Whenever we talk about rationalism the students of philosophy think about the empiricism and rationalism of the 17th Century in Europe. But, by the end of the 19th Century, rationalism was seen as a new way of looking at nature and society. Henri Louis Vivian Derozio (1809-31) came in the Bengal’s intellectual horizon for a very brief period like a volcano and made a tremendous impact among the Bengali youth. Within hundred years or so Bengalis have forgotten Derozio. Though, today’s Bengalis do not follow the rationalism of Rammohan Roy (1772-1834) or Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820-91) yet, one can at least find their photos in the educational institutions or in some houses and public places. But, no one can find a photo of Derozio in any Bengali educated middle class home.
It is surprising that within a very short time after Rammohan Roy came a galaxy of intellectuals compared to which today’s Bengal epitomizes what T. S. Eliot said, ‘We are hollow men / We are stuffed men / Our headpiece filled with straw.’ As for example, we had Derozio, Vidyasagar, Rajendralal Mitra (1823-91) and Michael Madhusudan Dutta (1824-1873). On their footsteps came Mahendralal Sarkar (1833-1904), Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (1838-94), Akkhay Kumar Dutta (1820 – 1886), Jagadish Chandra Bose (1858-1937), Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), Prafulla Chandra Roy (1861-1944). When Hindu College was established in 1817, which later came to be known as Presidency College and now Presidency University, it was controlled by a group of conservatives. They had very limited ambition to arrange for jobs for the middle class youths having received a modest touch of modern education. Hindu college produced a number of very capable students. It was Henry Louis Vivian Derozio who produced a group of students who carried on the Derozian mission of rationalistic thinking. He died young at the age of 22. He joined Hindu college as a teacher at the age of only 17 on 1st May 1826. His students were all well-educated in their later life in different fields. Reverend Krishnamohan Bandyopadhyay, Dokkhinaranjan Mukhopadhyay, Pyarichand Mitra, Rasikkrishna Mullick, Radhanath Sikdar, Ramgopal Ghosh, Harachandra Ghosh – their names are always remembered in the annals of education and literature. Derozio was not a Bengali nor a Hindu. His father was a Portuguese. His mother was Sofia Johnson, English. Derozio was brought up in a middle class Christian ambience. In his teachings at Hindu college he took a path that could satisfy neither the English masters nor the Hindu conservatives. He took the path of rationalism. He did not express his opinion about the existence of god or otherwise. He only told the students that before you come to a decision consider the differing opinions on the matter. This is the Voltairian logic when he says, “I may differ with you but I shall defend to my death your right to say”. He took the path of questioning established ideas. In his short life this may be the greatest contribution to education to his pupils. For his radical views he was removed from Hindu college in April 1831.
It is necessary to go back to history to understand the origin of Derozio’s intellectual pursuits. It is necessary to understand this so that we can understand the birth of the two great rationalists of Bengal Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar and Akkhoy Kumar Dutta. Raja Rammohan had already arrived in Calcutta and had started movement against the practice of Sati among the Indian women, writing to British authorities to start English and science education and having discussions with David Hare (1775-1842), John Eliot Drinkwater Bethune (1801-51), and Alexander Duff (1806-1878) and other British liberals and educationists. But, it did not touch the minds of the young ones till Derozio came into the horizon of Calcutta’s intellectual ambience with his entry into the Hindu college. There is no evidence if Derozio ever met Rammohan. None from Rammohan’s Atmiya Sabha also ever stood for Derozio. So, it is necessary to search for other sources for the beginnings of Derozio’s intellectual development.
