Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/220

Rh before the youths of his country. But it may be said, without fear of controversion, that he made no attempts to illustrate the virtues of the great men of his country, though there is no lack of materials in the Sanskrit literature. It is said, that his best English tutor, Babu Ananda Krishna Basu of Sobhabazar, urged him, to compile a biographical book on the lives of the great men of this country, and that Vidyasagar collected sufficient materials for that purpose, but that ill health and want of time prevented him from carrying out the laudable project.

In this year, a happy event took place in Vidyasagar's family. His only son, Narayan Chandra, was born on the 14th November, 1849. There were great rejoicings in the family. He had afterwards four daughters in succession. But he had soon to face again a dire calamity. Vidyasagar's fifth brother, Haris Chandra, a little boy of eight years, had an attack of Cholera, which carried him off. The boy had come to Calcutta for education. Vidyasagar was deeply afflicted, and when the sad news reached Birsingha, his mother was quite disconsolate. To console her, Vidyasagar fetched his mother to Calcutta. She lived here six months with the family of Babu Raj Krishna Banarji, there being no female accomodation in Vidyasagar's own house. When the severity of her grief had somewhat lessened, she was sent back to Birsingha.