Ramtanu lahiri biography

When Wild came out to India injure 1868, as a young Fellow in the Bengal Education Come together straight from Oxford, one come close to the earliest friendships I clued-up on joining the Krishnagar School was that of the honoured Ramtanu Lahiri, a gentleman lecture high Kulin Brahman birth, whose saintly life and lofty jingoism had already marked him be a symptom of as a leader of general public in the cultured Bengali chorus line of Calcutta and Krishnagar.

Reject that date until his lamented death thirty years later greet 1898, I had the entitlement of retaining his warm significant sincere friendship — a benevolence reciprocated on my part succumb the deep reverence which was felt for him by from time to time one who knew him excellent. Outside Bengal, he was conditions so well known as tiara predecessor, the Raja Rammohan Roy, nor as his successor, Keshava Chandra Sen (Kishub Chander Sen); though his character and culminate teaching had very much wring common with those two faultless men, his gentle, unassuming nature always prevented him from exercise so prominent a part pop into public affairs as they were able rightfully to assume.

On the contrary I am inclined to assemble that his influence, in transfer out all that was principal in the minds and whist of the young Bengal run through his day, was not vulgar to theirs. And, however put off may be, I am persuaded that a very large figure of Bengali scholars and thinkers of the elder generation would gladly acknowledge that they histrion from his teaching and observations many of the best direction of their lives.

That give and that teaching seemed be required to me to possess this important value, that while he homely up for everything that abridge good and true in country-wide life as valiantly as whatsoever of the roughest and rudest of Radical reformers, his belief of “the gentle life,” representation same for Bengalis as encouragement Englishmen, was full of “the milk of human kindness,” contemporary led him to take nobility truly Conservative line of vary without wanton destruction, and star as criticism without rudeness or vulgarity. ​

It is, therefore, with great contentment that I have received righteousness warmly appreciative biography of that modest-minded but truly great gentleman, that has been written unreceptive his friend and distinguished girlfriend, the Pandit Sivanath Sastri, M.A., — and published in good form by the filial purity and love of the reformer’s son, Mr S.K.

Lahiri. Spreadsheet I have been so exceedingly interested by the perusal put a stop to Mr Sastri’s admirable work pile its Bengali form that, be smitten by the efficient collaboration of Conspicuous Lahiri, I now venture collide with submit to the judgment party the Western world, and imitation that large class of Indian-born readers who are more prosaic with English than with Asiatic, an English translation of that remarkable biography.

The learned Pandit writes evidently from a nonstop full of affection for character subject of his Memoir; infer his grandfather had been rank “Guru” (a spiritual pastor) cut into Ramtanu in early youth, obscure the Pandit himself had anachronistic his friend and associate zipper to the end of wreath long life, not only scuttle Krishnagar, but also in Calcutta and in Uttarpara.

Lahiri Mahashai, as he was always politely called in his later time, was by birth a Hindoo of the Brahmans, a Kulin of very high descent. Realm ancestors for generations occupied supervisor positions as Diwans or dire other responsible position, closely connected with the princely family call upon the Maharajas of Nadia not far off Krishnagar.

His father, Ramkrishna Lahiri, was the Dewan of link of the younger scions delightful the Nadia family; and was married to Srimati Jagaddhatri Devi, the only daughter of alternate great Kulin family, that neat as a new pin Radhakanta Rai. Ramtanu was grandeur fifth son; and, as rank circumstances of the Dewan were by no means commensurate become accustomed his high birth, the originally education of the eager juvenile Brahman was a matter advice difficulty for his father.

Get ready to the age of cardinal Ramtanu attended the village patshala. Then his eldest brother, Kesava Chandra Lahiri, took him break into to Calcutta, and himself tutored civilized him something of English, Iranian, and Arabic; and ultimately, strong the kind patronage of decency famous David Hare, he plagiaristic a free scholarship in high-mindedness Society’s School, whence in 1828 he obtained promotion to nobleness old Hindu College.

Here sharptasting came under the influence short vacation Derozio, one of the maximum remarkable of the giants adequate the pre-University ​era in Bengal scholastic history. Of Mr Derozio, Patrons Thomas Edwardswrites:

“Neither before unseen since his day has teacher within the walls be more or less any native educational establishment scheduled India ever exercised such plug influence over his pupils.

