SuSanskrit

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820-1891), born Ishwar Chandra Bandopadhyaya, was an eminent scholar, educator, social reformer, writer and philanthropist. He was one of the greatest intellectuals and activists of the 19th century and was one of the key figures of the Bengal Renaissance that started with Raja Ram Mohan Roy. Ishwar Chandra was born on 26th September, 1820 to a poor Brahmin family in Birsingha village of Midnapore district, West Bengal. He spent his childhood in extreme poverty, but this did not deter him from his chosen path of achieving his life's goals.  There is folklore about Ishwar Chandra’s childhood. When he was young, an astrologer told him that he does not have the line of education on his palm and hence he will never be able to complete his education. Hearing this, young Ishwar Chandra got very angry, took a knife and drew a long line on his palm with the knife. “Now who can stop me” he roared in pain. From there on he went on to become one of the most noted educationists of the 19^th century. 

Ishwar Chandra commenced primary education at the village school (pathshala) where language, grammar, arithmetic and other shastras were taught to the youngsters in Bengali. His quest for knowledge was so intense that he used to study under street lights as it was not possible for him to afford a gas lamp at home. His parents, despite dire poverty, somehow managed to send him to the city of Calcutta for higher studies. He was a brilliant student known for his dedicated learning, modest manners, supreme honesty and great respect for teachers. He quickly cleared all the examinations with excellence, and was rewarded with a number of scholarships for his academic performance. 

In 1839, he graduated in Law examination conducted by the Hindu Law Committee. He gained mastery in many shastras or disciplines - kavya (poetry), alankar (rhetorics), vedanta (vedic literature and anthology), smriti (philosophy of law), nyaya (logic, science and jurisprudence), and jyotish-vidya (astrology). It is here at a tender age the title Vidyasagar (Ocean of Knowledge) was endowed to him. 

In 1841, Ishwar Chandra joined the Fort William College as a head of the Sanskrit department. After five years, Vidyasagar joined the Sanskrit College as Assistant Secretary. Here, he sought to bring about several changes to the curricula and the education system. This led to a serious altercation between Ishwar Chandra and the College Secretary Rasomoy Dutta. After a period of brief struggle, his attempts and contribution to improve the education system were recognized, and he was appointed Principal of the Sanskrit College in 1851. 

Thereafter, Ishwar Chandra went on to contribute immensely to Bengali education and Sanskrit literature. He reconstructed the Bengali alphabet and reformed Bengali typography. He was also an ardent social reformer. His heart was full of kindness and mercy, and cried out in distress of the poor, in sufferings of the sick and for injustice to humanity. 

He took up the cause of women against the pain and suffering imposed on them by the society, often in the name of religion, by allowing things like polygamy, ban on widows from remarrying, child marriage, gender inequality, etc. All of this distressed him immensely and he worked relentlessly towards legalizing widow remarriage and for abolishing child-marriage and polygamy. He also opened the doors of colleges and other educational institutions to lower caste students, which was earlier reserved only for the Brahmins. For his great generosity and kind-heartedness, people would also address him as "Daya Sagar" (ocean of kindness). 

What would I like to learn from Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar?

1. Dedication for learning
2. Ability to fight and stick to the goal against adverse circumstances
3. Combination of extraordinary intelligence with nobleness of heart
4. Compassion, generosity and kind-heartedness