Henry Louis Vivian Derozio (1809–31) and Young Bengal Movement (1820s–30s)

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was an Anglo-Indian teacher at Hindu College, Calcutta in the 1820s and 30s. He was amongst the first social reformers of India whose ideas of rational thinking, liberty, equality, and scientific approach influenced many of his students. These students formed the Young Bengal Movement to spread the ideas and teachings of Derozio. He was not only a legendary teacher and an iconoclast, who attacked religious superstitions and dogmatism, he was also a father figure of the Indian Press.

About Henry Louis Vivian Derozio

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was born in Calcutta on April 18, 1809. His father, Francis Derozio, was a Christian Indo-Portuguese, and his mother Sophia Derozio was English. He loved English poetry and was very keen on reading contemporary poets. In 1823, at the young age of 14, he started to work initially with his father in Calcutta and later with his uncle in the Indigo factory at Bhagalpur, Bihar.

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio in Hindu College from 1826 to 1831

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was a very sharp and analytical thinker. In 1826, at the young age of 17, he joined Hindu College, Calcutta as a teacher of English literature and history. Within no time, with his talk of free thought and the spirit of radicalism, he influenced several students in the college.

Hindu College, Calcutta

Hindu College, Calcutta was established in 1817 with the efforts of David Hare and Raja Rammohun Roy. In 1855, it was transformed into Presidency College of Bengal. In 2010 it was elevated as Presidency University in Kolkata.

Ideas and Teachings of Henry Louis Vivian Derozio

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was influenced by Western ideas, thinking, and scientific approaches. He encouraged rational thinking among students and organized debates among them. He was influenced by the idea of liberty and equality, particularly those of the French Revolution in 1789. He promoted rational ideas by organizing an association for debates and discussions on Literature, History, Philosophy, and Science.

His ideas and encouragement among students irked many parents and conservatives including Hindus and Christians. In April 1831, these irked parents compelled the principal to expel Derozio from the Hindu College.

Death of Henry Louis Vivian Derozio in 1831

Soon after being expelled from the Hindu College, Calcutta, Henry Louis Vivian Derozio suffered from cholera. He died of cholera on December 26, 1831, at the young age of 22. His body was buried in South Park Street Cemetery in Calcutta.

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio and the Young Bengal Movement

Despite his youth, Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was popular and admired by many of his students. Derozio wanted to spread intellectual revolution among young students. This brought an intellectual revolution in Bengal called the Young Bengal Movement. His followers were also known as Derozians.

Derozians attacked old traditions and decadent customs. They also advocated women’s rights and their education. They founded associations and organized debates against various social evils. They opposed superstitions and adopted rational thinking. After the death of Derozio, the members of this group continued preaching radical views through teaching and journalism.

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio and History of Indian Press

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio also played a pivotal role in shaping the Indian Press and served as a fatherly figure to it. His influence extended to key publications, including “Indian Gazette” where he worked as a sub-editor, and the establishment of “Indian Magazine” in 1826.

Derozio was also closely associated with the “Parthenon” journal, which was initiated on February 15, 1830, by his students from Hindu College in Calcutta. The journal boldly expressed radical viewpoints on Hindu society’s superstitions, advocated for female education, and denounced the ills of colonization.

“Hindu Intelligencer” founded and edited by Kashiprasad Ghosh, one of Derozio’s devoted students, was a weekly publication that circulated from 1846 to 1857. Another of Derozio’s disciples, Dakshinaranjan Mukherjee, introduced the weekly journal “Jnananesvan” (Search for Knowledge) in May 1831. In April 1842, “The Bengal Spectator” was launched by Ramgopal Ghosh with assistance from Pearychand Mitra and other members of the Young Bengal Movement.

(Source: https://amritmahotsav.nic.in/district-reopsitory-detail.htm?25224)

Publications

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio is considered the first national poet of Modern India. In 1827 one of his first poems “The Harp of India” was published. In 1828-29, the poems written by Derozio were published as a book titled “Fakir of Jhungeera”. One of the famous poems from the book is “To India – My Native Land”.

Legacy

In 2009, the Government of India released a commemorative stamp featuring Henry Louis Vivian Derozio.