A HUMBLE TRIBUTE TO THE LEGEND:ISHWARCHANDRA VIDYASAGAR ON HIS 123rd BIRTH ANNIVERSARY*

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Widow or the widowhood is a painful word-a word that changes the entire thought process of a woman. We all know and are aware that in a country where women are worshipped as GOD during Dussehra and many other festivals, are not treated at par with menfolk. There is this dichotomy which has been prevailing since ages. The  rituals like removal of vermillion, footwear, ornaments from a woman who has just lost her husband are derogatory especially when this happens with a relatively younger woman.The male dominated chauvinistic society has tolerated, if not encouraged, these rituals with eyes closed. These had to go and am happy the Maharashtra Government in the year 2021 had woken up from slumber and banned such rituals.


Going back century, an incident that had happened in 1853 in presence of Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar changed the entire socio economic melee. He was attending a function at zamindar’s place and was served a sumptuous lunch. As he got up to wash his hands, a nine year old  girl draped in a white cloth ran in. She was asking for food as she had not eaten since morning. That was ekadashi and the girl had just been widowed few months ago and was supposed to fast the entire  day. Vidyasagar was moved so much seeing the plight of the young girl, he excused himself from lunch feigning sickness and went home. Then started his 18 hrs a day rigorous studies of vedas. He met the Governor Lord Dalhousie for an enactment on re-marriage of widows. The Governor showed his inability to do so until Hindu Books  showed such recommendations. The fight went on when Vidyasagar alone fought the battle against then brahmins and eventually on *26th of July 1856* the WIDOW RE-MARRIAGE ACT was enacted. 


Vidyasagar, a Brahmin by birth was a great social reformer and  fought for equal rights for all in the society. Bengal, as was in the other parts of the country, was ridden with all dogmas. Brilliant student that he was Ishwarchandra educated himself to take up the cudgel to fight all those ills. He was a pioneer in women’s education and established the first girl’s school in Calcutta in 1849 to provide education to girls of all castes and communities. He wrote “Barnaparichay” -a book of all times introducing bengali alphabet to a child.


Let us all today remember the enormous contribution made by Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar in society and banish all inequalities in the name of caste, creed and religion that still pervade our society. And if we could do that it would be a true tribute to that Holy soul named Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar.

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