Ana Maria Rivers was the step mother of Derozio. After his mother died at his age of six Derozio’s father Francis married Rivers. This Scottish lady was highly educated and possessed a modern mind. Derozio got the impact from his step-mother who had no child of her own. At the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th Century Scotland was upholding the spirit of European renaissance. A new humanism was evidenced in the poems of Robert Burns (1759-96), Thomas Campbell (1777-1844). When the British bourgeoisie was engaged in expanding its colonial power forgetting its tradition of renaissance awakening Scotland was trying to carry on the tradition with its Universities at Edinburg, Leeds, and Glasgow that had made ripples in different parts of the world. The important scientist representative of Bengal renaissance Prafulla Chandra Ray studied in the University of Edinburg. Ana Rivers brought to Calcutta that Scottish tradition of free thinking. The child Derozio was influenced by this noble lady. The other great impact on Derozio had been when, he, at the age of six in 1815, entered the “Dharmatala Academy” of the independent liberal thinker, the Scottish teacher, David Drummond (1785-1843). In the same year Rammohan formed Atmiya Sabha. During that period the Sahibs of Calcutta was opening one or two schools in Kolkata to educate their own children including those of Hindu zeminders. The school of Drummond was of a different genre. He taught the children in the way it was done in Scotland. He laid the foundation of literature, history, geography, science and mathematics etc. among the students. In his school the annual examination was called ‘Examination Festival’. Taking part in the examination the students used to enact plays, recitation. The students used to enact one or two scenes from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice or Julius Czars. Some used to give lectures too. Important educationists of Calcutta used to take examination. Derozio stood first in recitation, reading, geography and other subjects in the final examination.
Drummond gave the students a holistic and humanistic education. The Indian and European students used to sit side by side. He used to tell the students about the struggle for American Independence, French Revolution and the message of equality, friendship and freedom. He introduced students to Francis Bacon, Rene Descartes, Locke, Hume, Berkeley, Voltaire, Rousseau, Thomas Paine and many other leading thinkers of Europe. What Derozio learnt from the age of six was much more than one could learn throughout one’s life. From that time Derozio was dear and leader of the students. Towards the end of his life Derozio came once to join an “Examination Festival” at Drummond’s school and said that, “The greatest achievement of this school is freedom from narrowness”.
Bookshops started coming up beside Hindu college. Availability of books increased. Students started reading books at a time when books of leading thinkers of Europe were setting their feet for the first time on Calcutta’s soil. A new world opened up among the students. Freedom of mind does not mean only rationalism or atheism. “Old ideas changeth yielding place to new.” A revolt came against god, zeminder, aristocracy or church without any hesitation. Man becomes the measure of all things as expressed by Shakespeare in Hamlet, “Oh! What a piece of work is man/ How noble in reason/ How infinite in faculties/ In form and moving how express and admirable/ The paragon of animal/ The beauty of the world”. Thomas Paine (1739-1809), a true bourgeoisie internationalist revolutionary, who, being an Englishman, at the age of thirty seven (1774) went to America to participate and support the declaration of independence of America. Then, ten years later he came to France to take part in the French Revolution. His books were not ordinary books. His ‘Rights of Man’ and ‘Age of Reason’ were manifestoes of social revolution. Those books and the news of American and French Revolution are coming to Calcutta through news papers and are raising storms in the minds of young students of Hindu college. Derozio acquired the following understanding of life in Drummond’s Academy: 1. India is his motherland; 2. Everyone in this country is his kindred souls; 3. Community living is nobler than isolated life; 4. Rationalism is much greater treasure than the old custom; 5. Compared to literature and philosophy of old and middle ages modern ones are richer. Drummond hammered these ideals into the minds of his students. Derozio acquired these values by the age fifteen.
With what ease Derozio could say to the students of his own age at Hindu college that, “Truth is the goal; reason is thy way”. In 1826, at the age of 17 only, Derozio joined Hindu college as the fourth teacher. He used to teach keeping the doors of the classroom closed. Within four years of his service this became a charge against him by the religious bigots. They demanded that he has to teach keeping the doors open. A struggle ensued between the traditionalists and the young teacher as to who will keep the doors closed and who will keep the minds open and expanding. Derozio became a problem with the authorities because he was becoming very popular with the students. The students of other classes, whom he did not teach, also started coming to attend to his classes. On many days even after the classes ended he had to stay back in the college to discuss with the students about many of their questions and issues.
The problem with Derozio started growing with time. Till then, in the Hindu College also the final examination was held as Examination Festival in the manner of Drummond’s school. Students used to enact plays and read their own poems and delivered lectures. This was the practice since 1817. But, from 1827 the situation changed. Students started talking on social, political and religious issues. Their studies in different subjects have improved and praises ran high about it in the newspapers. Suresh Chandra Maitra has written, “From 1828 I am observing a new group of students. A new chapter has started. Future leftists are emerging.” It was obvious that Derozio was the leader of this change. The guardians did not understand their thoughts and became anxious about the behavior of their wards. But, they could feel that they were losing faith in the eternal truths of the religious texts, the Sastras. They do not want to abide by what Manu, Parasar, Raghunandan, Medhatithi and others had said. The sons of Brahmins do not want to wear the sacred thread. While going to the temple of Kali they do not show obeisance before it, but says,” Good morning madam”. The words spread to the ears of Radhakanta Dev, Krishnakamal Sen and others who asked the authorities to take action.
