Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/89

 Mudrarakshasa, and other poetical and dramatical works. At the annual examination of this class, he stood first and won the best prizes. Most of these works, both poetical and dramatical, he had learnt by heart and could repeat with wonderful accuracy. He was best at Translation. Even at this early age of twelve, he could speak Sanskrit and Prakrita correctly and fluently. Not only his teachers and class-fellows, but all the pundits of the time were amazed at the wonderful powers of the intelligent, little boy. Was not Isvar Chandra talented?

We have already stated that from his childhood, Isvar Chandra wrote a very good hand. He was one of the best writers in the College. Every year, he won prizes for good hand-writing. Everybody admired his penmanship. He copied, with his own hand, many Sanskrit books for himself, and the penmanship of these books, even to the present day, appears as if it were a fine wool-work executed by some skilful hand. Very few literary men have been able to win such universal praise in all respects.

We now come to that part of little Isvar Chandra's life, where he had to struggle hard to be able to keep pace with, nay to excel, his College rivals. The adverse circumstances, under which he had to carry his point would, no doubt, damp the spirit of ordinary people, and make them forego their design. But Isvar Chandra was far above the ordinary rank.