Page:A General Biography of Bengal Celebrities Vol 1.djvu/153

 144 LIFE OP DR. BAH LALL GHUCKKSBUTrY. were fast asleep Ram Lall escaped from his house' with the avowed intention of never returning home until he reached the great goal of his life. He had no money with him except Rs. 5 which he had managed to obtain from his grandmother who had no know-* ledge of his secret intentions. Thus Ram Lall scarce-* ly yet out of his teens, was driven adrift into the wide world of which he had very little experience. He came down to Calcutta without the least delay as a stranger in an unknown place. He would have been put to great troubles, had it not been for an old acquaintance of his, Babu Upendra Chundra Mullick; a clerk of the Calcutta High Court He knew the place where his friend was living, and went straight to his house where he met with a hearty welcome. When Ram Lall's father came to know that his son had gone to Calcutta and determined to join Medical College he became all wrath, resolved not to advance a single farthing in the shape of help to his runaway son. But Ram Lall was not a man to yield. He would rather sacrifice his life on the altar of knowledge than to be a heavy burden on his family. The quarter in which Ram Lall put up, being uuhealthy he thought of re- moving to better locality as soon as a favorable op- 1 portunity presented itself. Moreover his friend was not so well off, as to allow him to remain in his lodging. He was therefore anxious to relieve his friend but how was he to bring tt about? He had no other friend in the town to help him in this crisis. The only in- ducement which made him come to Calcutta was the hope of obtaining a scholarship which was then award-* ed to the first ten successful candidates who joined the Medical College after passing the Entrance Exami-' nation. But on his arrival at Calcutta he heard thaf no scholarship was available, it having been stopped from the session of 1864-65 when he had a mind t& get himself admitted into the College. He now came* to learn thaf the onfcp concession in favor of such