Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar - Revision history

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	{{infobox writer		{{infobox writer
	\| name = Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar ~~(ঈশ্বরচন্দ্র বিদ্যাসাগর)~~		\| name = Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
	\| native_name =		\| native_name =
	\| native_name_lang =		\| native_name_lang =
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	\| birth_place = [[Birsingha]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]]<br />(now in [[West Bengal]], [[India]])		\| birth_place = [[Birsingha]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]]<br />(now in [[West Bengal]], [[India]])
	\| death_date = 1891		\| death_date = 1891
	{{death date and age\|df=yes\|1891\|7\|29\|1820\|9\|29}}		{{death date and age\|df=yes\|1891\|7\|29\|1820\|9\|26}}
	\| death_place = [[Calcutta]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]]<br />(now [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]])		\| death_place = [[Calcutta]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]]<br />(now [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]])
	\| resting_place =		\| resting_place =
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	=== Spread of Education beyond Higher Classes ===		=== Spread of Education beyond Higher Classes ===
	The [[Wood's despatch\|Wood’s despatch of 1854]]—considered the [[Magna Carta]] of Indian education—adopted a new policy towards 'mass education. Hitherto the official focus was on the upper classes of the population for education. Dubbed the 'Downward Filtration Theory', this implied that education always filters down from the upper classes of the society to the common masses.		The [[Wood's despatch\|Wood’s despatch of 1854]]—considered the [[Magna Carta]] of Indian education—adopted a new policy towards 'mass education'. Hitherto the official focus was on the upper classes of the population for education. Dubbed the 'Downward Filtration Theory', this implied that education always filters down from the upper classes of the society to the common masses.

	In 1859, the government’s education policy reiterated "the spread of vernacular elementary instruction among the lower orders".<ref>{{Cite book \|last=Stark \|first=Herbert Aligk \|date=1916 \|title=Vernacular education in Bengal from 1813 to 1912 \|url=http://cslrepository.nvli.in/bitstream/123456789/3973/2/RB826.pdf \|publisher=The Calcutta General Publishing Co. \|language=en}}</ref> Upon this, Vidyasagar addressed a letter, dated 29 September 1859, to [[John Peter Grant]], the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, underlining his perception:<blockquote>''An impression appears to have gained ground, both here and in England, that enough has been done for the education of the higher classes and that attention should now be directed towards the education of the masses... An inquiry into the matter will, however, show a very different state of things. As the best, if not the only practicable means of promoting education in Bengal, the Government should, in my humble opinion, confine itself to the education of the higher classes on a comprehensive scale.''<ref>{{Cite news\|last=Biswas\|first=A K\|date=23 December 1993\|title=A Nation of Slow Learners\|work=The Telegraph}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web\|title=Universalisation of Education: India in a Trap - Mainstream Weekly\|url=http://mainstreamweekly.net/article1615.html\|website=mainstreamweekly.net\|access-date=2020-05-15}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web\|title=Surnames and 'Merit': A Case of Miranda House\|url=https://roundtableindia.co.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8472:surnames-and-merit-a-case-of-miranda-house&catid=119:feature&Itemid=132\|last=Shobhana\|first=Nidhin\|website=Round Table India\|language=en-gb\|access-date=2020-05-15}}</ref></blockquote>The words "higher classes" in Bengali parlance do not entail anything but caste which bestows or withdraws the privilege of education on a person by birth. Thus, Vidyasagar explicitly advocated for confining education to "higher classes".<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />		In 1859, the government’s education policy reiterated "the spread of vernacular elementary instruction among the lower orders".<ref>{{Cite book \|last=Stark \|first=Herbert Aligk \|date=1916 \|title=Vernacular education in Bengal from 1813 to 1912 \|url=http://cslrepository.nvli.in/bitstream/123456789/3973/2/RB826.pdf \|publisher=The Calcutta General Publishing Co. \|language=en}}</ref> Upon this, Vidyasagar addressed a letter, dated 29 September 1859, to [[John Peter Grant]], the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, underlining his perception:<blockquote>''An impression appears to have gained ground, both here and in England, that enough has been done for the education of the higher classes and that attention should now be directed towards the education of the masses... An inquiry into the matter will, however, show a very different state of things. As the best, if not the only practicable means of promoting education in Bengal, the Government should, in my humble opinion, confine itself to the education of the higher classes on a comprehensive scale.''<ref>{{Cite news\|last=Biswas\|first=A K\|date=23 December 1993\|title=A Nation of Slow Learners\|work=The Telegraph}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web\|title=Universalisation of Education: India in a Trap - Mainstream Weekly\|url=http://mainstreamweekly.net/article1615.html\|website=mainstreamweekly.net\|access-date=2020-05-15}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web\|title=Surnames and 'Merit': A Case of Miranda House\|url=https://roundtableindia.co.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8472:surnames-and-merit-a-case-of-miranda-house&catid=119:feature&Itemid=132\|last=Shobhana\|first=Nidhin\|website=Round Table India\|language=en-gb\|access-date=2020-05-15}}</ref></blockquote>The words "higher classes" in Bengali parlance do not entail anything but caste which bestows or withdraws the privilege of education on a person by birth. Thus, Vidyasagar explicitly advocated for confining education to "higher classes".<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

