Two hundred years after his birth, Isvarcandra vidyasagar remains a compelling figure in the history of modern Indian Social change. The most widely acclaimed reformer of the nineteenth century after Rammohun Roy, Vidyasagar is renowned as both a Sanskrit pandit and an innovative modern thinker. Revered and reviled for his role in promoting the marriage of Hindu widows, he was also responsible for establishing new patterns in education, literature, and publishing. His response to the challenges and oppurtunities of colonial modernity has inspired poets and vexed interpreters; he remains the focal point for pressing discussions on power, privilege, and cultural hegemony. Idioms of Improvement seeks to fathom this 'ocean of learning' (vidya sagar) by focusing on the convergence of Sanskritic and European cultural norms within Vidyasagar's distinctive Bengali worldview.