In the early and middle 19th century, the state of women’s education and rights in India was in an abysmal state. It lagged significantly despite the emergence of the Bengal Renaissance and the establishment of universities in the major cities. It was primarily because the society was mired in prejudices and superstitions. However, by the middle of the nineteenth century, liberal Indian minds imbued with Western thoughts and values started realizing the existing deficiency in this regard. Among the many social reformers of the era, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was the flag bearer of education and women’s rights. He was a keen advocate of education for women and viewed education as the primary way for women to emancipate themselves from all forms of social oppression they had to face at the time.

His contributions to the field of education include:

• He lobbied extensively for the opening of schools for girls and even outlined a suitable curriculum that not only focused on educating them but also enabled them to be self-reliant through vocations like needlework.
• He went door to door, asking heads of families to allow their daughters to be enrolled in schools. Throughout Bengal, he opened 35 women’s schools and succeeded in enrolling 1300 students.
• To support women’s education, Vidyasagar organized a fund called Nari Siksha Bhandar. He also supported John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune to establish the first permanent girls’ school in India, the Bethune School in 1849.
• He was associated with journalistic publications like “Tattwabodhini Patrika’, ‘Somprakash’, ‘Sarbashubhankari Patrika’ and ‘Hindu Patriot. Through his writings, he aimed to debunk myths and challenge existing taboos.
• Vidyasagar changed the rules of admission for students in Sanskrit College allowing non-Brahmin students to enroll in the prestigious institution.

His contributions to women’s rights are:

• He made remarkable contributions to changing the status of women in India. He used ancient texts to cite that the status of Hindu women of that time was not sanctioned by the scriptures and it was due to the existing power relations in the society.
• It was due to his untiring struggle that the government passed the Widow Remarriage Act in 1856, which legalized the marriage of widows. He even encouraged his son to marry a widow.
• He challenged the barbaric practice of child marriage. It was a mere four months before his passing in March 1891, when the British India administration passed the Age of Consent Act, which legally abolished child marriage.
• He fought a determined battle against the then-prevailing social custom of Kulin Brahmin polygamy. As per the practice, some men ended up marrying numerous women. This practice ensured that aged persons married teenage girls and even children.
• Vidyasagar’s work on social reforms includes ‘Bidhobabivah’ on the widow’s right to remarry (1855), ‘Bahubivah’ on the banning of polygamy (1871), and Balyabivah on the flaws of child marriage.

Due to his contribution towards social reform, he is Renaissance. considered one of the main pillars of Bengal