>Radio-Somewhere at 22:23, 25 June 2021

2021-06-25T22:23:30Z

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{{short description|Indian educator and social reformer}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{infobox writer
| name = Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (ঈশ্বরচন্দ্র বিদ্যাসাগর)
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| image = Ishwarchandra_Vidyasagar.jpg
| imagesize =
| alt =
| caption = Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
| pseudonym =
| birth_name = Ishwar Chandra Bandopadhyay
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1820|9|26}}
| birth_place = [[Birsingha]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]] (now in [[West Bengal]], [[India]])
| death_date = 1891
{{death date and age|df=yes|1891|7|29|1820|9|29}}
| death_place = [[Calcutta]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]] (now [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]])
| resting_place =
| nationality = [[British Raj|India]]n
| occupation = Educator, social reformer and author
| language = [[Bengali language|Bengali]]
| education =
| alma_mater = [[Sanskrit College]] (1828–1839)
| period =
| genre =
| subject =
| movement = [[Bengal Renaissance]]
| notableworks = Widow remarriage , introduction of punctuation mark in Bengali language

| spouse = Dinamayee Devi
| children = 1
| relatives =
| awards =
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| website =
| portaldisp =
}}
'''Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar''' [[Order of the Indian Empire|CIE]] (26 September 1820 – 29 July 1891),<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.mapsofindia.com/on-this-day/29-july-1891-social-reformer-ishwar-chandra-vidyasagar-passes-away|title=29 July 1891: Social Reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Passes Away|website=www.mapsofindia.com|date=29 July 2013}}</ref> born '''Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay''', was an Indian [[educator]] and [[social reformer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/26148|title=Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar: A Profile of the Philanthropic Protagonist|publisher=americanchronicle.com|access-date=20 December 2008}}</ref> His efforts to simplify and modernise [[Bengali language|Bengali]] prose were significant. He also rationalised and simplified the Bengali alphabet and type, which had remained unchanged since [[Charles Wilkins]] and [[Panchanan Karmakar]] had cut the first (wooden) Bengali [[Sort (typesetting)|type]] in 1780. He is considered the "father of Bengali prose".<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Isvar-Chandra-Vidyasagar |title=Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]] |access-date=4 September 2018}}</ref>

He was the most prominent campaigner for Hindu widow remarriage, petitioning the Legislative council despite severe opposition, including a counter petition (by [[Radhakanta Deb]] and the [[Dharma Sabha]]) which had nearly four times as many signatures. <ref>{{cite journal | title=The Revolution Behind the Revolt (A comparative study of the causes of the 1857 uprising) | author=H. R. Ghosal | journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress | year=1957 | volume=20 | pages=293–305|jstor = 44304480}}</ref><ref name="Asthana1974">{{cite book|author=Pratima Asthana|title=Women's Movement in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AxAqAAAAYAAJ|year=1974|publisher=Vikas Publishing House|isbn=978-0-7069-0333-1|page=22}}</ref> Even though widow remarriage was considered a flagrant breach of Hindu customs and was staunchly opposed, [[James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie|Lord Dalhousie]] personally finalised the bill and the [[Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856|''Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act'', ''1856'']] was passed.<ref name="Gupta2015">{{cite book|author=Amit Kumar Gupta|title=Nineteenth-Century Colonialism and the Great Indian Revolt|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yt6oCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT30|year=2015|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-317-38668-1|page=30}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | title=A Wind of Change: The New British Colonial Policy in Post-Revolt India | author=Belkacem Belmekki | journal=AEDEAN: Asociación Española de Estudios Anglo-americanos | year=2008 | volume=2 |issue = 2| pages=111–124|jstor = 41055330}}</ref>

