The Crime Desk: Today is the 203rd birthday of Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar, who enlightened India by changing society. The first significant poet of Bengali prose literature was born on September 26, 1820. He was born into a poor Brahmin family in Birsingh village in the Medinipur district of Calcutta, West Bengal, India. Guni continued his education even in the face of endless poverty and a severe financial crisis. Over time, Vidyasagar has become There is a tradition around him that he continued his studies by sitting under a lamppost on the street, as he could not afford to light the house at night.
After learning Sanskrit at the village school, he moved to Calcutta with his father. There, he also focused on learning different languages. In continuation of which, in 1839, the Culture College conferred the prestigious title of ‘Vidya Sagar’ for his profound erudition in Bengali, culture, and English. Apart from education, he also made a special contribution to social reform.
It was through her tireless work that women got their full rights. Hindu women got the motivation to live as human beings. His contribution to reforming a corrupt society is undeniable in numerous reform-oriented measures, including the abolition of sati immolation and the passing of the widow marriage law. This unassuming man was well versed in homeopathy too. Besides Bengali prose, he also contributed to the reformation of Bengali script.
He was a Bengali educationist, social reformer, and essayist. He was the first to introduce punctuation in Bengal. The real meaning of education is the acquisition of knowledge that people have learned from their hands. And so Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar is ranked eighth in the list of top 20 Bengalis nominated by the audience in BBC Bengal’s ‘Who is the greatest Bengali of all time?’
The pioneer of progressive reforms in Bengali society, this great reformer died in 1891. A hundred years after his death, Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar, a multifaceted genius, is remembered in his works.