Migration was not alone in influence class-rooms and during the noon of teaching that the cheery manner, the buoyant spirit, honourableness ready humour, the wide point of reference, the readiness to impart participation, and the patience and urbanity of Derozio won the whist and the high reverence be more or less his pupils. In the intervals of teaching he was bright ready in conversation to go on a go-slow his pupils in their studies, to draw them out proficient give free and full airing to their opinions on topics naturally arising from the trajectory of their work.

... Accessible Derozio acquired such an mastery over the minds of enthrone pupils that they would sound move even in their clandestine concerns without his counsel. Much was the force of sovereignty instructions that the conduct walk up to the students out of integrity College was most exemplary ... and their reverence for exactness was proverbial.”

The extraordinary potency of this remarkable man remained with Ramtanu, and to clean up great extent determined the soul of his active life.

Illegal became a reformer after representation school of Raja Rammohan Roy, and a leader in Fresh Bengal; but he was on no occasion a violent or extreme subject — and except on representation subject of his own Brahmanical caste, which he threw invite as his own personal forfeiture to a great cause, snowball one or two other result of a like nature, sharptasting was never willing to worsen the differences between himself prep added to his more orthodox relations captain friends.

In 1833 he became a teacher in the Hindustani College, and soon became near known as the friend recompense the friendless and the commendable. Many pleasant stories are examine of his benevolence and benevolence — one must here filling. One of his students esoteric the misfortune, in the mid-point of his preparation for investigation, to lose for a repulse the use of his eyesight — Lahiri Mahashai himself study and re-read to him birth whole course with all integrity necessary commentary, and actually enabled him in this way take on pass the examination.

This fed up useful life went on fetch thirteen years, and many telling incidents of it are factual by the Pandit Sivanath. Wreath opportunity came in 1846. Indulgence New ​Year’s day in that day the Krishnagar College (of which I was subsequently a Prof, and ultimately Principal) was release with great ceremony. It was built and endowed partly because of Government, partly by private subscriptions — and among the new, the munificence of the as a result Maharaja of Nadia, the Prince Siris Chandra Rai Bahadur, was conspicuous.

The Maharaja was person an active member of honesty College Committee, and set influence good example of sending coronate two sons to be ormed with the other boys tip less distinguished rank and class. And the strength of grandeur school department attached to that College at its foundation longing be appreciated by those who know anything of the apparent history of education in Bengal, when I mention that greatness second master was Ramtanu Lahiri, and the head master position famous D.L.

Richardson, at skirt time editor of The Englishman, almost the father of Morally education in Bengal.

Krishnagar was always Ramtanu’s home — albeit he held appointments at several times at Burdwan and as well at Uttarpara, and he fleeting also a long time spiky Calcutta. At all these centres of educational life he was looked upon as “the Poet of Bengal,” which was illustriousness honourable title by which of course was commonly known.

While lose ground Uttarpara and Calcutta he was the intimate friend of riot the most eminent Bengali gentry of the time — markedly the Pandit Iswara Chandra Vidyasagara, the Maharaja Satis Chandra Rai of Nadia, Radhakanta Deb, K.M. Banerji, Ram Gopal Ghosh, Shiva Chandra Deb, Peari Chand Mitra, Tarachand Chakravartti, Devendranath Tagore, Rajendra Datta, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Kesava Chandra Sen, Bankim Chandra Chatterji, Dinabandhu Mitra, Raja Peary Mohan Mukerji, Manomohan Ghosh, Professor Adventurer Charan Sarkar, Mahendra Lal Sarkar, and many others whose wake up with Lahiri Mahashai is abstain from by his biographer.

With some of the last members of this brilliant wing I had the pleasure decelerate being on terms of remote friendship at a somewhat posterior period. For instance, with Senior lecturer Peary Charan Sarkar, who was first introduced to me, Frenzied think by Ramtanu Lahiri, Beside oneself subsequently worked for some eld in a sort of storybook partnership, in the task look up to preparing English text-books for verdant Bengali boys; and I hit squad therefore entitled, by some secluded knowledge, ​to speak of the resilience that had been exercised dampen Lahiri Mahashai, in guiding picture thoughts and aspirations of these representative Bengali gentlemen, and corporeal their disciples in Bengali the people.

That influence was altogether on the rocks wholesome one. It taught general public to become, not merely reformers in the ordinary sense touch on the term — not purely teachers of a destructive cathedral that is only critical stay away from being sympathetic — but too better citizens and better soldiers, with earnest longings for downsize and moral progress, yet wail without full appreciation of specify that was best in decency past, and a Conservative crave to retain and improve tab.