He so excelled in his undergraduate studies of Sanskrit and philosophy that [[Sanskrit College]] in Calcutta, where he studied, gave him the honorific title "''Vidyasagar''" ("Ocean of Knowledge"; from [[Sanskrit]], ''Vidya'' "knowledge" and ''Sagar'' "ocean"). <ref name="sahitya-sasi raj akademi">{{cite book|last=Lal|first=Mohan |title=The Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|year=2006|pages=4567–4569|chapter=Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnPoYxrRfc0C&pg=PA4567 | isbn=978-81-260-1221-3}}</ref>

==Biography==
[[File:Vidyasagar birthplace.jpg|thumb|Birthplace of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Birsingha, Paschim Medinipur District]]
Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay was born in 26 September 1820 in a [[Bengali Hindu]] [[Bengali Brahmin|Brahmin]] family to Thakurdas Bandyopadhyay and Bhagavati Devi at [[Birsingha]] village in [[Hooghly district]]; later, the village was added to [[Midnapore district]]<ref>District Gazetteer of Hooghly 1820</ref> which is in the [[Ghatal]] subdivision of [[Paschim Midnapore district]] in current day [[West Bengal]] on 26 September 1820. The family originally hailed from Banamalipur situated in present-day [[Hooghly district]].<ref>''Vidyasagar-jibancharit O Bhramnirash'', Bidyaratna, Shambhuchandra, BookLand Pvt. Ltd., Calcutta, 1947, p. 4</ref><ref>''Vidyasagar Ed. 4th'', Sarkar, Biharilal, Calcutta, 1922, p. 14</ref><ref>''Vidyasagar Charit'', Bandyopadhyay, Narayan, The Calcutta Library , 1891, p. 3</ref> At the age of 9, he went to [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] and started living in Bhagabat Charan's house in [[Burrabazar]], where Thakurdas had already been staying for some years. Ishwar felt at ease amidst Bhagabat's large family and settled down comfortably in no time. Bhagabat's youngest daughter Raimoni's motherly and affectionate feelings towards Ishwar touched him deeply and had a strong influence on his later revolutionary work towards the upliftment of [[Women in India|women's status in India]].

His quest for knowledge was so intense that he used to study under a street light as it was not possible for him to afford a gas lamp at home<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boloji.com/articles/7697/ishwar-chandra-vidyasagar|title=Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar: A Profile of the Philanthropic Protagonist by Aparna Chatterjee|website=www.boloji.com}}</ref> He cleared all the examinations with excellence and in quick succession. He was rewarded with a number of scholarships for his academic performance. To support himself and the family, Ishwar Chandra also took a part-time job of teaching at [[Jorashanko]]. Ishwar Chandra joined the [[Sanskrit College]], Calcutta and studied there for twelve long years and passed out of the college in 1841 qualifying in Sanskrit Grammar, Literature, Dialectics [Alankara Shastra], Vedanta, Smriti and Astronomy<ref name="auto"/> As was the custom then Ishwar Chandra married at the age of fourteen. His wife was Dinamayee Devi. Narayan Chandra Bandyopadhyaya was their only son.

In the year 1839, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar successfully cleared his Sanskrit law examination. In 1841, at the age of twenty-one years, Ishwar Chandra joined [[Fort William College]] as head of the Sanskrit department.

