1. An English Jurist, was to commit himself to rediscovering India precisely for this reason, identifying with the Whig tradition of British politics, Jones set himself the task of making India more intelligible to the British.
Jones on coming to India realized that to understand India, individual initiative would not be enough.
2. He gradually came around to the view that it would have to be an organized effort to combine scientific study with the labour and knowledge of a group of dedicated individuals.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
3. He founded the famous Asiatic Society of Bengal on January 1, 1784 with himself as the President. The Society was to cover the task of unearthing knowledge about Asia both within and outside Asia.
4. The Society received full blessings of the Governor-General(Warren Hastings) and an era of studying India from within close quarters of its social, religious, linguistic and political aspects began.
5. The Asiatic Society contributed in a major way by translating from Persian and Sanskrit works of Grammar, Puranas and the writings of Kalidasa.
Secondly, the members of the Asiatic Society researched and published a large number of articles on Indian society and religion.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
As a result, Jones’ contribution through the society was to ‘infectiously spread the romantic fascination of India and her culture throughout Europe.’
6. William Jones translated Kalidasa’s Shakuntalam (in 1789), Jaydeva’s Gita Govind (in 1792) and Law book of Manu (published posthumously in 1794) under the title Institutes of Hindu Law.
Image Source: 185.26.182.219