A Government Sanskrit College certificate dated December 4, 1841 states that Ishwarchandar Bidiyisagar had attained “very good proficiency” in the branches of ‘Hindoo literature’, Grammar, Belles-letters (fine writing), Rhetoric, Arithmetic, Logic, Theology and Law, after spending 12 years and five months at the institute.
A copy of the Act of 1856 ‘To remove all legal obstacles to the marriage of Hindoo widows’, paintings of a young Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, his parents and wife, and a treasure trove of artefacts relating to the key figure of Bengal Renaissance, were made public on Thursday to mark his bi-centenary.
Different institutions like State Archives, Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, Rabindra Bharati University and Vidyasagar College for Women have come together to organise the exhibition at the two-storeyed house on 36, Vidyasagar Street in north Kolkata. It was at this house that Vidysagar breathed his last on July 29, 1891.
Certificate from Government Sanskrit College to Vidyasagar
The other exhibits include documents like Vidyasagar’s letter seeking appointments to Sanskrit College, records showing his participation in the first meeting of the Senate of University of Calcutta in 1857 as fellow from the Arts faculty, proceedings of Bethune Female School (the first institution to educate women in India) where Vidyasagar’s name figured repeatedly as secretary, resignation as assistant secretary of Sanskrit College in his own handwriting have also been displayed at the exhibition.
State Education Minister Partha Chaterjee, while inaugurating the four-day exhibition, said that a permanent museum and archives will be set up on the national icon. “Our attempt is to highlight different facets of the personality and contribution of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, both as a social reformer and as an educationist,” Sumita Seal, Chief Archivist, Directorate of State Archives told The Hindu .
Scores of documents relating to his contribution in the field of education, particularly vernacular education as well as the education of women have also been out on display, Ms Seal added.
The two storied was taken over by the West Bengal government in September 2000 and since then it is being maintained by Vidyasagar College for Women. Those behind the exhibition said that the location of the white and red house also assumes significance as the first widow remarriage was organized not too far away, on 48 A Kailash Bose Street.
Moumita Ash, librarian of Vidyasagar College for Women said that over a period one year she along with her students gathered photographs of different houses where Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar lived after coming to Kolkata.
“Though Vidyasagar is known to be a rationalist and a non believer, it was at the same two storied house where Ramakrishna met Vidyasagar,” she said, showing the room with a photograph of saint.
