Page:A General Biography of Bengal Celebrities Vol 1.djvu/154

 HIS EDUCATION. 145 candidates was that they would be token free. He now made up his mind to become a private tutor to secure means of livelihood before he entered the Medical College. And it was after considerable diffi- culty he secured such an appointment One afternoon he accidentally met a gentleman who took pity on him and promised to place his two sons under his tuition on a salary of Rs. 8 per month. This gentleman gener- ously advanced him one month's pay which was a great favor shown to him in those days of his dire ne- cessity. With this scanty means of subsistence Ram Lall decided upon leaving his friend's house and go- ing to the Hindu Hostel for students. In this Hos- tel the charge was Rs. 10 for the upper story and Rs. 8 for the lower one ; and he preferred the latter to the former, and lived there with one of his friends having had to pay Rs. 7 only as his own share. Thus he saved one rupee every month from his present income for his pocket expenses such as tiffin, writing mate- rials &c After this he got himself admitted free into the first year class of the Calcutta Medical College, and with the money advanced him by his em- ployer he purchased a book on «' Human Osteology " and some writing materials. For full one year Ram Lall experienced great hardships which to a young man of his age, who had seen better days was more than unbearable. His income being too small he could not purchase, all the books that were taught in the class. He used to copy out books he could not pay for and prepare his daily lessons. With an unequal zeal and perseverance he prosocuted his studies in the class which attracted the attention of his teachers. One circumstance worthy of note should be mentioned here showing Ram Lall's yearning for scientific know- ledge. He had a natural taste for Anatomy and dis- section. He used to pay the Dom in charge of the dissecting room something at times from- his clear saving of one rupee, so that he might be allowed to 19