The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 200th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Pandit Madan MohanTarkalankar at Bilwagram in Nadia district of West Bengal today (January, 6, 2016). Speaking on the occasion, the President lauded Pandit Madan Mohan Tarkalankar’s historic contribution in spreading education among women as well as driving out social stigma in 13thcentury Bengal. He said Pandit Tarkalankar was a social reformer who laid a strong foundation for the spread of education in Bengal. The President pointed out that Pandit Madan Mohan Tarkalankarauthored the first Bengali Primary school text book in three volumes called Shishusiksha. Pandit Tarkalankar set an example by sending his two daughters to Calcutta Female School founded by John Elliot Drinkwater Bethuneto encourage the girls of the city. The President added that Pandit Tarkalankarcould have contributed much more to enrich Bengali and Sanskrit literature had he lived a little longer than 41 years. The President laid the foundation stone of Pandit Tarkalankar Bhawan on the occasion.