Even before considering the greatness of
the contributions of Ishwarchandra Bidyasagar in the areas of social reform,
language, literature, scientific outlook, education, female education et al,
his towering figure in the whole stretch of Bengal Renaissance awes us due to
his simplicity, his stoic purposiveness and principled life.
Now, that we are marching forward to
celebrate the 200th Birth Anniversary of this great soul we may
think about the dimensions of his praxis situating it in the critical contexts
of contemporary Indian society.
First let us take the set of issues
related with primary education. We have our ‘Education for All’ or Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan’ providing free education, free textbooks etc. to all children
at the primary level. I am not going to deal with the paradox inherent in the
campaign itself – right to education somehow obfuscating the duty (legally
enforceable, so to say) of the state to provide education to all. Even as it
is, we face the growing concerns, particularly at the primary level, about the
(a) quality of education, (b) inclusion of mother tongue as first language in a
rightly themed three-language formula, (c) common school system, (d) resistance
to privatization and commercialization. Percentage of girls at this level is
needed to be improved, improvement is required in the percentage of children
from deprived communities, there are the issue of drop-outs etc. but of these,
first and second may be dealt with other issues. The last one invokes the
liability of the state to provide gainful employment (farming included) to its
people.
In a situation where there was no scope
for general education for all in vernacular language Vidyasagar did (i)
rationalize the letters of his language and write a primer which is still the
best primer available in that language, (ii) write some text books for that
language including one to learn about moral courage and one to have glimpse of
the world through scientific eyes and with scientific outlook, also a easy
grammar for the classical language Sanskrit, (iii) prepare a syllabus which at
that time revolutionized the concept of education for orthodox minds, (iv)
persuade the British government to open schools in villages and himself took
initiative to open more than 200 schools, (v) same again, to open girls’
schools and himself opened more than 40 girls’ schools (with
government sponsorship; later he founded on his own expenses a girls school in his
mother’s name at Birsingha and also formed a girls school in Karmatar),
(vi) open ‘normal school’ for training the teachers i.e. teachers’ training
school in present day vocabulary, (vii) establish a college, Metropolitan
Institution, on his own, which is the first private college in India
established by Indian, and in which all the teachers were Indians, (viii)
persuaded the British government official to recommend aid and recognition to
the schools privately established, which later helped founding of so many
schools (Wood’s Dispatch recommended inter alia that the government should
establish schools in each and every district, privately established schools
should be aided by the government and the government should always support
female education), (ix) open the right to get admission in the college in which
he worked for all castes, and lastly (x) begin adult education for the first
time in India while he was at Karmatar.
.
We find that for the popular discourse
and campaigns related with all the concerns about education, particularly
primary education today, Ishwarchandra Bidyasagar’s works and efforts get a
valuable inspirational significance.
Vidyasagar Birth Bicentenary – Nandan
Kanan Celebration Committee, while holding seminars, symposiums, lectures on
present day issues related to education and encouraging researches keeps this
significance in mind.
Now, let us take another set of issues,
related with women’s liberation and empowerment. Whatever said above about
writing of primers and text books, preparing new syllabus, opening girls’
schools, normal school for teachers’ training and persuading the government as
reflected in the recommendations of Wood’s Dispatch are related to female
education as well. And that is important because before him, we do not find any
notable educationist in Bengal advocating same education for girls as for boys.
Added to these, was his work in Bethune School or what presently is Bethune
college. His conscientious efforts to make the institution an ideal girls school
yielded results and we find twenty years later that a student of that school,
Kadambini Ganguly, becomes the first lady doctor in Asia.
Then comes in count his celebrated
endeavors to introduce widow remarriage and prohibit child marriage. Later,
some detractions were made that since higher caste Hindus formed only 24
percent of the population in Bengal Presidency and rest 76 percent had no
problems with widow remarriage hence his endeavors were confined to his ‘caste
mindset’. Same type of critics criticizes him that his opening of admission to
Hindoo College for all did not include the Shudras. Not including the Shudras
should be considered keeping in view the state of urban society those days. I
haven’t read anywhere that admissions in the schools opened by Bidyasagar in
the villages of Bengal were prohibited for Shudras.
Introduction of widow remarriage, even
if for higher castes had a deeper cultural significance. We know the
hegemonistic nature of Brahmanical culture and its impact on lower castes. Of
course, widow remarriage might not be a religious issue for them at that time,
just as they did not suffer the evils of Sati earlier, but had these evils
persisted, these would have taken the lower castes as well in their reach.
British period is full of stories where lower castes or its segments would hold
congregations and demand recognition as higher castes. Observing all the
orthodox Brahmanical religious rites by the lower castes, specially among the
affluent segments is rampant even now.
