The Legacy of William Carey

The Sentinel

Guwahati

Guwahati,

Home Guwahati City Editorial Op-Ed International National Business Arunachal Meghalaya Northeast State Cachar Local Sports Sports

Archive Melange Saturday Fare Junior Sentinel Multilingual About Us Contact Us Advertise with us Feedback Dongmusa
Home » State-1 » Story
North East »» Church is the only platform to unite the Naga people: Neiphiu Rio•••Disheartened Congress ticket aspirants fumes•• candidates and
supporters of Trinamool raids party office•••State »» Fishery sector has a higher growth rate than agriculture and allied sectors : Basanta Das•••Seminar on
higher education held•• rd convention of RAC- ABSU from January 12•••National »» Mayawati’s assets: Highest at Rs 87 crore•••BJP moves EC over
Khurshid’s remarks on Muslim quota•••Congress, CPI-M trying to stall Bengal’s development: Mamata•••International »» Gilani not an honest man:
Pakistan SC•••Pakistan to blow up Osama’s hideout•••India, Israel should work out strategy to end terror: Krishna•••

The Legacy of William Carey

There had been quite a good number of foreigners who immensely contributed to socio-cultural Guwahati Maximum Minimum
and political life of our society. If we have to name the one who was instrumental in bringing about Dibrugarh 23.2oC 10.2oC
social reformation and total revival of Indian languages in printed form, then we must name Dr. Shillong 24.5oC 11.9oC
William Carey. Therefore, it will be worthwhile to remember him on his 176th death anniversary 13.9oC 7.9oC
today. Imphal 20.3oC 7.9oC
Carey was born on August 17, 1761 in Paulerspury, Northamptonshire of England. He left school Kohima 16.7oC 4.0oC
when he was twelve and learned the trade of shoemaking and thus earned his livelihood as a Itanagar 22.6oC 9.6oC
cobbler. When he was seventeen, a great change took place in his life when he prayed to God for
conviction of cheating his master’s money. He grew up spiritually through reading the Bible and Rain would occur at one or two places over Arunachal Pradesh,
pastor’s guide. Carrey married Dorothy in 1781. After her death, married Charlotte in 1808 who Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura.
also died soon and thus he married Grace in 1823. Carey was an ardent follower of Jesus Christ
and began his religious service as a pastor at Moulton and Leicester. He learned Latin, Greek,
Hebrew, French and Dutch along with science and history and the like. In 1792, he authored a
book known as the ‘Enquiry’ and through his preaching and encouragement, the Baptist
Missionary Society was formed that sent Carey as a missionary to India. Carey after a long
voyage reached Calcutta on 11 November 1793.
Carey soon mastered Sanskrit, Bengali and other Indian languages. He could support his mission
by farming, running an indigo factory and teaching Bengali. The 10th January of 1800 was a red-
letter day in the history of Indian printing. On this day, Carey along with William Ward and Joshua
Marshman, known as the ‘Serampore Trio’ set foot at Serampore and founded the historic
Serampore Mission. This Mission with the help of natives, 17 printers, 5 bookbinders and a paper
mill, extensively involved in translating and printing the Bible in more than 40 Indian languages
including Assamese. The efforts of Carey and his colleagues had started the important process of
modern prose writing in vernacular languages. Carey’s work such as Grammar books in Sanskrit,
Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, Telugu and Kanarese and dictionaries in Sanskrit, Bengali and Marathi
are worth mentioning. His work ‘Colloquies’ and ‘Garland of Indian Stories’ were of human interest
and humour. He translated Mahabharat and Ramayana from Sanskrit (1802). Carey published in
Bengali ‘Digdarshan’ (1818) which was the first Indian language periodical and ‘Samachar
Darpan’, a newspaper. Carey was instrumental in English periodical ‘Friend of India’ (1818) which
latter amalgamated with The Statesman. It must be mentioned that Assam is proud to have the
first printed Assamese book ‘Dharmapustak Antabhag’ (1813) i.e. the New Testament and the
entire Bible (1833) called Dharmapustak that Carey brought out the help of Atmaram Sharma, an
Assamese scholar from Koliabor. This also marked the beginning of Assamese prose in printed
form.
Carey was a linguist and educationist per excellence. His mission founded the Serampore College
in 1818 for higher education in which Carey himself taught Divinity and Biology. He built a system
of elementary schools with over a hundred such ones and separate schools for girls. Carey taught
Sanskrit, Bengali and Marathi at Fort William College in Calcutta. Under his guidance, modern
textbook writing in Bengali also started here. Carey was a philanthropist who pioneered in
introducing Savings Bank. This he introduced at Serampore in 1819 to safeguard the innocent
poor people from the hands of the greedy and cruel moneylenders. After ten years, William
Bentinck, the Governor General established Savings Bank upon the same principle.
Carey started a Botanical Garden with 427 species in five acres of land at Serampore. He planted
economically productive trees like teak, tropical fruit trees, and manyu flowering trees. A plant has
been named after Carey as Careya Herbacera. Botanists say that many plants found today in
Bengal came from seeds carried by wind and birds from Carey’s garden. In 1812 Carey Printed
the Hortus Bengalensis, a catalog of plants in the gardens at Calcutta. He was also editor of the
three volume work, Flora Indica, writen by William Roxburgh. He established the agricultural
Society of India in 1820. In 1823, Carey became the Fellow of the Linnaean Society, a Member of
the Geological Garden has become a centre for research. Carey wrote many articles on
Agricultures and Botany. He founded a library and developed a museum with rich collection of
shells, corals, etc. that were latter given to the college.
Carey was a great reformer. A dreaded practice that Carey fought tooth and nail was infanticide
that Governor General Lord Wellesley abolished in 1802. He witnessed sati; the worst evil
prevailed that time. Carey collected data of sati and reported that naerly 300 windows were burnt
alive around Calcutta and 10,000 in all of India within a short span of time. Carey started his
relentless campaign against this gory practice. He published many articles against sati and
worked with Raja Ram Mohan Roy who was also a great social reformer. Carey could persuade
William Bentinck who carried a regulation on December 4, 1829 declaring sati as illegal and
criminal and thus abolished it. Carey fought for eradication of other social evils such as ‘ghat
murders’ by which the sick and dying were left by the riverbank to die and the rejection or burning
of lepers by their families. Carey taught people to love the lepers, provided medicines and
established hospital for them. Still another social evil prevalent in those days was the cult of ‘thug’
which was a belief that goddess granted sanction to certain people to strangle others and to take
their valuables. The Serampore Mission relentlessly fought against this evil that led to the
suppression of thugs by William Bentinck in 1830. Carey also fought against caste system, which
he understood as a social evil. He preached goodwill and love among all people and encouraged
inter-caste marriage. Carey’s mission pioneered in emancipation of women through education by
establishing schools for girls and women. Carey was also instrumental in establishing a leper
hospital and an institution for poor and neglected children in Calcutta.
Carey after labouring for 41 years in India, not even returning once to his native place, died on
June 9, 1834 at Serampre and he was buried there. Carey, whose motto was Expect Great Things
Form God, Attempt great things for God, is honoured as the Father of Modern Missions. He

