Knowledge Nugget | Remembering Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar on 205th birth anniversary: Important for UPSC exam

Why in the news?

On September 26, 1820, in Birsingha village of Midnapore district, Iswarchandra Bandopadhyay, who later came to be known as Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar, was born into a poor Brahmin family. He has been described by Michael Madhusudan Dutt, the 19th-century pioneer of Bengali drama, as having “the genius and wisdom of an ancient sage, the energy of an Englishman and the heart of a Bengali mother”.

Key takeaways:

1. Iswarchandra is known to have been thirsty for knowledge since his childhood. 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.

2. Privately, Iswar Chandra studied English literature and philosophy and was appointed principal of Sanskrit College on January 22, 1851. He was also the first Secretary of Bethune School.

3. In the field of education, his contribution was immense. He made the Bengali language accessible to the common people by simplifying it in his famous book, the Borno Porichoy (introduction to the letter). Even more than 130 years after his death in 1891, Borno Porichoy remains almost every child’s introduction to learning and writing the language.

4. His most enduring contributions were as an educationist and reformer of traditional upper caste Hindu society. The focus of his reform was women — he spent his life’s energies trying to ensure an end to the practice of child marriage and to initiate widow marriage.

5. In a paper written in 1850, Vidyasagar launched a powerful attack on the practice of marrying off girls aged 10 or even younger, pointing to social, ethical, and hygiene issues, and rejecting the validity of the Dharma Shastras that advocated it. Similar to Raja Ram Mohun Roy (1772-1833), he also relied on scriptures and old commentaries to state in favour of widow remarriage that “sastras explicitly sanction their remarriage.”

6. In 1855, he wrote his two famous tracts on the Marriage of Hindu Widows, grounding his argument in reason and logic, showing that there was no prohibition on widows remarrying in the entire body of ‘Smriti’ literature (the Sutras and the Sastras).

7. Alongside the campaign for widow remarriage, Vidyasagar campaigned against polygamy. In 1857, a petition for the prohibition of polygamy among Kulin Brahmins was presented to the government with 25,000 signatures. The revolt of the sepoys resulted in postponement of action on this petition, but in 1866, Vidyasagar inspired another petition, this time with 21,000 signatures.

8. In the 1870s, 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.

9. On October 14, 1855, Vidyasagar petitioned the Government of India, asking that it “take into early consideration the propriety of passing a law (as annexed) to remove all obstacles to the marriage of Hindu widows and to declare the issue of all such marriages to be legitimate”.

10. On July 16, 1856, the Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, known as Act XV, was passed. Inspired by Vidyasagar, a number of literary men produced dramas advocating the remarriage of widows, in Bengal and elsewhere, especially in Maharashtra.

BEYOND THE NUGGET: Prominent Social reformers of the 19th century championed women’s rights

1. Ram Mohan Roy(1772-1833): Known as “father of the Indian Renaissance”, he campaigned for the modernisation of education, in particular the introduction of a Western curriculum, and started several educational institutions. He was a fierce opponent of the Sati practice; through his efforts Bengal Sati Regulation, 1829 was passed which banned Sati.

Phule, along with her husband Jyotirao Phule, dedicated her life to cause of women’s rights and education. (Source: Express Archives)

2. Savitribai Phule (1831-1897): Regarded as a social reformer, a Dalit icon, an educationist, and a poetess, Savitribai Phule opened the first girls’ school (1848) in Bhidewada, Pune. Along with her husband Jyotiba Phule, Savitribai went on to establish 18 schools, including for marginalised castes. The couple also opened a centre called Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha (Home for the Prevention of Infanticide) to cater to pregnant widows and sexual assault survivors so that they could safely deliver their children.

3. Dayanand Saraswati (1824-1883): Founder of the Arya Samaj, his views on women were against the grain of orthodox Hindu thinking at the time. He campaigned for the education of women as well as against ‘regressive practices’ such as child marriage. His beliefs included rejection of idolatry and the overly ritualistic traditions of Hinduism, support for women’s education, denunciation of child marriage, and opposition to untouchability.

4. Behramji Malabari (1853-1912): Founder of the Seva Sadan society, Behramji Malabari, a Parsi activist, advocated for widow remarriage and supported women’s legal rights. He wrote articles that included The Indian Problem, An Appeal from the Daughters of India, and Notes on Child Marriage and Widow Remarriage, all of which became a force for the Indian judiciary to pass The Age of Consent Bill in 1891. It raised the age of consent for sexual intercourse for girls from 10 to 12 years.

Post Read Question

Who among the following was associated as Secretary with Hindu Female School which later came to be known as Bethune Female School?

(a) Annie Besant

(b) Debendranath Tagore

(c) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

(d) Sarojini Naidu

(Sources: Explained: Where Vidyasagar stands in the history of Indian social reform, Humanist, feminist: Why Iswarchandra Vidyasagar matters, bethunecollege.ac.in)

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