Bishop Robert Caldwell

Bishop Robert Caldwell (1814–1891) was an Evangelist missionary and linguist, who academically established the Dravidian family of languages. He served as Assistant Bishop of Tirunelveli from 1877. He was described in The Hindu as a 'pioneering champion of the downtrodden' and an 'avant-garde social reformer'.

India Post released a stamp on Robert Caldwell on 7th May 2010. Robert Caldwell-was born at Clady, Northern Ireland, on May 7, 1814 to Scottish parents. Initially self-taught and religious, young Caldwell graduated from the University of Glasgow and was fascinated by the comparative study of languages. At 24, Caldwell arrived in Madras on January 8, 1838 as a missionary of the London Missionary Society and later joined the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel Mission (SPG). Caldwell was married in 1844 to Eliza Mault.He knew 18 languages ( the stamp background shows 4 languages of South India like, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu). He was a member of the Royal Asiatic Society. He was awarded the title of LLD and DD. His most impressive work was "A comparative Study of Grammar of Dravidian Languages".

Dr. William Carey Bicentenary 1793-1993

First Day Cover and Stamp

"The Indian Postal Department issued a stamp on Dr. William Carey, on - January 9, 1993, who adopted India as his country and strived to serve her people.The stamp design depicts Dr. William Carey's portrait at his writing desk, against the backdrop of Serampore College."

First Day Cover

Important Facts about William Carey

William Carey was an English Baptist missionary and a Reformed Baptist minister. He was known as the "father of modern missions." Carey was one of the founders of the Baptist Missionary Society.

As a missionary in the Danish colony, Serampore, India, he translated the Bible into Bengali, Sanskrit, and numerous other languages and dialects.

CHRONOLOGY

· 1761 Born at Paulerspury, Northampton. England; 17 August.

· 1777 Apprenticed to the shoemaking trade.

· 1779 Attended prayer-meeting that changed his life, 10 February.

· 1783 Baptized by Mr. Ryland, 5 October.

· 1786 Called to the ministry at Olney, August 10.

· 1792 Pamphlet "An Inquiry" published;

· Baptist Missionary Society in England formed, 2 October.

· 1793 Appointed missionary to India, 10 January;

· Arrived in Calcutta, 11 November.

· 1786 5-year-old son Peter dies on 11 October.

· 1796 Baptized a Portuguese, his first convert.

· 1800 Moved to Serampore, 10 January;

· Baptized Krishna Pal, first Bengali convert, 28 December;

· Elected Professor of Sanskrit and Bengali languages at Fort Williams College.

· 1801 Completed New Testament in Bengali, 7 February.

· 1803 Self-supporting missionary organization founded.

· 1807 Doctor of Divinity conferred by Brown University of U.S.A.;

· Member of Bengali Asiatic Society.

· Dorothy Carey died.

· 1808 New Testament in Sanskrit published;

· Married Charlotte Emilia Rumohr.

· 1809 Completed translation of Bible in Bengali, 24 June.

· 1811 New Testament in Marathi published.

· 1815 New Testament in Punjabi published.

· 1818 His father died, 15 June.

· 1818 Old Testament in Sanskrit published.

· 1820 Founded the Agricultural and Horticultural Society, 4 September;

· Danish King granted charter for college at Serampore;

· Marathi Old Testament published.

· 1821 Serampore college opened;

· Second wife Charlotte died.

· 1823 Married Grace Hughes.

· 1825 Completed Dictionary of Bengali and English.

· 1826 Government gave Carey "Grant in Aid" for education.

· 1829 Sati prohibited through Carey's efforts, 4 December.

· 1834 Died at Serampore, 9 June.

· 1835 Third wife Grace died.