Vidyasagar, the Great Indian Educationist and Philanthropist/Chapter 3
CHAPTER III
PRINCIPAL. SANSKRIT COLLEGE.
"The path of duty was the way to glory."
The elevation of Vidyasagar heralded the introduction of many salutary reforms. For the second time he set about his work in real earnest to improve the college. One of his very first cares was to enforce punctuality, for the professors had again fallen into their old ways. He had a pleasant way with the students who came to look on him with veneration. By his kind and gentle treatment he won over their hearts. He abolished corporal punishment which he always hated bitterly. Before his time the college was open to Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaidya castes. But under the sanction of the Education Council he began to admit Kayastha boys also. Some of the old, worm-eaten manuscripts of the library were now printed. He next directed his efforts to better the economic condition. It had been a free institution; but he was soon authorised to charge tuition fee from all but the poor. Prolonged and exhausting mental labour produced brain complaint which afflicted him for years to come.
In April 1851 appeared his Shishushiksa Part IV (subsequently called Bodhodaya) compiled from Chambers's "Rudiments of Knowledge" for the use of the girls of Bethune School. He published his famous elementary Sanskrit Grammar known as Upakramanika in November. This proved a great boon to all beginners. Along with the above was also printed Rijupatha Part I, a selection of easy prose and poetry pieces from Sanskrit works. His Kathamala, containing some fables in imitation of those of Aesop, at once attained great popularity. Next year appeared Rijupatha Part II, a Sanskrit prose and poetry selection. Rijupatha Part III and Vyakarana Kaumudi Parts I and II came out in 1853 and the third part in the following year. Gradually he introduced all these books into the Sanskrit College. English was soon made a compulsory subject of study in the higher classes.
1853 was lucky for his village Birsingha. It was in that year that he opened there a free day school, a free night school for the sons of tillers of the soil and a girls' school. Soon an infirmary was also set up. The total cost of maintaining these charities came to nearly Rs. 550, which he paid out of his own purse. He was now well off, for the authorities perfectly satisfied with his administrative success had raised his pay to Rs. 300. Besides this, from his writings he earned about Rs. 500 every month,—a tolerable fortune in those times for a gentleman of moderate wishes. But so liberal and open-handed was he that his expenses always exceeded his means.
His Sakuntala, a Bengali rendering in pure prose of the famous Sanskrit drama by Kalidas, appeared in December 1854. By this time his style had considerably mellowed.
Next year the Government contemplating to open some aided English and Vernacular schools in Bengal asked him to outline the method of instruction to be followed and also to work out the details of the scheme. They highly valued the note he submitted and made him Special Inspector of Schools on Rs. 200 a month. He was thus entrusted with the additional task of establishing and inspecting the proposed schools in Nadia, Midnapur, Hugli and Burdwan. Again, agreeably to the instructions of the Court of Directors a normal school for training up teachers was set up in Calcutta in 1856 and he was put in entire charge of it.
One of the many anecdotes in evidence of his simplicity in dress may be inserted here. As inspecting officer he once visited a village school in the interior of Hugli. His renown had spread even to the place and people assembled in numbers to catch occasional glimpses of him. The roads were all crowded, the doors and windows of houses were thronged with women and children. Some of the elderly ladies took their seats on the roofs, while others less lucky were standing by the wayside. They had to wait for about a couple of hours in the blazing sun. Even the intense heat could not mar their irrepressible curiosity. At last they heard repeated shouts of joy, then there was a murmur, succeeded by dead silence. Some men were approaching the institution. The ladies could not distinguish Vidyasagar from among his companions and began grumbling. One elderly lady, bolder than the rest, approached the foremost of the company and asked him whether the illustrious visitor had come. When the gentleman pointed him out for her, she uttered a cry of disappointment and said, "We have almost scorched ourselves to death only to see this coarsely dressed Uriya bearer! He does not ride a coach; he has no watch with him, neither does he wear choga and chap- kan!" In fact, it was difficult to distinguish him from other people by his clothes. Yet to a discerning eye, his appearance was striking and memorable.
