indian faces took inspiration from Vidyasagar and opposed this malfunction across Bengal as well as different states. They protested and demonstrated the awful conditions of widows around the corner. In 1864, Jyotiba Fule succeeded in convincing the Saraswat Brahaman widow to remarry. In 1866, Vishnu Shastri Pandit translated the book Widow Remarriage, written by Vidyasagar, into Marathi.

Apart from educating young minds, he fought for the rights of women and gave tough challenges to the orthodox system, which put numerous obligations on widows. Living in those circumstances affected many girls, children, and women in general. In the course of cremation, widows were compelled to shave their heads and wear white dhoti for their entire lives. Widows would not be allowed to step outside the house and had no choice of existence.

In that era, young girls were married off to older men in the belief of polygamy, which made the situation saddening for the girls who were very young and didn’t know anything about marriage. The consequences of marrying minor girls to older people led to the fate of widows. However, Vidyasagar stood against such malpractices in society that promoted polygamy. He proclaimed that polygamy was not supported in Vedic scriptures and that practicing this awful tradition had no place in society. In this context, East India Company passed the law of widow remarriage during its tenure.

Death of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar took his last breath on July 29, 1891, and left the treasure of his goodness to society. After his demise, Vidyasagar’s son sold the house to the Mallick family of Calcutta. Later on, on March 29, 1974, the house was regained by the Bengali Association to keep on his legacy. In the aftermath of this incident, the house became a center for girls’ schools and a homeopathic clinic for needy people. Indeed, he taught us that instead of waiting for change, we should become the change in society. On his demise, Rabindranath Tagore showed his grief by saying this line: “One wonders how God, in the process of producing forty million Bengalis, produced a man.”.

Conclusion

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was not just a social reformer but a philanthropist, a Sanskrit intellect, teacher, and writer. Despite being a child, he was very extraordinary and desperate to learn everything. He made significant contributions to both education and society. He voted for the rights of women, and due to his efforts, the Widow Remarriage Act of 1856 was passed. Besides, he strongly opposed practices such as polygamy and supported the cause of women’s education in India. Above article is all about Contributions of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar to Education and Society in depth.

FAQs on Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

1. What is Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar famous for?

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was known as a social reformer because he challenged the conservative system and endured a breach of ethics. I became a philanthropist for underprivileged women and men.

2. Where was Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar born?

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was born on September 26, 1820, to a Kulin-Brahaman family. The names of his parents are Bandyopadhyay and Bhagavati Devi. Despite extreme poverty, he was such an extraordinary and brilliant kid that he was honored by “Vidyasagar” from his college at a young age.

3. How did Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar contribute to society?

A social reformer who advocated for the awful conditions of women and laid the foundations of widow marriage, which successfully passed in 1856. He also opened 35 schools, wrote as many books as he could, reconstructed Bengali alphabets, and introduced European history and English along with Sanskrit in schools and colleges.