Reform Movement in Bengal under the leadership of Derozio:
Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was an official of the Young Bengal or New Bengal Movement. Derozio was born in an Anglo-Portuguese family in the Entali area of Kolkata. He studied at David Drummond’s Dharmatala Academy.
Derozio, the father of the Bengal reform movement in the 19th century, started working as a professor of English and history at Hindu College in 1826 at the age of 17. His strong enthusiasm for teaching and his friendly relationship with the students created a stir at Hindu College. The Young Bengal party was formed under his leadership. Derozio contributed to the great sacrifice that Rammohan started for social reform. Under his leadership, the reform movement in Bengal got a new direction.
1. Ideal Derozio: Derozio advised his students to accept everything without judging anything and to judge everything with reason. Derozio used to discuss with his students various subjects like literature, science, religion, philosophy, patriotism, etc. He told the students, “Decide your opinion and path by independent thinking; do not practice any conventional reform blindly; in life and death, adhere to the only truth; practice virtue, and reject all that is wrong and immoral.” Under his inspiration, the students became attached to the ideas of philosophers like Locke, Hume, Rousseau, Voltaire, Tom Paine, Berkeley, etc.
2. News in various newspapers: In order to propagate their rational thoughts against various social prejudices, the Young Bengal group published several newspapers and in 1830, they published a newspaper named ‘Parthenon’. In it, articles were published on women’s education, women’s freedom and freedom of the press, etc. The newspaper ‘Kaleidoscope’ published by them opposed the British exploitation in India. Apart from this, he edited two magazines named “Hesperus” and “Calcutta Literary Gazette”.
3. Formation of Academic Association: In the ideology of Derozio, independent thinking and rationalism developed in the minds of his students. To develop a mentality of absolute truth among the students, he established a debating society named “Academic Association” in Maniktala in 1828. This society opposed the superstitions of casteism, sati, untouchability, idolatry. Here, the students following Derozio expressed their opinions against the prevailing social, economic, political and religious superstitions. The mouthpiece of this institution was ‘Atheneum’.
4. Respect for the country: Although Derozio was born in a Portuguese family, he was an Indian at heart. His poem “Fakir of the Militants” and “Bharatbarsha Amar Swadesh Prati” reflect his respect for this country. The Young Bengal members had an incredible love for India.
5. Intense attack on conservatism: The Young Bengal group launched a serious attack on the conservatism of Hinduism. They ate beef and would say to Brahmin priests, “We eat beef.” They did not believe in the sanctity of the Ganges water and tore their own clothes. They would target Goddess Kali at the Kalighat temple and say, “Mahasya, Pratahpranam”.
6. Social reaction: The Young Bengals’ anti-Hindu reform movement created a strong stir in the society. Parents of many students of Hindu College feared that Derozio’s ideology would influence their children. Therefore, they started sending their children to other colleges for education. Finally, the authorities of Hindu College accused Derozio and dismissed him. Some time later, in 1831, he died at the age of 22.
Young Bengal Movement after Derozio’s death:
Derozio’s ideology did not die out with his death. After his death, his followers took the Young Bengal ideology forward. Notable among his followers were Kriyamohan Bandyopadhyay, Parichand Mitra, Ramgopal Ghosh, Ramtanu Lahiri, Rasikkriya Mallick, Dakshinaranjan Mukhopadhyay, Tarachand Chakraborty and Shivchandra Deb.
Pandit Shivnath Shastri writes – “Derozio was at Hindu College for only three years, during these three years he had planted something in the minds of his disciples which remained in their hearts forever.”
1. Various newspapers and societies: Derozio’s followers published newspapers like Gyananbeshan, Bengal Spectator, Enquirer, Bengal Spectator, Hindu Pioneer etc. to express their ideology. They formed various organizations and continued their reform work. On their initiative, the ‘General Knowledge Society’ was established in 1836. They established the ‘Bengal British India Society’ for the purpose of adopting a political program.
2. Social reformist activities: The members of the Young Bengal group opposed inequality between men and women, oppression of women, forced labor, slavery, deprivation of freedom of the press, sending Indian coolies to Mauritius, permanent settlement, British monopoly of trade, and various economic and religious superstitions.
In general, it can be said that despite their love for their homeland, the members of the Young Bengal group held a radical attitude against the civilization and culture of India. As a result, the countrymen did not accept them. Due to this, there was a conflict of opinion among them during and after their time.
During and after their time, many saw them as disorderly, black-faced, and a ‘radical group isolated from society’. Dr. Sumit Sarkar commented that except for a handful of intellectuals, their influence on the larger section of Bengali society was zero. Dr. Amlesh-Tripathi did not find any meaning in their movement.
On the other hand, a group acknowledged their contribution to the reform movement of Bengal. Krishnadas Pal referred to them as the ‘future of the country’. Kishore Chand Mitra reviewed the Young Bengals with ‘Kanchanjunghar Chura’. Surendranath Banerjee said in praise of them, “They are the fathers of our nation, their qualities are eternally remembered.