During the tours of inspection through the four districts he induced the leading men of the localities to open new schools. He travelled in palanquins. If he found any sick person on the roadside, he instantly picked him up. To the needy he was always clement.
At this time upwards of a hundred poor people were daily fed by him. This wide liberality, as has been said already, he inherited partly from his mother who was always solicitous for the comfort of others. It was to her the village folk came in all their joys and sorrows, fully assured that she would share in them, increasing the former and lessening the burden of the latter. She was often found walking about the village on her endless visits of charity, bringing happiness to hundreds of homes. No woman could be more hospitable. At noon Bhagavati Devy took her stand near the gate and watched the passers-by with soulful eyes. Whenever she saw any hungry men, she with unfeigned warmth invited them to dinner and cheerfully set before them the best fare in her humble abode.
Warm-hearted though he was, he enforced strict discipline at college. In general lenient, he never relaxed the cords of discipline. If he saw any sign of insubordination, he checked it speedily, as he was not the man to spoil the boys by his lenity. But his wrath would vanish and he would in most cases forgive them, if the culprits were penitent and strove to make amends. He ruled them more by love than by fear.
He now entered upon what he considered his decisive life's work. It was his successful efforts to give the Hindu widows of higher classes an option to contract a second legal marriage. This is not the place for a detailed account of the movement; it must suffice to note it with brevity, without interruption and as a whole, and to state in general outline the part that Vidyasagar played in it. In old days the widows either burned themselves in the funeral piles of their deceased husbands as the glorious crown of a life of self-sacrifice and devotion, or led strictly ascetic lives. Since the abolition of Sati in 1829, they generally passed a life of asceticism as enjoined by the Shastras. When Vidyasagar saw the hardships that some the virgin widows endured, his tender heart wept and he formed a resolve to take up their cause. The subject had engaged his attention from boyhood. A playmate of his lost her husband while Isvar Chandra was thirteen years old and this led him to determine to mitigate the sorrows of the unfortunate girls. Again, it has been seen how sincerely he grieved when in spite of his dissuasions his old professor married, soon to leave a girl-widow behind. Hence widows and woes were indelibly associated together in his dreams.
A less authentic but credible report declares that the inspiration came form his mother who once told him to see if a virgin widow could take a new husband under the Shastras. What is really certain is that coming to manhood he bent his mind to that subject and deeply pondered over it for years. He was not, however, the first to move in that direction. Some three or four hundred years before his agitation began, Raghunandana, the jurisconsult of Bengal, had tried to give his widowed daughter in marriage but had utterly failed. Again, a century back Raja Raj Ballav of Vikrampur in the district of Dacca wishing to remarry his widowed daughter had consulted the Pundits of Nadia. When they expressed their strong disapproval, he desisted. Maharaja Krishna Chandra Roy of Nadia, it may be noticed parenthetically, was of the same opinion as the Pundits. A Mahratta Brahmin of Nagpur and a Madrassi Brahmin had separately made like attempts twenty years before without success. Some of Vidyasagar's contemporaries—Babu Moti Lal Seal, a millionaire of Calcutta, one Shyama Charan Das, a wealthy ironsmith as well as the Chief of Kota (Rajputana)—had fruitlessly tried to alter that longstanding custom. Some of Mr. Derozio's pupils, who had discussed the question in their paper The Bengali Spectator, had also met with no better success. Without surrendering himself to despair at the failure of his predecessors, Vidyasagar devoted every spare hour to the study of the Shastras. One night he suddenly lighted upon a passage in Parashara-Sanhita and shouted with transport of joy, "I have found it at last!" He gave it an explanation which supported remarriage. The whole night he composed a pamphlet stating his view of the case, quoting that particular passage and commenting upon it. It was printed and distributed broadcast with the permission of his parents. This excited wide-spread consternation and alarm throughout the city and loud