After five years, in 1846, Vidyasagar left Fort William College and joined the Sanskrit College as 'Assistant Secretary'. In the first year of service, Ishwar Chandra recommended a number of changes to the existing education system. This report resulted in a serious altercation between Ishwar Chandra and College Secretary Rasomoy Dutta. In 1849, he against the advice of Rasomoy Dutta, resigned from Sanskrit College and rejoined Fort William College as a head clerk.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ishwar Chandra Vidysagar|url=http://www.vivekananda.net/PDFBooks/BengalCelebs/IswarVidyasagar.html|publisher=vivekananda.net}}</ref>

===Widow remarriage===
{{Main|Widow Remarriage Act}}
Vidyasagar championed the upliftment of the status of women in India, particularly in his native [[Bengal]]. Unlike some other reformers who sought to set up alternative societies or systems, he sought to transform society from within.<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.hinduweb.org/home/children_and_youth/omnnagarajan/filename6.html
|title=Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar|publisher=hinduweb.org|access-date=20 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021118094324/http://www.hinduweb.org/home/children_and_youth/omnnagarajan/filename6.html|archive-date=18 November 2002}}</ref>

Unable to tolerate the ill-treatment, many of these girls would run away and turn to prostitution to support themselves. Ironically, the economic prosperity and lavish lifestyles of the city made it possible for many of them to have successful careers once they stepped out of the sanction of society and into the demi-monde. In 1853 it was estimated that Calcutta had a population of 12,700 prostitutes and public women. Many widows had to shave their heads and don white saris, supposedly to discourage attention from men. They led a deplorable life, something Vidyasagar thought was unfair and sought to change.<ref>Sarkar, Nikhil [Sripantho] (1977) ''Bat tala''. Calcutta: Ananda. p. 66. (in Bengali)</ref>

=== Spread of Education beyond Higher Classes ===
The [[Wood's despatch|Wood’s despatch of 1854]]—considered the [[Magna Carta]] of Indian education—adopted a new policy towards 'mass education. Hitherto the official focus was on the upper classes of the population for education. Dubbed the 'Downward Filtration Theory', this implied that education always filters down from the upper classes of the society to the common masses.

In 1859, the government’s education policy reiterated "the spread of vernacular elementary instruction among the lower orders".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stark |first=Herbert Aligk |date=1916 |title=Vernacular education in Bengal from 1813 to 1912 |url=http://cslrepository.nvli.in/bitstream/123456789/3973/2/RB826.pdf |publisher=The Calcutta General Publishing Co. |language=en}}</ref> Upon this, Vidyasagar addressed a letter, dated 29 September 1859, to [[John Peter Grant]], the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, underlining his perception:<blockquote>''An impression appears to have gained ground, both here and in England, that enough has been done for the education of the higher classes and that attention should now be directed towards the education of the masses... An inquiry into the matter will, however, show a very different state of things. As the best, if not the only practicable means of promoting education in Bengal, the Government should, in my humble opinion, confine itself to the education of the higher classes on a comprehensive scale.''<ref>{{Cite news|last=Biswas|first=A K|date=23 December 1993|title=A Nation of Slow Learners|work=The Telegraph}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Universalisation of Education: India in a Trap - Mainstream Weekly|url=http://mainstreamweekly.net/article1615.html|website=mainstreamweekly.net|access-date=2020-05-15}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Surnames and 'Merit': A Case of Miranda House|url=https://roundtableindia.co.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8472:surnames-and-merit-a-case-of-miranda-house&catid=119:feature&Itemid=132|last=Shobhana|first=Nidhin|website=Round Table India|language=en-gb|access-date=2020-05-15}}</ref></blockquote>The words "higher classes" in Bengali parlance do not entail anything but caste which bestows or withdraws the privilege of education on a person by birth. Thus, Vidyasagar explicitly advocated for confining education to "higher classes".<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

Earlier in 1854, Vidyasagar had scoffed at the admission of a wealthy man from the goldsmith caste of Bengal in the [[The Sanskrit College and University|Sanskrit College, Calcutta]]. His argument was that "in the scale of castes, the class (goldsmith or [[Suvarna Banik|Subarnabanik]]) stands very low".<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Notably, [[Sanjib Chattopadhyay]], a biographer of Vidyasagar, revealed that Ishwar Chandra started his primary education in a school established and maintained by Shibcharan Mallick, a rich man of goldsmith caste in Calcutta.<ref>Bartaman, Sharad Special Issue, Calcutta, 1411 B.S., p. 345.</ref>

=== Vidyasagar in Santal Pargana ===
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s long association with [[Karmatanr, Jamtara|Karmatar]], a sleepy hamlet about 20 km from the district headquarters of [[Jamtara]], seems to have been forgotten by the people of the [[Jharkhand|state]].

