Dwarkanath Ganguly
| Dwarkanath Ganguly | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
20 April 1844 Magurkhanda, Bikrampur now in Bangladesh |
| Died | 27 June 1898 (aged 54) Kolkata |
| Occupation | Social reformer |
| Spouse(s) | Kadambini Ganguly |
Dwarkanath Ganguly (also spelt as Dwarka Nath Gangopadhyay) (Bengali: দ্বারকানাথ গাঙ্গুলী Darkanath Gangguli) (20 April 1844 – 27 June 1898) was a Brahmo reformer in Bengal of British India. He contributed substantially towards the enlightenment of society and the emancipation of women.
Dwarkanath Ganguly was born on the Bengali New Year's Day, 1st Baisakh (mid-April), 1845 at Magurkhanda village in Bikrampur, now in Bangladesh. At the time of Ganguly's birth, his father, Krishnapran Ganguli lived in Faridpur in connection with some family work. His mother hailed from a rich family. Once she wanted to go on a pilgrimage to Puri. In those days, one had to use boats and elephants for transport. Her parent's family would have been too happy to support her financially for that but she was too upright a person to accept such support. Instead, she covered the long distance for the pilgrimage on foot. This incident portrays the strong will power of Ganguly's mother. The same would be apparent in his life later.
He had his early education in his village pathsala (school). Later, when he expressed the desire to learn English he joined the English school in nearby Kalipara in spite of severe physical difficulties. He studied up to the entrance class but failed to clear the examination. He started his teaching career and worked at three places – Sonarang in Bikrampur, Olpur in Faridpur and in the minor school at Lonsingh.
During Ganguly's school days he was strongly influenced by Akshay Kumar Datta's Dharma Niti (Religious principles). He was aroused about the plight of the Bengali woman, and was influenced by Dutt's main thesis that "the first vital step to social regeneration is liberating woman from her bondage."
When he was 17 years old, he heard that the relatives of an unfortunate girl who had strayed from her course killed the girl by poisoning her. On enquiry, he came know that it was not uncommon to kill girls in such a manner in kulin (orthodox upper caste) Brahmin families. He was so shocked that he vowed not to go in for polygamous marriage, a system in vogue in orthodox upper caste society in those days.
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