Writer, educationist, social reformer - Ishwar Chand Vidyasagar ranks high among the makers of modern India.He was one of the first to realise the importance of education and tried all his life to make it available to the masses. It was he who lifted the Bengali language out of the morass into which it had sunk and for the first time presented Bengali grammar in a systematic manner. The books that he wrote explaining the elements of Bengali spelling and grammar are used in schools to this day.Throughout his life, Vidyasagar struggled hard against all forms of injustice, hypocricy and exploitation. In particular, he waged a relentless war against subjugation and exploitation of women. It was he who established the first girl's school and started the practice of widow remarriage.Long before his death in 1891, Vidyasagar was a legend. His filial devotion, his ready wit, his indomitable courage, his genorisity, his scientific mind and rational outlook have formed the basis of a number of stories and anecdotes. Michael Madhusudan Dutt said of him, 'The man I have appealed to has the wisdom and genius of an ancient sage, the courage of an Englishman and the heart of a Bengali mother'.