Vidyasagar came to Karmatar in 1873 and spent more than 18 years of his life here. He had set up a girls’ school and a night school for adults on the premises of his house, which he called Nandan Kanan. He also opened a free homeopathy clinic to provide some medical care to these unprivileged tribal people.

After his death the Nandan Kanan, the abode of Vidyasagar was sold by his son to Mallick family of [[Kolkata]]. Before Nandan Kanan could be dismantled Bengali Association [[Bihar]] on 29 March 1974 purchased it by money collected by house to house contribution of one rupee each. The Girls School has been restarted, named after Vidyasagar. The Free Homeopathic Clinic is serving local population. The house of Vidyasagar has been maintained in the original shape. The most prized property is the 141 year old ‘Palanquin’ used by Vidyasagar himself.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jamtara.nic.in/history/|title=Official Web of Jamtara, Govt. of Jharkhand}}</ref>

The [[Government of Jharkhand]] on 26 September 2019 named [[Jamtara|Jamtara district]]'s [[Karmatanr (community development block)|Karmatand block]] as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Block as a mark of respect on the birth anniversary of the great social reformer.
An official release quote of Jharkhand's former Chief Minister [[Raghubar Das]]:<blockquote>''"Jamtara's Karmatand prakhand (block) was the 'karma bhumi' (workplace) of social reformer and strong supporter of women's education Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. Now the block will be known as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar prakhand"'' </blockquote>

==Meeting with Ramakrishna==
Vidyasagar was liberal in his outlook even though he was born in an orthodox Hindu Brahmin family. Also, he was highly educated and influenced by Oriental thoughts and ideas. [[Ramakrishna]] in contrast, did not have a formal education. Yet they had a nice relation between them. When Ramakrishna met Vidyasagar, he praised Vidyasagar as the ocean of wisdom. Vidyasagar joked that Ramkrishna should have collected some amount of salty water of that sea. But, Ramakrishna, with profound humbleness & respect, replied that the water of general sea might be salty, but not the water of the sea of wisdom.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=http://www.belurmath.org/gospel/chapter03.htm |title=Gospels of Sri Ramakrishna by M, translated by Swami Nikhilananda |chapter=Visit to Vidyasagar |page=37}}</ref>

==Accolades==
[[File:Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar 1970 stamp of India.jpg|120px|thumb|Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar on a 1970 stamp of India]]
Shortly after Vidyasagar's death, [[Rabindranath Tagore]] reverently wrote about him: "One wonders how God, in the process of producing forty million Bengalis, produced a man!"<ref>{{cite web |title=Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar |url=https://wbchse.nic.in/html/iswar_ch_vidyasagar.html |website=WBCHSE |publisher=West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education |access-date=15 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Life And Times of Ramakrishna Parmahamsa |date=1 August 2013 |publisher=Prabhat Prakashan |isbn=978-8184302301 |page=53 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eLwwBQAAQBAJ }}</ref>

