Ishwar Chandra was a Bengali polymath who contributed significantly to the Bengal Renaissance. On this amazing personality, several essays have been written. Any writer who writes an essay about Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar would have a sense of patriotism and nationalism. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar possessed a wide range of abilities. He was a professor, philosopher, painter, entrepreneur, reformer, philanthropist, translator, and publisher, among other things.
On September 26, 1820, in Birsingha village, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was born. This village is also located in the Bengal province’s Paschim Midnapore district. In addition, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was born into an orthodox Brahmin household. His parents sent him to live with Bhagabat Charan’s residence in Calcutta when he was six years old. He enrolled in a local school to begin his studies.
Vidyasagar received concealed marks in Sanskrit Grammar in 1841. He also took a part-time job teaching Sanskrit at a Sanskrit College. In addition, the man acquired Vedanta and astronomical knowledge. He also became a professor of Sanskrit at Fort William College.
Women’s status in society was emphasised by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. He made a concerted effort to improve the status of women at the time. Vidyasagar went to great lengths to alleviate Hindu widows’ helplessness and pain. This was due to the dismal and bleak situation that Hindu widows faced at the time.
Most notably, he questioned Brahminical authority over the status of widows in holy literature. After numerous attempts, he finally persuaded the British to pass the 1856 Widows Remarriage Act.
On the 29th of July in the year 1891, Ishwara Chandra Vidyasagar died. He was also seventy when he died. From the ‘Sanskrit College’ in Calcutta, he has bestowed the coveted title of ‘Vidyasagar.’ ‘Vidya’ means knowledge in Sanskrit, while ‘Sagar’ means ocean in Hindi. As a result, ‘Vidya Sagar’ translates to ‘Knowledge Ocean.’