From the list of the complaints one can understand the changes that were coming in the behavior of the students. The students are not sitting at seats according to their castes as decided by the authorities but according to their wills. They ignored the age old custom of caste system. The students are sharing each other’s food neglecting their caste differences. In the social milieu of 1820s these were considered heretical. The conservatives could understand under whose guidance such changes are coming among the students and they started action to end this revolt against the caste system.
In 1828, Derozio formed Academic Association with his students. He himself was the president and Umacharan Basu was the secretary. Within a very short time the Academy became very active. This gave an opportunity to the students to discuss, argue freely on different topics. Derozio advised them to argue to find out the truth and not to argue for only arguments sake. This was a new awakening among the Indians. With the Academic Association many other Associations started coming up. As per record at least seven such Associations were established and Derozio was connected with each. Discussions were held in English and the Bengali students also spoke in English. To discuss the issues in Bengali an Association was set up with the name Banga Bhasa Prakashika Sabha. It was evident that, as it happened during the Bourgeoisie Revolution in Europe, in India also similar stirrings for individual freedom, freedom of speech, freedom to form Association started to find roots. Derozio was invited to speak on philosophy, literature, ethics and other subjects. This recognition of Derozio was astonishing for his age. He had not crossed twenty then.
At the start of the Academic Association the meetings of the Association were held in the classroom. The traditionalists objected to this also. Dr. Horace Hyman Wilson (1786-1860), the principal of the college, ordered that that students cannot remain in the class after the college hours and the teachers were ordered to keep the doors of the class open while teaching was going on.
The students of the college brought about a magazine named ‘Parthenon’. The name is very significant. Parthenon is the temple of Athena of ancient Greece of the fifth Century B.C. Its remnants still exists in Greece. It is considered an early example of advanced civilization of the West. The name of the magazine was adopted keeping in mind this aspect of Western mind. The first issue of the magazine came out in the February of 1830, at first as a weekly bulletin and a trimonthly collection. Some examples of the articles in the issues were: British colonial rule, Hindu superstition, women’s education, costly judicial process etc. The subjects of the articles displeased the traditionalists from the beginning. The first and the fourth issue hurt the ego of the masters of the East India Company. The second and the third issue attacked the Hindu leaders. Both the group became active to stop the publication of the journal. When the second issue was printed it was not allowed to be published and distributed. The college authorities declared the magazine as prohibited. All the copies of the journal were confiscated and burnt. No copy of the journal exists in the archives or libraries. The representatives of both the British colonial power “John Bull” and of Hindu conservatives “Samachar Chandrika” expressed their happiness at this anti- democratic action.
At this success the revivalists started another attack. The meetings of Academic Association were being held outside the college. Only religious meetings of Radhakanta Dev were allowed to be held inside the college premises. Orders came that the students cannot attend the meetings of the Association even outside the college. But the order did not deter the students. Derozio was attracting the enlightened students like a powerful magnet. In spite of these threats, in the December of 1830 the students unfurled the tri- colored French flag for the success of second French Revolution by the side of the British Union Jack flag on the top of the monument. They assembled at the Town Hall on 25th December and arranged a feast. After two months of this action on 10th February of 1830, the students gave a rousing reception to David Hare on his birthday. Derozio was at the back of this event.
Hindu revivalists did not want the defiance to go unchallenged as it had happened in the West when John Huss and Bruno were burnt at stake for their differing views on Christianity and science and Galileo was shown the torture chamber at the Vatican if he did not recant his views on heliocentric universe. In the summer of 1831, Radhakanta Deb informed Principal Wilson that they want an emergency meeting of the Working Committee of the college. The Committee met on 23rd April. Normally, in such meetings of the Working Committee very few used to be present. But on that day of 23rd. all the Indian members were present. At the beginning of the meeting the Hindu influential members wanted to raise the question of the quality and the standard of teachings of Derozio. But, the Principal, David Hare and two others raised objection and said that Derozio is an ideal teacher and a pride for the college. He is adored by the students. Srikrishna Sinha, who was earlier a student of the college, also objected to the arguments.