protests from the orthodox were not wanting. Soon at the request of Vidyasagar a meeting of the learned Pundits was held in the palace of Raja Radhakanto Deva Bahadur. After some time the assembly broke up in murmuring confusion and no decision was arrived at. The Raja Bahadur publicly rewarded Vidyasagar with a pair of shawls. The people took it as tantamount to advocacy of remarriage. Shortly after they went in large numbers to the Raja to ask him if he was really a favourer of the movement. Now, this nobleman had great influence with the Hindu community and was not particularly willing to impair it. He saw himself in a fix but proved equal to the situation. Plucking up all his courage he put forward an explanation of his conduct. He had rewarded Vidyasagar, he replied in a manner worthy of a Pickwick, for his proved excellence in debate. He would, he continued, convene another meeting for the discussion of the subject, if they liked. The men eagerly welcomed the proposal and an early meeting was called. As it closed in dismal failure, the Raja, to proclaim his neutrality and simplify matters, gave away a pair of shawls to the leader of the adverse party. It was transparently clear to Vidyasagar that he could expect no valuable assistance from that quarter. The agitation now spread like wild fire throughout Bengal and various protests and pamphlets were issued in no time. Several indignation meetings of the learned Pundits held in various districts declared against the proposed change. The champions of remarriage were not silent. There soon appeared two anonymous pamphlets Braja-Bilas and Ratna-Pariksa, supporting the newfangled view. Rumour fathered them on Vidyasagar. If this were true, it is to be regretted that he could condescend to scurrility. A third booklet Vinaya-Patrika was soon put out anonymously but generally attributed to the same source. A fourth pamphlet entitled "Whether widows ought to be married or not" followed, bearing Vidyasagar's name. This was written in an easy, elegant, powerful style. It was immediately answered by more protests. Even the words of sage Parâshara fixed upon by Vidyasagar as sanctioning remarriage were construed by the learned Pundits in a different way. It seemed to them that he had purposely misread the lines. By then the agitation was not confined amongst the Pundits alone. The rich and the poor, the young and the old, the literate and the illiterate, were all drawn together by a common fear. Most of the vernacular periodicals published sharp criticisms. The famous bards of the day pilloried Vidyasagar. Even the peasants, fiddlers, hawkers, cab-men, all sang at their work ballads despising the uncanonical innovation. The weavers of Santipur (Nadia) wove satirical songs on the borders of ladies' cloth.
An important development followed. When Vidyasagar saw that attempts at persuading his countrymen into his own way of thinking served no useful purpose, he altered his tactics and tried to convince the rulers of the land. For this end he translated his two pamphlets into English and distributed them among his European acquaintances who were all high officials of the Government. These gentlemen, thinking that the Hindu society had become the hotbed of corruption and that emancipation of girl-widows would add to the glory and prestige of the Government, at once instructed him to petition the Government of India. As a result, a petition was submitted on October 4, 1855. It was signed by Vidyasagar and one thousand other persons, including influential nobles, chief among whom were Maharaja Mahatab Chand Baradur of Burdwan and Maharaja Shrish Chandra Roy Bahadur of Nadia. On November 17 a draft bill was introduced into the Imperial Legislative Council by Mr. J. P. Grant. In the course of his speech the Mover described in pathetic terms the hard life of a widow, who was not allowed to indulge in luxuries of any kind. In most cases, young Hindu widows fell into vice, the Hon. Member was pleased to assert, and the practice of Brahmacharyya was, according to him, unnatural and absurd. He was, however, prepared to admit that the custom of the country had been universally against the marriage of Hindu widows amongst the higher classes and that the opinion of the Sadar Courts at all the four Presidencies of India was entirely unfavourable to the proposed change. None the less, he assured the public that he desired only a permissive law as distinct from a compulsory law like that prohibiting Sati. After going through all its stages without difficulty, the bill received the assent of the Governor-General on the 26th July 1856 and passed into law.
