Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was an Indian poet from the 19th century. He was also the assistant headmaster of ‘Hindu College’ in Kolkata. He was of Portuguese origin but was born and raised in India. He identified himself as an Indian and was a nationalist. He is famous for giving birth to the ‘Young Bengal’ movement of that time. Born into an illustrious Anglo-Indian family, he completed his education at the best schools in the country and excelled in academics. He started writing poetry at a young age and soon became a radical thinker. His free thoughts and Western learning attracted many young boys and men, giving rise to a social movement called ‘Bengal Renaissance’. Simultaneously, he gained employment at ‘Hindu College’. He organized debates and talks, where he and his followers would criticize orthodox religious beliefs and practices of society. His radical views soon got him fired from the college but his poetic career flourished as his poems were published in leading newspapers. Though he inspired many leaders of the time, he himself died of an illness at a very young age. His legacy still remains and he has been honoured many times in his native Bengal.