Then the revivalists took a different subterfuge. They said: the behavior of the students is creating an adverse reaction in the respective households and the students are hurting the religious beliefs. Many had expressed that they would take away their wards from the college. They also placed before the committee some letters from the guardians. Mainly, three objections were placed before the committee against Derozio: He is teaching disbelief in god among the students; he is instigating the students to go against the parents; he is propagating marriage between brothers and sisters. Those who were supporting Derozio became silent on the issue of hurting religious beliefs. No opportunity was given to Derozio to put up his views on the objections raised against him. The resolution against Derozio was passed by a majority vote among the nine members. Wilson and David Hare were non-voting members. Among the seven other members three did not cast their vote on any side. The meeting resolved, “The measure of Mr. Derozio‘s removal be carried into effect with due consideration for his merits and services”. The Principal did not sack him from the college but asked Derozio to resign. Derozio sent in his resignation on 25th. April. Wilson then sent another letter to Derozio mentioning the verbal moral charges that were brought against him in the meeting. In reply to this letter Derozio sent a personal reply to Wilson on 26th April. The answer that Derozio gave to the three accusations will remain a very valuable document for the rationalist movement of any age. We will consider the points raised by Derozio later in the article but for the present let me quote a few lines from the end of his letter, “Please excuse me what I say. The clear intension of the administrators is to somehow remove me. That is done not to satisfy any outsider but to establish their bigotry. If my religious beliefs and ethics were considered then there would have been no necessity to arrange a court. So, they thought that it would not be convenient to make an inquiry. Rather, it is better to remove him by showing displeasure and anger. This is the problem of bigotry. It blinds one in rational thinking.”
Socrates said, “Knowledge and virtues are inseparable.” So also are ignorance and immorality!
After this event Derozio did not live long. He died of cholera within eight months after he left Hindu college on 26th December 1831. He was only 22 years eight months when he expired. During this brief period of his life he left a legacy of robust rationalism and humanism in the city of Calcutta’s intellectual life. He has also kept his stamp of genius in poetry and in journalism.
In the light of his rationalism India became Derozio’s own country and mother which was clearly expressed in his poems. This is important because at that time the colonizers did never consider this country as their own. They considered themselves masters of the country. In 1827, educated Indians were happy if they got a respectable job in the country. Even highly educated and experienced Raja Rammohan was appreciative of the courtesy and generosity of the British rulers and could not imagine any glorious future of India without them. It is surprising that at that tender age Derozio could dream of a glorious future of the country. Though he wrote in English it was Derozio who was the first to have expressed in his poem, India as his own birthplace.
After passing out from the school of Drummond he stayed at Bhagalpur for a few days. Spending time beside the Ganges he developed his poetic creativity. After returning to Calcutta he published the journal ‘India Magazine’ in 1826. Before this he published an article on education in the ‘India Magazine’. In that article he wrote, ‘I was born in India and have been bred here. I am proud to acknowledge my country and do my best to her service’. On the strength of this love for the country and his independent spirit he wrote, ‘Even love of country shall not hinder me from expressing what I believe to be right.’ In his first poetry book published in 1826 the name of the first poem was ‘Harp of India’. Again, in the dedication page to his book ‘Jangirar Fakir‘ was written: ‘To India, My Native Land’. These were the first expression of love for the native land. It is quite novel that at such a tender age, in 1828, he was describing a proper love story between a Hindu woman and a Muslim man. Perhaps, his dream was that man will one day judge humans not on the basis of religion, language or nationality. The poetry was poignantly expressing his agony about the custom of Sati. When the woman character of the poem became a widow she was brought to become a Sati to get burnt in the pyre along with her dead husband. Fakir rescued her from there and declared, ‘from today I have no more faith in religion. From today I shall not pray before Allah, Navi or any divine power. All my love and respect revolves around you.’ In his poetic expression Derozio writes,
Henceforth I turn my willing knee
From Allah, prophet, Heaven to thee.
At his time Derozio is unparalleled as a renaissance personality.
Derozio had left his mark on his humanistic feelings. At his time slave trade was going on in Calcutta with great fanfare openly. Men and women slaves were on sale by giving advertisement in newspapers. In the beginning of the 19th Century, when under the leadership of Rammohan social and religious reform movement was going on, not a word was uttered against this practice of slave trade. It was Derozio who first expressed his opposition to this practice in his poem. He wrote:
How felt he when first was told
A slave he ceased to be,
How proudly beat his heart, when first
He knew that he was free!