http://www.sentinelassam.com/state1/story.php?sec=2&subsec=2&id=38431&dtP=2010-07-09&ppr=1 (1 of 3) [1/11/2012 12:32:03 PM]

The Sentinel

indeed was a versatile genius who made major, even foundational contributions in literature and
print technology, translation, education, medical, agriculture, and horticulture, botany, forest
conservation, industry and socio-cultural reforms. Carey played a central role in modernization of
Indian Society. The Government of India released a postal stamp on January 9, 1993, honouring
him. Let every Indian Pay rich tribute to this great soul.
–Aziz-ul Haque
(The Writer is Pastor, Guwahati Baptist Church)

TOP

.

Arunachal News Meghalaya News Northeast News Cachar News

more... Awaiting for Bhopal results Church is the only platform to TET examinations records 90
Initiative on, for disposal of unite the Naga people: Neiphiu per cent attendance in Cachar
garbages Rio Army raid deplored
Fish farmers to be helped BJP deprecates UPA’s design
Directorate of Environment is Disheartened Congress ticket to subvert strong Lokpal Bill
under process aspirants fumes Army provides solar lights to
villagers
more... 3 candidates and supporters of
Trinamool raids party office more...

AAPSU offers olive branch to State-2
Chakma-Hajong refugees
Hand washing is the most
more... effective way to get rid of
infections: Medical officer
National News International News State-1 Regiment organizes ex-
servicemen rally
Mayawati’s assets: Highest at Rs Gilani not an honest man: Fishery sector has a higher DTC intensifies operation of
87 crore Pakistan SC growth rate than agriculture and evacuation
allied sectors : Basanta Das TET conducted in Bongaigaon
BJP moves EC over Khurshid’s Pakistan to blow up Osama’s
remarks on Muslim quota hideout Seminar on higher education more...
held
Congress, CPI-M trying to stall India, Israel should work out Op-Ed (Sunday)
Bengal’s development: Mamata strategy to end terror: Krishna 43rd convention of RAC- ABSU
Scheduled Tribes’ quota in Uttar from January 12 Test for Tots
Pradesh Pakistan Taliban claim Test cricket: Alive and Kicking
responsibility for blast NEADS silver jubilee opening Maruti milestone…
more... ceremoney concludes
more... more...
more...

Local Sports Sports Editorial

South Point, City Montesory win Messi on top of the world again The ISI Hand in Assam
NE qualifying round at Tinsukia Bayern Munich beat India in Man-animal Conflicts
Death of Ramakanta Bora deeply Bhutia’s swansong Alternative only option
mourned by NDSPA Bhutia signs off with an Audi Q8 Letters to the Editor
Indians hit the nets at ‘Green’
more... WACA more...

more...

http://www.sentinelassam.com/state1/story.php?sec=2&subsec=2&id=38431&dtP=2010-07-09&ppr=1 (2 of 3) [1/11/2012 12:32:03 PM]

The Sentinel

Assam Nagaland Mizoram Meghalaya

Assam is a northeastern Nagalang is a northeastern Mizoram is a northeastern Meghalaya is a
state of India with its capital state of India with its capital state of India with its capital northeastern state of India
at Dispur located in the city at Kohima. located in the at Aizwal. located in the with its capital at Shillong.
of Guwahati.
Guwahati city. Guwahati city. located in the Guwahati.

more... more... more... more...

Manipur Tripura Arunachal Pradesh Sikkim

Manipur is a northeastern Tripura is a northeastern Arunachal Pradesh is a Sikkim is a northeastern
state of India with its capital state of India with its capital northeastern state of India state of India with its capital
at Imphal. at Agartala. with its capital at Itanagar. at Gangtok.

more... more... more... more...

Home | Guwahati
City | Editorial | International | National | Business | Arunachal | Meghalaya | Northeast | State | Cachar | Sports | Local Sports

Archive | Melange | Saturday Fare | Junior Sentinel | Multilingual | About Us | Contact Us | Advertise with us | Dongmusa

http://www.sentinelassam.com/state1/story.php?sec=2&subsec=2&id=38431&dtP=2010-07-09&ppr=1 (3 of 3) [1/11/2012 12:32:03 PM]