a. Followers of Derozio:

The followers of Derozio were known by the name Young Bengal. Radhanath Sikdar, Pyaricharan Mitra, etc. were important members of the Young Bengal.

b. The Ideals of Derozio:

Henry Louis Vivian Derozic was born in Calcutta in a Portuguese-Indian family.

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He began his education in a private school run by Drummond. Drummond was a free-thinker and a man with progressive outlook. To Drummond the welfare to man was synonymous with thinking about God.

These ideas of his deeply touched the minds of his student Derozio. After completing his studies Derozio joined the Hindu College as a teacher.

It is worthy of mention here that at the time that Derozio joined the Hindu College it had become the nerve center of the socio-cultural upheaval that Bengal had been passing through.

And the personality and progressive outlook of Derozio further accelerated the pace of the movement. In spite of his being an Indo-European Derozio looked upon India as his own motherland.

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His poem Fakir of Jhungeera was full of high patriotic feeling. From various poems composed by him it is possible to know about the ideals Derozio stood for.

Besides deep sense of patriotism, Derozio was a free­thinker and a rationalist. He refused to believe or accept anything simply because it had the sanction of the tradition.

c. Young Bengal Movement:

Under the impact of the Western contact the life of Bengal experienced a radical change. The establishment of the Hindu College in 1817 further accelerated the change.

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The education imparted at the Hindu College generated patriotism among its students. In this respect the name of Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, a teacher of the Hindu College, stands out pre-eminently.

Derozio was born in Calcutta (1809) in a Portuguese- Indian family. In spite of his Indo-European lineage Derozio looked upon India as his motherland. Of the poems composed by him the Fakir of Jhungeera was full of high patriotic feeling.

The greatest contribution of Derozio is that he inculcated a deep love for the motherland among his students through his teachings. He also urged upon his students “to live and die for truth…….. “.

Though Derozio died a premature death in 1831, his inspiration among the contemporary youth lived longer. The most favourite students of Derozio were Krishnamohan Banerjee, Rasik Krishna Mallick, Radhanath Sikdar, etc.

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The students of Derozio, collectively known as the ‘Young Bengal’ or the Derozians, ridiculed all kinds of old tradition and demanded freedom of thought and expression.

In 1837 the Young Bengal organized the Jrranoparjika Sabha which aimed at collecting information about the condition of the people of our country.

The Young Bengal published such journals as the Parthenon, Jnananneswan and other journals which discussed topics of national interest.