Famous Personalities : Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

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Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar was a great multi-talented social reformer of the nineteenth century. He was great educationist, a tireless reformer and a great scholar. He also tried to modernize the Bengali prose.

Birth: His birth took place on 6th Sep, 1820 in an orthodox Brahmin family. He was a person with extraordinary skills. He graduated from Sanskrit college.

Meaning of Vidyasagar: Because of his extraordinary academic performance, he was honored with the title of ‘Vidyasagar’. Vidyasagar is a combination of two Sanskrit word. ‘Vidya’ means ‘knowledge’ and ‘Sagar’ means ‘sea or ocean’. Thus, Vidyasagar means “Ocean of knowledge and wisdom

Contribution: Vidyasagar tried hard to restore the honor of women by educating them and by struggling to remove evil practices. He supported widow remarriage (1857) and criticized child marriage.

He authored several books such as Bornoporichoy, Betal Panchabinsati, Upakramanika, kotha mala, Banglar Itihas, Sitar Bonobas, etc.

Conclusion: The most notable thing about Ishar Chandra Vidyasagar is that he never associated himself with any organization. He was himself a movement. He passed away on 29th July, 1891 at Kolkata.

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