Vidyasagar had now the enactment he sought, but his labours were not over. For four months none came forward to take the initiative. While the Rulers were with him, the sympathy of the general population was against him. The one thousand persons whose signature he had procured must have signed from love of novelty or under a belief that nothing would come of it. Most of these signatories deserted him one after another, and tried to make a scapegoat of him. Whenever he was out in the streets, coarse abuses and savage threats were freely hurled at him. Some even went the length of attempting his life, and he had a narrow escape from their violence. Without uttering a single complaint, and buoyed up by firm resolve, he continued to persuade and encourage the people. Joy filled his whole being when the first widow marriage was celebrated in Calcutta in December 1856, while the streets were lined with sergeants by way of precaution. He with some of his adherents was present at the ceremony, while others held back. One of them, Babu Rama Prasad Roy, the youngest son of Raja Ram Mohan, had promised his presence and purse. A few days before the marriage Vidyasagar had called on him to remind him of his word. The latter hesitatingly said, "Doubtless, I favour the movement. You shall have the money. What harm is there if I absent myself?" Vidyasagar's temper was up. His voice failed him, his heart swelled with indignation, his eyes flashed fire. But no desertion, no ingratitude, ever stirred him to vindictive measures. After a few minutes' silence of disdain he pointing to the portrait of Raja Ram Mohan, hanging on the wall, replied in a tone of bitter scorn, "Throw it away at once!" With that he left the house of the seceder, never again to set foot in it.
In this case, as in all subsequent cases, he had to pay the piper. To complete what he considered the noblest and most sacred work of his life, he ran heavily into debt. Luckily he lived long enough to pay it up.
Whilst other things had thus engaged his attention, he had been busy off and on with his pen. Varna Parichaya, an elementary reader, had appeared in April 1855, followed two months later by the second part. To him belongs the credit of having first classified the Bengali alphabet into vowels and consonants. Now in July, 1856, when the Widow Marriage Act was passed, he printed his Charitavali, a collection of short biographical sketches of famous men of the West who had risen from poverty and obscurity to opulence and power.
His friend and patron Dr. Mouat, Secretary to the Education Council, now left for home on leave. Mr. F. J. Halliday, the first Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal (1854-'59), entirely recast the educational policy of the province and abolished the Council of Education. In its place he was desired by the Court of Directors to constitute a Department of Public Instruction. Vidyasagar requested him to select a man of special distinction and great experience to control and direct the department. A young, untried civilian, Mr. Gordon Young, was finally chosen in 1855. Mr. Halliday stated that Mr. Young would be the nominal head of the department, while he himself would do everything; and asked Vidyasagar to oblige him by training up the new officer. He felt reassured and willingly met his wishes, for he was on terms of the most friendly intimacy with Mr. Halliday. On Thursdays he waited on His Honour who then conversed on various topics, political or otherwise. If he ever failed to turn up, he was sent for. He used to visit the Government House in his ordinary attire. A plain dhuti, a chadar, a pair of slippers, constituted his full dress. Being pressed, he put on the official costume for a few days. Once he said to Mr. Halliday with due deference but with decision, "May it please you, sir, this is my last visit. I feel myself ill at ease in this garb." His Honour knew that there was a noble soul under his usual crude garment and allowed him to call in any dress that suited him.
In January 1857 Lord Canning, the first Viceroy of India under the Crown, established the Calcutta University. Of the 39 members at its inception, only six were Indians and Vidyasagar was one of them. Shortly at a meeting of the University a motion was brought forward for the exclusion of Sanskrit from the curriculum and the abolition of Sanskrit College. Vidyasagar vigorously opposed the scheme and the motion was ultimately lost. He was appointed examiner of Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi and Uria. He had also to examine the vernacular papers of the students of Fort William College.
