Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Reforms

Social Reforms

• He was a nineteenth-century polymath reformer who made significant contributions to changing the status of women in India.
• His research into ancient texts convinced him that the status of Hindu women at the time was not sanctioned by the scriptures and was the result of societal power dynamics.
• As a result of his tireless efforts, the then-Government of India passed the Widow Remarriage Act in 1856.
• He encouraged his own sonNarayan Chandra Bandyopadhyaya to marry a widow in order to garner public support for the implementation of the widow remarriage provision.
• Vidyasagar, unlike other reformers who sought to establish alternative societies or systems, sought to transform society from within.
• Because of his brave entrepreneurship, widow remarriage was introduced into Bengal's conservative Hindu brahmin society.
• He advocated for women's education and vehemently opposed the barbaric practice of child marriage.
• He established 35 girls' schools across Bengal. One of the institutions was the Metropolitan School of Calcutta. The sole purpose of these schools was to empower women.
• He also fought hard against the prevalent social custom of Kulin Brahmin polygamy at the time. Because of the nature of this heinous practice, some men ended up marrying as many as eighty women.
• Vidyasagar was a man who was far ahead of his time, standing tall against the conservative power centres of Hindu society.
• His work for women's empowerment, self-sufficiency, prosperity, and empowerment, as well as his tireless efforts for 'Nari Shiksha,' remains unique.

Educational Reforms

• Vidyasagar began working as an 'Assistant Secretary' at the Sanskrit Collegein 1846.
• Within a year, he implemented a slew of changes to the existing educational system. Vidyasagar, as Principal of Sanskrit College from 1851 to1858, instituted unprecedented changes in administration and education.
• When there was no concept of universal education, Vidyasagar was adamant that everyone, regardless of caste or gender, had the right to an education. He even allowed people from lower castes to use the Sanskrit college's facilities.
• He also encouraged scholars to research ancient sacred texts and interpret them for modern audiences.
• In Hooghly, Midnapore, Burdwan, and Nadia, he established 20 model schools. He oversaw the schools, hired teachers, and developed their curricula. He also popularized the study of English, Western Sciences, and Mathematics.
• He was the one who initiated the acceptance of admission and tuition fees. In addition, he established 'Sunday' as a weekly holiday and summer vacation in the months of May and June.
• He is credited with rebuilding the Bengali alphabet. He reduced Bengali typography to 12 vowels and 40 consonants, omitting the Sanskrit phonemes.
• His book 'Borno Porichoy,'which translates as 'introduction to the letter,' is still used as an introductory text for learning the Bengali alphabet.
• He was also a key figure in the Bengal Renaissance, a cultural, social, intellectual, and artistic movement that flourished in Bengal from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.

Significant Work

• He wrote biographical notes on numerous notable people in world history so that the next generation could be inspired by reading great examples of endurance, hard work, honesty, patience, perseverance, courage, determination, and life philosophy.
• Among Vidyasagar's social reform works are 'Bidhobabivah'on widows' right to remarry (1855), and 'Bahubivah'on the prohibition of polygamy(1871), and Balyabivahon the flaws of child marriage.