Over 100 people reached Karmatar in Jharkhand’s Jamtara district to pay tributes to Bengali polymath Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar on his 200th birth anniversary on Saturday, despite cancellation of a regular programme because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Some of us represent Vidyasagar Smriti Raksha Samiti (VSRS), while others are members of Bharat Gyan Bigyan Samiti (BGBS), who reached Jamtara from seven districts and brought out a motorcycle rally to reach here on the occasion,” VSRS member Madan Sarkar said from Karmatar.

He said many of the people belong to the Santhal tribe, a community which Vidyasagar served during his stay in Karmatar.

The participants held a programme to reminisce about the life and work of Vidyasagar and paid tributes to him.

“We had to cancel our main programme in Karmatar due to the pandemic but organised some online competitions for students and also a memorial lecture series beginning today (Saturday),” VSRS general secretary Sunirmal Das said from Patna.

Born as Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay on September 26, 1820, Vidyasagar was an author, educator and social reformer who laid the foundation of modern Bengali prose, authored many books including the Bengali primer Bornoporichoy and also campaigned vigorously for Hindu widow remarriage. He lived over 17 of his sunset years in Karmatar, now named Vidyasagar after him.