Shivnath Shastri
| Sivanath Sastri | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
31 January 1847 Changripota, Bengal Presidency, British India |
| Died | 30 September 1919 (aged 72) Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Religious and social reformer |
| Spouse(s) | 1. Prasannamoyee 2. Birajmohini |
Sivanath Sastri (as spelt by himself, but also spelt as Shibnath Shastri, Shib Nath Shastri, Shibanath Shastri, Shivanath Shastri) (Bengali: শিবনাথ শাস্ত্রী Shibonath Shastri) (1847–1919) was a scholar, religious reformer, educator, writer and historian. He played an active role in the society of his times and kept a wonderful record of events but for which it would have been difficult to know and understand his turbulent age. His views have, occasionally, been criticised. He was not merely a detached historian but also an active participant of the age.
Son of Harananda Bhattacharya, a native of Majilpur, he was born in the house of his maternal uncle in Changripota, on 31 January 1847. The family were Vedic Brahmins, possibly migrated from the South. According to family hearsay, they had come from Jajpur in Orissa and settled in Majilpur. Most of the members of the family were learned and poor, and many of them engaged in priestcraft.
Sivanath started attending the local pathsala and when an English school was established in Majilpur with the support of the local zemindar, he joined it. During his childhood, one of the peoples, Brajanath Dutta and his son, Shib Krishna Dutta, used to subscribe to the Tattwabodhini Patrika and discuss religious and social matters with learned people. They had later influenced other peoples, such as Umesh Chandra Dutta, to convert to the Brahmo Samaj.
At the age of nine, he went to Kolkata and joined Sanskrit Collegiate School. Sivanath used to stay near to the house of his maternal grand father. His maternal uncle, Dwarakanath Vidyabhusan, was a learned person teaching in the Sanskrit College. They were close to Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, who used to visit their house regularly. As a child, he went and attended the first widow remarriage at Sukea Street on 7 December 1856. In 1858, Dwarakanath Vidyabhusan started the newspaper Somprakash. The press and other arrangements were set up in the house itself. Thus, Sivanath Sastri grew up in a varied environment of education, initiative and reform.
...
Wikipedia