For some time after the appointment of Mr. Gordon Young in 1855 all went on smoothly; but soon difficulties began to spring up. When English was made a compulsory subject of study in the Sanskrit College, two vacant rooms in the Hindu College were required to hold the new classes. Vidyasagar saw Principal Sutcliffe who refused him the use of the spare rooms. He appealed to Mr. Young who, in turn, told him to call on the Principal of the Hindu College. As he did not like to be tossed to and fro like a tennis-ball, he left off his efforts. This rendered him obnoxious to the Director. As Inspector of Schools Vidyasagar was called on to submit periodical reports of the institutions under him. A persistent tradition asserts that Mr. Young once told him to handle facts and figures in a way to present them in the most favourable light. He is said to have given nothing save a plain, unvarnished statement.
In the summer of 1857, again, when the Sepoys on a sudden mutinied and shook the authority of the Rulers to its foundation, the Sanskrit College was urgently requisitioned for quartering troops. Vidyasagar closed it for a few days and made over the building to the military authorities. This was done to safeguard the interests of the State and meet a political emergency. No slight was intended. Yet Mr. Young required him to explain why the college had been closed without his permission! Perhaps he expected the pundit to act like the dutiful porter at an out-of-the-way railway station in India, figuring in one of Kipling's after-dinner yarns. This man was told never to act without orders. So when a tiger entered the station, he promptly wired to head-quarters: "Tiger on platform; eating station-master. Kindly wire instructions." The head of a college ought to have possessed some powers, as happily he now does, to act for himself in affairs of sufficient urgency.
Further, the Court of Directors in London in the memorable education despatch of 1854, rightly called the Charter of Education in India, had expressed a desire to sanction a considerable increase of expenditure for the spread of education. Agreeably to purport of that despatch, Vidyasagar had erected several schools in the districts under him, in his capacity of Special Inspector. Mr. Young called him to account for presuming to know the intentions of the Home Government better than he himself did and ordered him not to open any more seminaries. He, however, continuing to do so, the matter was referred to Mr. Halliday, who asking him to defer his activities, submitted it to the Home Government. Their decision was in favour of Vidyasagar. With fresh zeal he went on founding new institutions. His triumph was but short-lived. A change of ministry at home led to a change of educational policy with regard to India. The Whig Ministry under Palmerston which succeeded the Aberdeen ministry were constrained to curtail educational grants; for the increased military establishment in India entailed a permanent additional expenditure of ten crores of rupees. Quite unaware of this and unconscious of the trouble that was brewing, Vidyasagar actuated by sincere desire for the national well-being set up several girl-schools in 1857 after speaking about it to Mr. Halliday. When Mr. Young refused to pass the bills Vidyasagar reported the matter to His Honour who referred it to the judgment of the Home Government. Shortly after a despatch of the Court of Directors dated 22nd June 1858 reached India. "We desire," wrote the Directors, "that you will bear in mind the great financial difficulties to which we are now exposed, and that you will not on any account sanction any increase of expenditure in any part of India in connection with education without our authority previously obtained." This added to the complication and necessitated further correspondence. Long voyage and red tape greatly delayed the reply; meanwhile Vidyasagar had to pay the bills from his own purse to get out of the tangle.
These and several other petty annoyances nearly took the life out of him. In spite of remonstrances from Mr. Halliday and other well-wishers, both European and Indian, he while still in the full vigour of his working powers, demitted his posts in November 1858, with an undisguised sense of relief. Thus ended the unfortunate duel, and Destiny apparently gave the victory to mediocrity.
Yet to the end of his days Vidyasagar continued to be an expert unofficial adviser of Government, being consulted by successive Lieutenant-Governors on all important occasions. And he, with all his shortcomings, still lives in the thoughts of millions of people, surviving the obliteration of time. Great men should be treated with care and caution. They are always conscious that they are of higher and nobler type of humanity. This invariably develops in them a refined sensitiveness of feeling. They work night and day to benefit the world and naturally expect that people of weaker individuality should be amenable to their superior force of will and decision of character. Besides, the experience of many ages proves that the free play of genius is stifled under pressure of dull office routine.