Beni Madhab Das | |
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Born | 22 November 1866 Sarowatoli, Chittagong |
Died | 2 September 1952 Kolkata |
Occupation | Teacher, social reformer |
Spouse(s) | Sarala Devi |
Beni Madhab Das (Bengali: বেণী মাধব দাস) (1866 – 1952) was an erudite Bengali scholar, a renowned teacher and a great patriot in British India. Subhas Chandra Bose was his student at Ravenshaw Collegiate School and he left an inedible mark in the mind of his young student, as acknowledged in his book Bharat Pathik. When Bose was under internment and had decided to leave India, he wanted the blessings of his teacher, and so a clandestine meeting was organized for the purpose. A number of his other students occupied important positions in life. His personal life of dedication and devotion inspired all his students on to an eventful life. He was what was referred to as an exemplary teacher.
Son of Krishna Chandra Das of Sarowatoli, Chittagong (now in Bangladesh), he was born on 22 November 1866. After successfully completing his post graduation in philosophy, he joined Chittagong College. He converted it into a model institution. He was posted in Chittagong, Dhaka, Cuttack, Krishnanagar and Kolkata, initially as a teacher in government colleges and later as headmaster of government schools.
Influenced by Keshub Chunder Sen, he joined the Brahmo Samaj early in life. He was associated with the publications of the Brahmo Samaj, Indian Messenger and Navavidhan.
With his dedication and patriotism, he was considered an ideal teacher. Apart from philosophy, he had vast knowledge of economics and history, and used to teach these subjects as well. He presided over the All-India Theistic Conference at Kakinada, now in Andhra Pradesh, in 1923. His presidential speech was later published in a booklet entitled Modern Theistic Movement in India. His collection of essays, Pilgrimage Through Prayers, was a critically acclaimed publication.