There is no evidence of support for Derozio by Rammohan. It is still a matter of research as to why it is so. Was it a limitation on the part of Rammohan or of the then movement? But, Derozio expressed his congratulations to Rammohan’s reform movement. When Sati was abolished by law Derozio expressed his satisfaction as expressed in his lines,
Hark! Heard ye not? The widow’s wail is o’er,
A rising spirit speaking peace to man.
In the footnote of his poem ‘Jangirar Fakir’ Derozio wrote, “In Europe many had a misconception that the Hindu widow who goes to die in the funeral pyre of her husband, she does it with great nobility and devotion to her husband. If this satisfaction of misunderstanding is tried to be removed no applause will be received. Even then it will be done because of truth. But the reality is, it was far from showing any interest. Those who see it, the sad scene of the torture of superstition and priesthood are evidenced.” While expressing support to those who were agitating against the evil custom Derozio warned, “The persons who were trying to abolish the practice of Sati from a humanitarian point of view should see that these widows get some peace and happiness in their lives. Otherwise, the abolition of Sati Instead of a blessing in their lives will lead to unbearable sorrow to remain alive.” Readers may note that when Derozio was writing these words his age was only nineteen.
With his poetic creativity he was also involved with journalistic work from a very early age. When he came back from Bhagalpur he became first the deputy editor of the newspaper India Gazette and later editor of Hesperus. Along with the editorial work he was also writing articles on contemporary issues. When he had differences with the newspaper authorities he resigned and started his own paper. His journalistic essayist role established his position among the intellectuals of Calcutta. His manifold role influenced his students immensely. It is true that Raja Rammohan had given the main impetus to the Brahma movement. Whatever criticism one may have about the strength and weakness of Bengal renaissance it has to be accepted that most of the renaissance personalities came from the Brahma movement. The other most important rationalist of Bengal Akhay Kumar Dutta also came from the Brahmo movement.
Inspired by Derozio his students Rasik Krishna Mallik (1810-1858), Radhanath Sikdar (1813-1870), who calculated the height of Mt. Everest, Ramtanu Lahiri (1813-98), Krishnamohan Bandyopadhyay (1813-1885), Ramgopal Ghosh (1858-1868) carried on the spirit of his ideas. They never compromised. In 1831 Krishnamohan started a magazine named ‘Enquirer’. A little later Rasik Krishna Mallik and Dakkhinaranjan Mukherjee published the journal ‘Jnananeswan.’ From the names we can understand the objectives of the magazines. Many of them opened schools in Calcutta. The struggle with guardians of the students continued. On the other side some of the admirers of Rammohan had started compromising. In 1831 Prasanna Kumar Tagore became a Brahmo. He arranged Durga puza with great fanfare in his own house. At the Maghotsob festival in the month of the Bengali month Magh he gave charity to poor Brahmins. But the amounts received by the different Brahmins depended on their stature. Derozio was compelled to criticize such contradictory behavior. Later, Rabindranath’s father Debendranath Tagore (1807-1905), except worshiping idols, introduced all kinds of superstitious customs of Hinduism in Bahmo ideas. Later, Keshab Chandra Sen (1834-1884) in his later life submitted himself to idolatry and took a leading part in declaring Ramakrishna (1836-1886) a live God incarnate. In Brahmo movement no other character was visible who consistently upheld the spirit of the movement. But, the large number of students inspired by Derozio’s ideas is enviable.
What were the causes for the success of Derozio’s views? Did he believe in the existence of god? Was he a strong atheist? In a letter to Wilson he wrote,
“I have never expressed openly to anybody the non-existence of god. But, if discussion on this issue is a crime then, of course, I am guilty. But I am not afraid nor do I feel ashamed to discuss the views of different philosophers. Because, I have also explained how one has solved the differing views. Is it forbidden to argue on such important issues? In that case, it is also improper to argue on behalf of others. Will it be a proper way to believe in someone’s views blindly and keep our ears and eyes closed about the other side to arrive at the truth? Whatever may be our belief, how can the foundation be strong unless we understand the view of the opposition to oppose it? … So, I have considered it my duty to acquaint our students the way Hume has in his razor sharp and cultivated arguments expressed about religious thoughts through the famous dialogue between Clinthis and Philo. But, I have also taught my students the arguments that Dr. Herbert Read and Dugand Stuart have raised against the views of Hume.
