Yogendra Vidyabhushan

Yogendra Vidyabhushan

Yogendra or Jogendra Vidyabhushan (Banerjee) (1845 – 1904) was an Indian Bengali scholar in Sanskrit, thinker, journalist and popular author of biographies which stirred patriotic zeal in the readers’ heart. Loved by Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar, admired by Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo, he helped the rise of militant nationalism.

Yogendra was born at the village Simhat in Ranaghat Subdivision of West Bengal, at his maternal grandfather’s house. Belonging to an orthodox Brahman family, his mother Sonamani (nee Chatterjee) was as pious as stern. His father Umesh Chandra Banerjee hailed from the village Suvarnapur in the district of Nadia. A modest landholder, he was fond of religious studies and meditation. Yogendra’s younger brother Mahendra was to be a prosperous London-bred physician. After the village school, Yogendra went first to the Zilla School at Barishal and, then, at Barasat. Admitted into Reverend Long’s school at Calcutta, he obtained several scholarships. At 13, Yogendra joined the Sanskrit College, where he drew the attention of its principal, Ishvarchandra Vidyasagar. Among his classmates were Vijaykrishna Goswami and Shivnath Shastri. In 1872 he and Shivnath passed their M.A. in Sanskrit successfully and both of them received the title of "Vidyabhushan". [ "Yogendranath Vidyabhushan|ek parichiti" by Shri Niren Banerjee (Yogendra’s grandson), Calcutta, 1977 ]

Yogendra had to face a few sad events before settling as a family man. According to Shivnath’s autobiography, in 1868, encouraged by Vidyasagar, widowed Yogendra had married Mahalakshmi, a widow herself. Victim of an epidemic of cholera, she was to die in 1869. In 1871, Vidyasagar asked him again to marry Malatimala, daughter of late Madanmohan Tarkalamkar, Vidyasagar’s childhood friend and colleague at the Sanskrit College. This union was blessed with three sons and three daughters. [ ‘’op.cit.’’]

After eight years of career as professor of Sanskrit, in November 1880, Yogendra was appointed Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector in several districts. Following the popularity of the "Bangadarshan" edited by Bankimchandra Chatterjee, in April 1874 Yogendra published his "Aryadarshan", to promote "history, science and philosophy, leaving ample scope for poetry, arts and fiction as well." During eleven years this paper inspired the Bengali reading public. Though Yogendra did not take part in active politics, his spirit of independence was a draw-back for promotion in Government service. ["Vidyabhushan, Yogendranath" by Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay, in "Dictionary of National Biography", Calcutta, 1974, Vol. III, p418]

Racial prejudice had dismissed Surendranath Banerjee (1848-1925) from Indian Civil Service; in 1875, disappointed with the colonial system of justice, he chose the career of Professor of English, and sought to protect his countrymen from discrimination : he undertook lecture tours all over India, urging young Indians to draw inspiration from lives of Mazzini, Shivaji and the Sikh Gurus. Sir Henry Cotton was to acknowledge : “At the present moment the name of Surendra Nath Banerjee excites as much enthusiasm among the rising generation of Multan as in Dacca.” [ "Dictionary of National Biography", "loc. cit."] Out of sympathy for this friend, Yogendra undertook to write popular and soul-stirring biographies in Bengali : John St. Mill (1878), Mazzini (1880), William Wallace (1886), Garibaldi (1890), two series of "Veer Pujaa" or 'Hero Worship' (1900), including William Tell, John Hamden, Wilberforce, John Howard, George Washington and several Indian profiles such as Keshub Chunder Sen, Ishvarchandra Vidyasagar, Vijaykrishna Goswami.

Sensitive to the socio-political problems of a New India, Yogendra claimed a liberal education for men and women, advocating equal rights for women. He was among the pioneers to claim Hindi as the national language. He advised students to get involved in the struggle for India’s independence and to dedicate for this purpose all they had. In about 1894, on learning that coloured people of Abyssinia defeated Italy, Yogendra took a long leave and organised groups of young men to celebrate it all over the country. In reply to the appeal of Swami Vivekananda (1862-1902), he stood against the practice of caste and untouchability. Admiring his patriotic zeal, Swami Vivekananda once wrote on a wall in Yogendra’s drawing-room: "India has to win her freedom by 1925." Flocks of nationalist militants went to contemplate this prediction. His second son Sachin was Captain of the Mohunbagan Football Club and was to be a brilliant physician in the army during First World War. Having met Bagha Jatin (Mukherjee) at the gymnasium of the Guhas, Sachin brought him home and introduced him to Yogendra. In 1900, the latter’s youngest daughter, Sudhamayi, was married to Lalitkumar Chatterjee, Jatin’s maternal uncle and revolutionary colleague. [ "paribarik katha", by Lalitkumar Chattopadhyaya, Krishnagar, 1947, p85]