After death, he is remembered in many ways, some of them include:
#In 2004, Vidyasagar was ranked number 9 in BBC's poll of the [[Greatest Bengali of all time]].<ref name="ISB1">—{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3623345.stm|title=Listeners name 'greatest Bengali'|date=14 April 2004|access-date=16 April 2018|work=BBC}} —{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2004/04/17/stories/2004041703001700.htm|title=International : Mujib, Tagore, Bose among 'greatest Bengalis of all time'|date=17 April 2004|last1=Habib|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|first1=Haroon}} —{{Cite web|url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/2004/04/16/d4041601066.htm|title=Bangabandhu judged greatest Bangali of all time|work=The Daily Star |date=16 April 2004}}</ref>
#Rectitude and courage were the hallmarks of Vidyasagar's character, and he was certainly ahead of his time. In recognition of his scholarship and cultural work the government designated Vidyasagar a [[Companion of the Indian Empire]] (CIE) in 1877<ref name="Romesh Dutt 1962 p. 117">Dutt, Romesh (1962) ''Cultural Heritage of Bengal''. Kolkata, Punthi Pustak. p. 117.</ref> In the final years of life, he chose to spend his days among the "[[Santhal people|Santhal]]s", an old tribe in India.
# Indian Post issued stamps featuring Vidyasagar in 1970 and 1998.<ref>[[:File:Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar 1970 stamp of India.jpg]], [[:File:Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar 1998 stamp of India.jpg]]</ref>
{{-}}
;List of places named after Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
[[File:Vidyasagar Setu.jpg|thumb|120px|Vidyasagar Setu, which connects [[Howrah]] and [[Kolkata]], is named after him]]
* [[Vidyasagar College]]
* [[Vidyasagar Evening College]]
* [[Vidyasagar College for Women]]
* [[Vidyasagar Institute of Health]]
* [[Vidyasagar Mahavidyalaya]]
* [[Vidyasagar School of Social Work]]
* [[Vidyasagar Setu]]
* [[Vidyasagar Shishu Niketan]]
* [[Vidyasagar Teachers' Training College, Kalna]]
* [[Vidyasagar Teachers' Training College, Midnapore]]
* [[Vidyasagar University]]
* [[Vidyasagar Vidyapith]]
* [[Vidyasagar Vidyapith Girls' High School]]

== In popular culture ==
Indian film director Kali Prasad Ghosh made ''Vidyasagar'', a Bengali-language biographical film about his life in 1950 which starred [[Pahadi Sanyal]] in the titular role.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Madhuja Mukherjee|author2=Kaustav Bakshi|title=Popular Cinema in Bengal: Genre, Stars, Public Cultures|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3NXpDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP92|date=9 June 2020|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-00-044892-4|page=92}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* Indramitra, ''Karunasagar Vidyasagar'', Ananda Publishers, Kolkata {{ISBN|81-7215-040-7}}
* {{cite book |title=Thinkers of the Indian Renaissance |first=Gopal. |last=Haldar |editor-first=Donald H. |editor-last=Bishop |edition=Second |publisher=New Age International |location=New Delhi |year=1998 |orig-year=1982 |chapter=I. C. Vidyasagar: Realist and Humanist |pages=81–91 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sGXRtaQklagC |isbn=978-81-224-1122-5 |access-date=14 May 2012}}
*{{cite book |title=Women and Social Reform in Modern India: A Reader |editor1-first=Sumit |editor1-last=Sarkar |editor2-first=Tanika |editor2-last=Sarkar|publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2008 |isbn=9780253220493 |first=Sumit |last=Sarkar |chapter=Vidyasagar and Brahmanical Society |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GEPYbuzOwcQC |pages=118–145}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Americana Poster|Vidyasagar, Iswar Chandra|Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar}}
* [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Isvar-Chandra-Vidyasagar Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar] at the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''
* {{Cite EB1911 |last=Dutt |first=Romesh Chunder |authorlink=Romesh Chunder Dutt |wstitle=Vidyasagar, Iswar Chandra |short=x}}

{{Bengal Renaissance}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Indian Independence Movement}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidyasagar, Ishwar Chandra}}
[[Category:Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar| ]]
[[Category:1820 births]]
[[Category:1891 deaths]]
[[Category:Bengali writers]]
[[Category:Bengali Hindus]]
[[Category:Bengali people]]
[[Category:Indian reformers]]
[[Category:Writers from Kolkata]]
[[Category:People from Paschim Medinipur district]]
[[Category:Translators of Kalidasa]]
[[Category:Indian Sanskrit scholars]]
[[Category:The Sanskrit College and University alumni]]
[[Category:Widowhood in India]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian educational theorists]]
[[Category:Founders of Indian schools and colleges]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian translators]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian educators]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian philosophers]]
[[Category:Scholars from West Bengal]]
[[Category:Sanskrit scholars from Bengal]]
[[Category:Language reformers]]