“Those arguments are still used in the discussions against Hume. This is the head and front of my offences. If the views of our students have shaken because of my teachings then I am not responsible for it. I do not have the capacity to create the views of the students; and if I am held responsible for the atheism of the students then the credit for those becoming theist should also be given to me.”
At the end he wrote to Wilson, “Believe me sir, I am so conscious about the ignorance and change in beliefs that I can never say strongly even on very small issues. The way doubts and uncertainties haunts us that bigotry does not dare to enter into inquisitive minds. Who am I to say that “it should be like this” or “that is not like that”. For, after being acquainted in depth with all the researches in science and the thoughts of great savant, we with great sadness and disappointment have to admit at the end that humility is the highest recognition of wisdom, because through wisdom one can identify one’s ignorance.” Here we find the chorus of ancient India’s wisdom, “Vidya dadati vinayam”. He was not an atheist. So, there is no question of propagating atheism while teaching or during lectures in meetings. He was an agnostic. So, he wanted to develop an inquiring and questioning mind among his students. They will themselves decide whether there is a god or not, Sati is good or bad or if it is necessary to follow the customs, etc. He only wanted to develop the curiosity to know and to discover the way to reach the truth. This created such a furor among the obscurantists.
Three months before his death Derozio wrote in an article in his own paper addressing the students, “You cannot win over an adversary by using harsh language. ….. As one who wants progress of our nation I am pained to observe such behavior. We need courteous behavior between each other, not adverse relations.” Pyarichand Mitra (1814-1883) wrote about him, “He used to impress upon his pupils the sacred duty of thinking for them—to be uninfluenced by any of the idols mentioned by Bacon—to live and die for truth—to cultivate and practise all the virtues shunning vices in every shape.” In 1935, Krishnamohan, who had then just become a Christian, wrote in his paper, “Derozio never said, you become an atheist, and embrace indiscipline. Rather, he used to say, you become inquisitive, you place your demands of life based on your ideology. Atheism is not an ideal for lofty ethics.” It is not only the Hindu orthodoxy that had propagated a wrong view about Derozio. A love for the nation was also growing among the students that frightened the British rulers. Alexander Duff complained that the students of Derozio are not keeping faith in anything. They are losing faith in everything. Bishop William Carey of Sreerampore wrote, “The ideal with which Hindu college was established is becoming futile. Many of its students are negating every good thing”. He cautioned Governor General William Bentinck that “they are not only demolishing caste system; they want to destroy British interest”. In a long letter in 1830, he explained to the Governor General, “The young men say, they will no longer be guilty of hypocrisy of upholding Hinduism. Christianity they have been warned against as an English prejudice and they seem to hate Christianity and England heartily.” Alexander Duff clearly raised the main issue, “When discussions in science and government happen to come up, France is eulogized undoubtedly, not England; which if referred to, is always depreciated. Thus our rulers are preparing a scourge for their own backs”.
The fear expressed was not irrational. 27 years before the Sepoy mutiny in 1829 in an issue in the journal Kaleidoscope Derozio writes in an article, “If considered in a general way all will be able to understand that only by military this country has been subjugated. Withdraw the army and you will see that instead of supporting the British rule Indians have become rebellious to end the British rule.” After the death of Derozio his last poem named ‘Independence’ was published in an anthology in 1832. In the last para the poem says,
And wilt thou tremble so, my heart,
When the mighty tyrant breathes on thee?
And shall thy light like this depart?
Away, it cannot be.
One of his students, Kailash Dutta, at the age of only 16, while studying in Hindu college, wrote in the year 1845 a remarkable essay whose heading was “A journal of Forty-eight Hours”. There it was observed that in 1884 the students of Hindu college has revolted against the British rulers, they are saying. They are saying, “Let us unfurl the banner of freedom and plant it where Brittania proudly stands.” British army arrested their leader and taking him to the gallows when he gave his last message to the rebellious ones, “I have shed my last blood in defense of my country, and through the feeble spark within my frail frame, I hope you will continue to preserve in the course we have so gloriously commenced”.
If we consider all these we will understand why the Brahmin orthodoxy and the representatives of the Company tried to poison the minds of the countrymen.