So far as child marriage is concerned,
marrying a small girl to an aged man, rather an old haggard, might have been a
specific feature of Kulin Brahmanas, but the marriage between under-aged
children were prevalent in all the castes of Hindu community. Bidyasagar eagerly
endeavored to stop this inhuman practice with all his zeal.
If we consider the issues related with
liberation and empowerment of women at present, all the three aspects of
Bidyasagar’s engagement with women’s issues are directly relevant. In spite of
much development in this regard, in education women are still lagging behind.
Adult education has given place to adult literacy, and literacy often means
just the ability to put her signature on the documents of bank, SHG or
government schemes. Drop outs rates are higher at primary stage and perhaps
except for few urban segments motivating people on women education is still a
burning issue.
Widow remarriage when widow is quite
young and victim of some untoward occurrence (early death of husband, early separation
or whatever) has become quite common but what about widows who are not that
young? Or, middle aged? Or, old? The curse of remaining widow generally
continues for them of course, with modifications/liberalizations in dress or
food codes. No one is there to quote/misquote shastras, but the society still stigmatizes
them.
And child marriage is still so rampant,
particularly in rural areas that a Chief Minister finds the issue comfortable
to campaign for when surrounded by his failure to tackle some other issues! No
satire is intended. The point is that, prohibition of child marriage is an
important issue connected with empowerment of women.
Even those issues, which are directly
not referable to Bidyasagar’s endeavors e.g. discrimination in employment, wages
and service rules, stigmas related to physical nature of women, and general
issues of oppression and violence including molestation and rape, can be raised
while commemorating 200th Birth Anniversary of this great soul. I
would suggest the leaders of Vidyasagar Birth Bicentenary – Nandan Kanan
Celebration Committee to raise these issues as well in their events to be
organized for coming three years.
Moreover, education, full [stigma]-free
options for women to remarry at all ages and ground-level stoppage of child
marriage will release a huge strength which will accelerate the liberation of
women and empower them.
While talking about Bidyasagar the third
set of issues must be the issues related with scientific outlook. Keeping aside
the present-day social movements and campaigns to eradicate the evil of
superstitions, black magic, miracle-doing godmen etc. for the time being, let’s
first view it at the ground level, as the problem of the individual psyche. If
we analyze, adoption of scientific outlook first needs knowing through education
that superstitions are superstitions, miracles do not happen, they are totally
different from honest spirituality or faith in a supreme being, even idolatry
of a common Hindu. You need to know that the strength of your faith is eaten
away by the fear of an illusory environment. Then, a multi-pronged inner battle
will begin in life against (a) various family-inherited superstitions, (b) socially
carried superstitions, (c) believing in miracles, (d) believing in products on
their advertised value particularly related with health care and cosmetic care
(e) adopting critical attitude etc. This inner battle cannot be fought alone by
preventive behaviour or meditation and contemplation. Education, social
interaction and practice are required. Practice means going against the fear,
against the cacophony of warnings in each step of life every day. The resolve
is strengthened then by participation in or initiation of campaigns.
That much said, let us look at
Vidyasagar. There is a general agreement among the informed people that in
terms of rationality and scientific outlook, name of Bidyasagar rises highest among all the great men of Bengal
renaissance. Rather, it remains a debatable point among people who adores him
whether he was an atheist or theist and if latter, to what extent! His
rationalism and scientific outlook are not only revealed by the book written by
him for junior students on material phenomena of the world or the records of
his discussions with other people. He spoke rarely about his personal
philosophy or about philosophy in general. He rarely talked about his aims and
never in some hyperbolic manner. Down to earth and in a dogged, business-like
way he engaged himself with the issues, which he undertook as his mission, one
after another. The way he dealt with his own life, give us a glimpse of the rarity
of his character and tells us what the practical meaning of rationality and
scientific outlook in life is.
Hence, in present day context, when
irrationalism, various kinds of pseudo-science and a derisive attitude against
scientific temperament is being inculcated by some political forces in an
organised way, it becomes highly imperative that we, while commemorating
Bidyasagar’s Birth Bicentenary, take care to organise sessions with students
and people in general to propagate the importance of scientific temperament in
life. We must also expose the nature of submission to exploitations concealed
behind observance of various superstitions, believing in pseudo-sciences,
miracles and black magic and fraudulence of various god-men.
Fourthly, his engagement with the
issues of economic wellbeing and health care of the village folks living in and
around Karmatar.
Of course, he came to Karmatar for repose.
But, was Vidyasagar at Karmatar regressive compared to Vidyasagar at Kolkata?
Or, just ‘weakened’ continuity of the past? If we think like that we would be
completely misjudging the inner strength of a ‘Renaissance person’. History has
repeatedly shown that they are unique. Even a pass-time or sometimes a dreary
routine of job strikes a new path giving a zeal and mission for them! I always
get reminded of that great scientist Thomas Young! From his daily job of tightrope-walking
in a circus, he discovered the laws of vibration of strings and eventually of
music!
