West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP are locked in a brouhaha over the destruction of a bust of Bengali educationist and reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. The destruction of the bust, allegedly by BJP workers, has sparked outrage cutting across party lines.
But who is Vidyasagar, and why is his appeal near-universal among Bengalis?
Here are 10 things to know about Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar:
1. He was born Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay in 1820. He is however better known by his title of 'Vidyasagar', which means 'ocean of knowledge'. He died in 1891.
2. Vidyasagar's wide appeal is in part thanks to the multiple roles he played in Bengali society. He was a writer, scholar, philosopher, educationist and social reformer among other things. However what connects him to Bengalis most strongly to this day was his role in making the Bengali alphabet more suited for printing, and for his simplification of Bengali language education.
3. An elementary Bengali textbook that Vidyasagar wrote in 1854, called 'Borno Porichoy' (Character Identification), is still used to teach the alphabet. He also led the efforts to simplify the Bengali alphabet and convert it into a form that was easier to print. This involved the elimination of some alphabets that existed in the grammar, but were pronounced differently by Bengali speakers.
4. Vidyasagar is also remembered as a social reformer who took on not just the British administration but also Bengali society, pushing for reform from within.
5. He is viewed as one of the pillars of the Bengali Renaissance, which was a movement that spanned Bengali literature and society, and gave a voice and pushed the boundaries of social rights for vast sections of Bengali people. In this, Vidyasagar is spoken of in the same breath as social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
6. He was among the key faces behind the successful movement for the remarriage of widows and was instrumental in pressing the British to pass the Widow Remarriage Act of 1856.
7. He is also known for his extensive work in education reform. He backed the right to education for all, irrespective of the existing restrictions on the basis of gender, caste and social standing. He had a hand in the founding of a number of schools in collaboration with other reformers. Many of these schools were aimed at promoting the education of women.
8. Vidyasagar is the subject of a number of myths and stories, many of which focus on his brilliance, especially in academics. One of the popular ones claims he learned western numerals just by following milestones while on a journey to Calcutta.
9. Vidyasagar is commemorated across the political spectrum, and has a number of institutions, buildings and roads named after him. He was knighted by the British, and designated a Companion of the Indian Empire (CIE).
10. In 2004, Vidyasagar ranked eighth in a poll to identify the 'greatest Bengali' organised by the BBC.