What were the values of the life of this great teacher of Hindu college? One day, Ramgopal Ghosh, aged only 15, came to understand from his Guru the philosophy of John Locke. At that meeting he made a loose comment, “The tongue of John Locke was like a child, but his head was like an old one”. The Guru remembered the words in his mind. After sometime, while writing an article expressing power of Locke to express difficult thought in simple language he referred to the name of the student and said, “I have never heard anything better said of Locke.”
Derozio wrote about an incident in his personal diary in 1829 that was published in the Literary Gazette in 1835, “On 19th October I scolded a student that he has expressed an untruth in his idea. Later, I understood that the mistake was mine. Next day I admitted my mistake before the whole class. Some people said that by acting in such a way I give indulgence to the students. After all, what less could I do other than this? I had wounded his conscience. I have to myself compensate that damage.” How many teachers today can show such generosity? We have to remember the remark of the thinker Shibnarayan Roy (1921-2008),
“In the beginning of the 19th Century, the ideal of this connection between scientific attitude and conscience was developed among the students of Dharamatola Academy by the philosopher teacher Drummond and his beloved student Henry Louis Vivian Derozio. He did not only initiate in his students the culture of free thinking. He inspired them to unite between words and deeds, ideal and behavior, declared belief and the act of living. The impact that these two ideal teachers and the transformation that the disciples of Derozio in Young Bengal had created in the social attitudes among the educated society of Calcutta were helpful in the development of the characters of Iswarchandra and Akkhoykumar Dutta.”
On 19th December 1831, Derozio went to Dharmatala Academy to take annual examination. There he gave his last lecture before his death. He said,
When man to man the world o’er
Shall brothers be, and ‘a that.
Returning from the school he became ill and got attacked by cholera that had then spread all over Calcutta. Reports about his illness appeared in the newspapers. His students in large numbers and people started coming to see him. The students started nursing him day and night. Grant, Wilson, Duff, Hare and other teachers came to meet him. Also came Bishop Hill, Reverend Mill and other important Church Bishops whose visits were great attraction. Discussion among the conservatives started that now perhaps the infidel, facing death, will call the name of the most compassionate God.
When the Bishops arrived Mahesh Chandra Ghosh was present there. He later became a Christian. He has written that on meeting Derozio the Bishop asked him to beg compassion from Jesus and God. Because of vomitting and loose motion for six days Derozio was in a very feeble state. In a feeble voice Derozio uttered, “I have not yet been able to figure out the reality of God. I do not know whether he exists or not.” In 1884, his first biographer Thomas Edwards wrote, “Derozio died as he had lived, searching for truth.” Edward had heard from Krishnamohan that Derozio did not want to hear any part from the Bible. He requested his student to read the last part of the first para of ‘Pleasures of Hope’ of his dear poet Thomas Campbell, who deeply felt India’s subjugation and believed that one day India will become independent. He castigated Company rule with these words,
Rich in the gems of India’s gaudy zone,
And plunder pil’d from kingdoms not their own,
Degenerate Trade
Remembering the character of India’s Puran in a symbolic form he wrote in that big poetical work,
To pour redress on India’s injured realm,
The oppressor to dethrone, the proud to whelm;
To chase destruction from her plunder’d shore
With arts and arms that triumph’d once before,
The tenth Avatar comes! At Heaven’s command
Shall Seriswattee wave her hallowed wand!
And Camdeo bright, Ganes sublime,
Shall bless with joy their own propitious clime!
Come, Heav’nly powers! Primeval peace restore!
Love-Mercy-Wisdom! rule for evermore!
At the junction of life and death the disciples once again, for the last time, observed the rationalism and the power of free thinking of their beloved and respected Guru, who did not teach only dry argument on religion and god, but also inspire to love the motherland. Suresh Chandra Maitra has wonderfully expressed this last moment thus, “Not his own salvation, his last desire was the emancipation of the country”.
[Note by author: This essay is prepared by way of translation from an article on the subject by Ashoke Mukhopadhyay in Bengali, which was published in a booklet on Derozio and Akkhay Kumar Datta by the Aneesh Sanskriti Parishad, Kolkata in 2013. The quotations from Elliot and Voltaire are added by me.]
(Dr. Samar Bagchi is former director of Birla Industrial & Technological Museum, Kolkata.)