In September 1902, Yogendra took again one year’s leave from July 1903. At this juncture, in 1903, Sri Aurobindo stayed with him at his house in Calcutta. Invited by Yogendra, Jatin and Lalit discussed their plans with Sri Aurobindo. This significant meeting led to the formation of the Jugantar. Yogendra died in June 1904.

Dr Jadugopal Mukherjee, one of the leading figures of the Jugantar, admits in a nutshell that people learnt to love the Motherland from Bankimchandra, from Yogendra Vidyabhushan and from Swami Vivekananda. ["biplabi jibaner smriti", Calcutta, 1982 (2nd ed), p228]

References

Other Sources

"History of the Services of Officers holding Gazetted Appointments under the Government of West Bengal", Calcutta, 1903

"Bharate jatiya andolan", by Prabhatkumar Mukhopadhyaya, Calcutta, 1925

"Sahitya sadhak charitmala" No. 31, Calcutta, 1944

"Sadhak biplabi jatindranath" by Prithwindra Mukherjee, West Bengal State Book Board, Calcutta, 1990.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Yogendra Vidyabhushan — Yogendra Nâth Vidyâbhûshan Yogendra Nâth Vidyâbhûshan ou Yogendra ou Jogendra Vidyâbhûshan (Banerjee) est un homme de lettres indien bengali, né en 1845 et mort en 1904, spécialiste du sanskrit, réputé comme penseur, journaliste et auteur de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Yogendra Nath Vidyabhushan — Yogendra Nâth Vidyâbhûshan Yogendra Nâth Vidyâbhûshan ou Yogendra ou Jogendra Vidyâbhûshan (Banerjee) est un homme de lettres indien bengali, né en 1845 et mort en 1904, spécialiste du sanskrit, réputé comme penseur, journaliste et auteur de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Yogendra Nath Vidyâbhûshan — Yogendra Nâth Vidyâbhûshan Yogendra Nâth Vidyâbhûshan ou Yogendra ou Jogendra Vidyâbhûshan (Banerjee) est un homme de lettres indien bengali, né en 1845 et mort en 1904, spécialiste du sanskrit, réputé comme penseur, journaliste et auteur de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Yogendra Nâth Vidyâbhûshan — ou Yogendra ou Jogendra Vidyâbhûshan (Banerjee) est un homme de lettres indien bengali, né en 1845 et mort en 1904, spécialiste du sanskrit, réputé comme penseur, journaliste et auteur de biographies populaires qui stimulaient le patriotisme chez …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bagha Jatin — Infobox revolution biography name= Jatindranath Mukherjee lived=7 December 1879 ndash;10 September 1915 caption= Jatindranath Mukherjee, also known as Bagha Jatin alternate name=Bagha Jatin placeofbirth=Kayagram, Kushtia District, Bangladesh… …   Wikipedia

  • Bagha Jatin — Bâghâ Jatîn Bâghâ Jatin Nom de naissance Jatîndradranâth Mukherjee Surnom(s) Bâghâ Jatin Naissance 7 décembre 1879 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bâghâ Jatin — Bâghâ Jatîn Bâghâ Jatin Nom de naissance Jatîndradranâth Mukherjee Surnom(s) Bâghâ Jatin Naissance 7 décembre 1879 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bâghâ Jatîn — Bâghâ Jatin Nom de naissance Jatîndradranâth Mukherjee Surnom Bâghâ Jatin Naissance 7 décembre 1879 Kayâ, District Kushti …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bagha Jatin — Jatindranath Mukherjee Jatindranath Mukherjee, también conocido como Bagha Jatin Nombre alternativo Bagha Jatin Nacimiento 7 de diciembre de 1879 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Shashibhushan Raychaudhury — Shashibhushan Raychaudhuri also known as Shashida (1863 1922) was a patriotic educationist connected with the radical revolutionary activities that had their origins in Bengal. He was the pioneer in what came to be known as the night school… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”