So, despite staying there in repose,
Bidyasagar’s daily routine not only gave a new mission to him, it became an
ascension of his reformatory activities to reach the people and part of the
popular outreach of Bengal Renaissance spanning whole of 19th
century. And in that sense the Karmatar years of Vidyasagar illuminates the
path of his life with a new light. A vidyasagar who always tried to reach the
people outside the peripheries of Calcuttan urbanity finally found the way in
Karmatar.
While residing at Nandan Kanan, Karmatar
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar extended his activities towards (i) Pioneering in
adult literacy – he opened a school for village adults, perhaps first such
school in India and remembering his contribution in this regard the government
of Bihar began here the pilot project of Adult Literacy in late 70s of 20th
century; (ii) Extending his work for education of women – began an open school
under the trees for the santhal and other village girls; (iii) Pioneering in
providing free medical and health care in tribal areas – he went to the village
homes to medicate and nurse the sick and in mixing with them didn’t care at all
about caste and religion; (iv) Extending helping hand to better the farming done
by villagers around and also giving them financial support in various ways.
Presently, the marginalization of tribal
people has gained an added dimension – grabbing of their land by corporate overlords
and depriving them from their traditional rights on the forests. But beyond
that battle against onslaughts of neo-liberal economy and resultant cronyism,
the space for economic and socio-cultural welfare of the tribal and
marginalized people remains in which, to some extent the concerned departments
of the government and NGOs have their engagements. Literacy, education,
accessible health and medical care, training in better farming and developing
other skills, financial support for their traditional crafts and marketing of
the products, implementation of other schemes for gainful employment and
financial inclusion … not only all these issues should be discussed while
commemorating 200th Birth Anniversary of Bidyasagar, whatever
possible should be done as well.
It is heartening to note that in the
annual Guru Dakshina programme at Nandan Kanan, Vidyasagar Smriti Raksha Samiti
organizes free eye check-up camp in the premises, there is a free homoeopathic
dispensary running there throughout the year, a proposal has already been sent
to the appropriate authorities to consider opening a Kaushal Vikas Kendra
(Skill Development Centre) in Nandan Kanan. As VSRS gains financial strength,
more ways and means to reach the tribal and marginal people with a helping
hand.
Last but not the least is the focus on
value-based living or the ethical inheritance of Ishwarchandra Bidyasagar. In
fact, this aspect has remained central in all the discussions about Bidyasagar’s
life in all the languages of India. Be it his biography in Bengali, Hindi,
English or any other vernacular of India, his virtues of respect to his mother
and father, his benevolence, his crying soul for the suffering people, his
hatred against injustice, his sense of equality and national pride, his
dynamism in all his persuasions in education or reform, his love for his
pupils, his sense of humour with not an iota of malice towards anyone, his
compassion for the poor and wretched…. All these have been made legendary by
repeated discussions and legendary they were. The moment British colonial administration
backed out from its earlier promise of financial allocation on education,
Bidyasagar did quit his job without caring for the loss of pension. Previously
also, when the administration of Sanskrit College refused to pay heed to his
suggestions for reform in the syllabus he quit the job. He deprived his son
from inheritance through his will and did not forgive him due to some acts of
disobedience, though the latter repented it. Yet he continuously helped Michael
Madhusudan, the great poet, in spite of knowing that Michael would be luxuriating,
drinking with his hard-earned money, because he believed in his genius! And
then there are so many other instances of his uprightness, defying nature yet
softness to the core. Without viewing those acts through the tainted looking
glass of modern criticism which upholds paradoxicality as a normal pattern of
life, if we try to link all seemingly paradoxical acts by the thrust of his
social and cultural aspirations we will find the essential symmetry in those.
As present-day citizens and as
guardians of our children, biggest challenges are being faced by us in trying
to perpetuate the sense of values as given by our elders in ourselves and inculcate
the same in our children. All moral prescriptions pale in front of billion-dollar
extravaganza of mindless world of entertainment presented to us 24X7 in our
homes and on the other hand the desperation of real life. Selfish even cliquish
persuasion of one’s career is prescribed as the only, and personal way out of
this wretchedness; there is no social way out, they imply.
Yet, we know, brilliant minds from
amongst these, choose a different path of leading life every day. They build
their career or even leave their career to dedicate themselves for some
humanitarian cause. They prove the validity of ethical values in modern
context.
While commemorating Bidyasagar we should make
contacts with those young people, invite them to come in our programmes.
Present day youth and aged alike, will be attracted more to listen from their
mouths the joy and pride of leading a value-based human life, a life nearer to
the pulsations of historic memory of that great man named Ishwarchandra
Bidyasagar.
