Ishwar Chandra Vidhyasagar Biography 
Ishwar Chandra Vidhyasagar was Indian polymath who played an important role in the Bengal Renaissance. He was a philosopher, writer and an educator who was interested in social reforms and philanthropic activities. He simplified the Bengali alphabet. The Calcutta Sanskrit College acknowledged his academic excellence and gave him the title of Vidhyasagar which means ocean of knowledge.
He was born on 26th September 1820 in Ghatal subdivision of Mindanpore district in a poor family. His father was Thakurdas Bandyopadhyay and his mother was Bhagavati Devi. He studied at village school and received many scholarships for his academic intelligence. He worked for part time as a teacher and in the year 1839, he had cleared his Law examination successfully. He joined the Fort William College in the year 1841.
He joined the Sanskrit College as Assistant Secretary in 1846. He made some changes to the existing system of education. He joined Sanskrit College as a professor of literature in 1849. He set up schools for girls in Calcutta. He was outspoken and blunt in his mannerisms. But he was known for his charity and generosity.
He made the students of lower castes to study in Sanskrit College. He advocated widow remarriages and opposed polygamy. He took initiative for the enactment of Widow Remarriage Act XV in India in the year 1856.
He reformed the Bengali typography into an alphabet containing twelve vowels and forty consonants. He contributed a lot to the Bengali and Sanskrit literature. He worked for the freedom of women.
He spent his final days among the Santhal tribes of India. He was praised by Rabindranath Tagore for his philanthropic works. He died on 29th July 1891. A college in Kolkata and a university in Paschim Midapore were named after him.
Published: N/A
Updated: November 06, 2011
