Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/65



One day, after Isvar Chandra had finished his preliminary education in the primary school of his native village, his teacher, Kalikanta, came to his father, Thakurdas, and said:—"This boy is very intelligent. He has finished his curriculum here. You should now take him to Calcutta, and placed him in a good English school there so that he might receive proper English education." Thakurdas agreed, and resolved to take the boy to Calcutta. But their departure had to be deferred for a few days, owing to the death of Isvar Chandra's grandfather, Ramjay Tarkasiddhanta, who had been suffering for some time from dysentery. After the funeral and Sraddha ceremonies (last rites in honour and memory of the dead in accordance with the Hindu Sastras) had been over, Thakurdas, accompanied with his little son, Isvar Chandra, started for Calcutta, one day in the month of November, 1829. Isvar Chandra's beloved teacher Kalikanta, and Anandaram Guti, a menial servant, were their sole companions. Isvar Chandra's affectionate mother, Bhagavati Devi, began to cry bitterly and loudly when she heard that her dear little boy of eight years was going to Calcutta where he would have to put up with many troubles.