We have heard countless times how this Lord Macaulay has ruined our education system, but do you know about more dangerous Alexander Duff? Literally, this Christian Missionary was solely responsible for degradation of education system in the parts of Bengal & Bihar.
Want to know how?
Here’s the chilling story of Alexander Duff born in April 1806 at Scotland & reached the shores of Calcutta in 1830 as First Missionary from Church of Scotland.
The first thing he did was to Target Upper Caste Hindus & Muslims for Conversion using English Education as a bait. Until then, Missionaries had eyes on lower class & never touched the Bengali language of teaching at schools. Duff devised the policy of an using western system of education to slowly convert Hindus and Muslims to Christianity.
The success of his work had
These effects
1) Of altering the policy of the government of India in matters of education.
2) Of securing the recognition of education as a missionary agency by Christian churches at home.
3) Of securing entrance for Christian ideas into the minds of high-caste Hindus.
Alexander Duff proposed a theory which he called the “downward filter theory” in which he believed that by catering to the middle and upper social classes, the knowledge of Christianity would eventually filter down the social ladder.
On 7th Match 1935, resolution was passed that in higher education, the object of the British government in India should be the promotion of European science and literature among the natives of India, and that all funds appropriated for purposes of education would be best employed on English education alone.
Duff went back to England in 1834 & in 1840 he came back to Bharat with enormous funds from Church of England & Scotland to open new institutions meant exclusively for Biblical Studies & Conversion.
In 1943, after disruption with the Church, Duff established Free Church to continue his unabashed conversion & in 1857 he established Calcutta University. In 1844, he had secured the blessings of Governor General Viscount Harding that whoever studied in his institutions were eligible for government jobs. The most infamous Bengalies who turned to Christianity under him were reverend. Lal Bihari Dey & Krishna Mohan Bannerjee
In 1849, Duff went back to England, later traveled to US & returned back to India in 1856. The onset of 1st War of Indian Independence made Duff stay at Calcutta University & worsening health conditions made Duff leave India in 1863 permanently.
He died on 12th February 1878 at Devon. Once well established in Calcutta, this Duff traveled up to Ceylon turning numerous education convents into Christian Conversion Convents.
In 1832, Scotland Church sent another missionary John Wilson to Bombay who copied Duff’s methods of Conversion. For Bengalis who say Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a proud Hindu, here’s one more incidence for you, RRM Roy approved Duff’s method to remove Hindu Ignorance.
The General Institution Duff Established Became known as The Scottish College.
– Shesha Patangi
