Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/60

Rh this class were generally rigorous and fond of using their rods freely. They were strict followers of the ancient proverb,—'Spare the rod and spoil the child.' Sanatan Sarkar, the village school-master of Birsingha, used to beat mercilessly the tender-aged boys under his care, and he was an object of terror to them. Isvar Chandra's father, Thakurdas, disapproved of this harsh dealing, and he heartily disliked Sanatan. He was, therefore, in great anxiety with respect to his little boy's education, and began to look out for a more humane teacher, who would use his rod less freely, and in whose hands he could safely place his little son.

His choice fell on a Kulin Brahman, by name Kalikanta Chattopadhyay, who had formerly been a native of Birsingha, but had subsequently removed to his father-in-law's at Garuti, a small village close to Bhadresvar in the district of Hugli. This Kalikanta had many wives in different places, as was the custom with the Kulin Brahmans of those days. Thakurdas sent for him at his father-in-law's, and on his arrival, set up another pathsala at Birsingha with Kalikanta as its teacher. Kalikanta, unlike his fellow-brother Sanatan, was a man of amiable disposition and considerable humanity. His treatment of his pupils was mild, decent and genial. He very seldom gave them corporal punishment. He tried, by gentle and soothing words, to rectify their mistakes, and to impart to them educational and moral lesson.