The First Cadaveric Dissection in India

Historical Perspective The first cadaver dissection in India in the 19th century after millennia of social prejudices took place in the recently established Calcutta Medical College in 1835, the first medical college in Asia imparting western medical education to British, Anglo Indians and Indians in the empire. The first scientific approach to medical sciences commenced following this landmark event and set the trend for future liberal attitudes in society and contributed to the Bengal Renaissance of the 19th century. This is a fictional account of the day when it happened. Only the characters and the fact that the dissection occurred are real.

Versatile Vidyasagar: A Superior Scholar, Modern Philosopher, Real Educationist & True Social Reformer

In the period of the 19th century, India has given birth to a starlike personality in the name of Ishwar Chandra Bandopadhyay. He was a real hero and down to earth in his habit. He dedicated his life for draw out the nation to light from the darkness. He was a polymath, educator, social reformer, writer, and philanthropist. He was one of the greatest intellectuals and activists of the 19th century and one of the pillars of the Bengal Renaissance who had given a shape and direction. Above All, he is a strong symbol of a versatile personality. He is called in the name of Vidyasagar (The Ocean of Knowledge) and Dayarsagar (The Ocean of Kindness) for her dignified thoughts and works. Researchers have highlighted the versatility of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in their theoretical research. From their research, Vidyasagar will be known as such a meritorious student; Similarly, there will be an opportunity to know Vidyasagar's philosophical thoughts, educational thoughts, social reform, responsibility towards women's education, etc.

Image of India in Social Thoughtof the Bengal Renaissance

A process of creation of India’s image by the Bengal Renaissance intellectuals (from Rammohun Roy to Rabindranath Tagore) is analyzed in the article based on phenomenological approach and hermeneutics of the thinkers’ texts. A phe­nomenon of invention of native country’s image is a special result of ‘Discovery of India’ (Jawaharlal Nehru’s term) in many-sided interaction with Other, first of all the West. The process is the intellectual construction of a whole conception on India as ‘our own’ geographical and civilizational space with general tradi­tion, culture and history. A use of comparative, historical and axiological meth­ods along with ‘ideal type’ (M. Weber) method allows to invent two-fold image of ideal and real India. The ideal one unites meanings of India’s being in history, the goals of human, society and culture, the real image opens a number of prob­lems, evils and failures in the present social life and in history, along with real dignities and achievements. The Bengal thinkers have created ‘imaginary’ (B. Anderson) India in their representations, as attractive by her humanity, toler­ance and peacefulness; with high goals of harmony, morality and love. The ‘ideal’ in India was detected first of all for the compatriots as a base for self-re­spect and dignity and secondly for the entire world. ‘Reality’ in India had ap­pealed active change and constructive work for social renaissance.

Theosophy in the Bengal Renaissance

This chapter explores the Theosophical Society’s association with the Bengal Renaissance in India, which is a significant, yet quite unexplored, dimension of both movements. The chapter traces the rise and fall of Theosophical influence in Bengal, beginning with contacts between Bengali and American spiritualists in the early 1870s prior to the formation of the Theosophical Society. Two years before its move to India, the Society established correspondence with leaders of the Brahmo Samaj. After the move to India in 1879, personal contacts were developed through the travels to Bengal of Henry Steel Olcott and Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and the subsequent involvement of Bengalis in the Madras Theosophical Society headquarters. The role of Mohini Chatterji as an emissary of the Theosophical Society to Europe and America was the high point of this association, but by the early twentieth century, Aurobindo Ghose described the Theosophical Society as having lost its appeal to progressive young Indians.

Forming Historical Myths in British India in the First Decades of the 20th Century (the History of Mediaeval Mystification)

Some Indian historians, as well as social and political activists believed before and believe now that democracy in India in general, and in Bengal in particular has very deep roots (according to these beliefs, in 7th–8th centuries A.D. Bengal suffered political and economic decline). Such great activists of “Bengal Renaissance” as R. P. Chanda, A. K. Maitreya, R. D. Banerji (Bandyopadhyay), and R. Ch. Majumdar were the first to express this idea and comprehend Bengal as a single entity. Meanwhile the idea in question was based on a single evidence, that was written in the genealogical part of two landgrant charters of Dharmapāla, the second king of the Pāla dynasty (ca. late 8th — the beginning of 9th centuries). However modern historians, analysing the Bengali sources of the period, note the fact that generally only Buddhist historical texts contain references to the mentioned political and economic disorder, while judging by inscriptions and excavations, there is no evidence of decline. Moreover, there is no proof that Bengal existed as a single entity in pre-Muslim period at all. Distribution of inscriptions of Pālas and their neighbours in Bengal territory shows that we can identify around six or seven cultural and political regions there. Thus we could conclude that the notion of deeply rooted Indian democracy is based on the prejudiced interpretation of available sources by the Bengali historians of the early 20th century.