Medini is a district of Bengal. Veer Singh is a village in that district. In that village, on 26 September 1820, a child was born Who Made The Name Of The Country And Society Bright. He was the educationist and social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was the embodiment of simplicity since childhood. The truth was his companion. Purushartha was his life, and he considered helping others as his religion.
His early education was based on the old method. The effect of that method remained on him for the rest of his life. He had a deep affection for a girl in his infancy. So deep that he did not even bother to compete with Dharmadhwaji Hindus and came before the country as a true social reformer. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar had to go to Calcutta to get higher education but decided in his heart that he would marry him in his youth girl. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, in Kolkata, studied at Sanskrit College and became a lecturer by writing.
Youth Life of Ishwar Chandra Vidhyasagar
When he came to the village during the holidays, he was eager to meet Balsangini. When they met, he kept looking at her. She looked very beautiful in a white dress.
Iswar asked her for marriage. “I am a child widow. Widow marriage does not take place in our society,” said the beautiful girl in a stunning voice.
“Widow,” Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar said in amazement, “When did you get married”?
The girl said, “When you went to Kolkata to study. I was 8 years old at that time. I saw my husband’s face for a while at the time of the marriage ceremony, and he was sixty years old. The next day the husband left with a lot of money and goods. After that, he never came back. A few years later, the news of his death was received by us. People broke my bangles and cut my beautiful hair. “Saying this, she started sobbing.
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar thought that what kind of irony is this? This teenage girl lost everything in the fire of widowhood before she developed puberty. Eating well, dressing well, dreaming of love, and enjoying the pleasures of the householder became taboo for her. It is not a teenage girl, and there will be lakhs of such adolescent girls in this country who have to sacrifice peace and happiness in the fire of widowhood. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was shocked to hear the plight of that girl.
What did happen to the girls at that time?
He returns home quietly. From that day onwards, much of the time was spent by Ishwar Chandra Vidhyasagar researching this problem of the widow. Then he learned that the noble families in Bengal used to marry their daughters in the noble families only. Due to the fear of the Muslims, the girls were married at an innocuous stage. In those days, getting a good groom was also a big problem. It made many nobles ready to do favors to the fathers of daughters.
They used to marry many girls at once. A lot of dowries were available. Also, the responsibility of maintaining their wives was not on them. After marriage, those girls used to stay at their father’s house. The husband would come to the in-laws’ house once in a couple of years and would return with a substantial amount from the father-in-law. There were some such noble people in Bengal who did not even know how many wives they had and in how many places they had in-laws. But some such people also kept the accounts of their wives from time to time so that they could go to the in-laws’ house and bring dowry.
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s work for the widow
Thus a nobleman had twenty wives, and as soon as he closed his eyes, all those girls would be forced to live the life of a widow. Due to the efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the poor widows were saved from burning with their husbands, but the fire of widowhood is still there to burn them for life. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar took the lead for the salvation of girls. There was a new enthusiasm in them. He had to compete with the religious authorities, but he did not panic. He never deviated from his path. People will remember the work he did for women’s education and widow marriage.
For women’s salvation, Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar had to listen to abusive words and had to face threats. But Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar always showed fearlessness. Faced the danger boldly. Despite Dharmadhwaji being against the Hindus, on 26 July 1856, he succeeded in enacting the Widow Remarriage Act. The first marriage under this law took place on 7 December 1856.
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was a man of merit and effort. Therefore, success in every field kept kissing his feet. He went from professor to principal of the college. In 1865, the whole of Bengal was suffering from famine. The Bengalis were starving and dying. There was no sign of food. At the same time in Burdwan, a lean, slender boy Ishwar Chandra came to Vidyasagar and started asking him for a penny.
Kind Act Of Ishwar Chandra
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar heard the boy’s demand and said, “What will you do if I give you four paise”?
“Sir! Please don’t joke right now, I’m in a lot of trouble.” The boy said in a polite voice.
“No, I’m not joking. Tell me, what will you do with four paise?”
“With two paise I will buy something to eat, and I will give two paise to my mother.”
“And let’s say, what would you do if I give you two aane?”
On hearing this, the boy turned his back and started leaving from there. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar grabbed his arm and said, “Tell me, then?”
Tears welled up in the boy’s eyes, and he said, “I will take rice for four paise and give the rest to mother.”
“And if I give you four aanas?”
“I will arrange food for two days in two aane and will buy and sell mangoes of two aane. With that money, I will take care of the family.”
Hearing this, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar gave him one rupee. Seeing it, the boy did not get puffed up and ran out of sight.
The generosity of Ishwar Chandra
Two years have passed since this incident. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar reached Burdwan due to some work. Seeing them, a healthy young man came out of the small shop, said, “Sir! Would you bother to spend a few moments in my shop?”
“Friend! I don’t even know you.”
The young man’s eyes filled with tears. Seeing this, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar went to his shop. Sitting him respectfully, the young man narrated the incident of one rupee two years ago. Seeing the progress of the young man, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was very happy. He encouraged and blessed the young man.
It was the picture of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s generosity. In this way, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar improved the educated Englishmen and removed the social evils of Hindus. For the spread of education, Many Educational Institutions Were Established by people. He always stayed away from politics but remained at the forefront as a social reformer.
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