Page:Ramtanu Lahiri, Brahman and Reformer - A History of the Renaissance in Bengal.djvu/115

 who ate it to the lowest depths of hell, broke asunder the shackles of caste, and freely ate with their Eurasian friend. Ramtanu was at first backward in taking his rank among the reformed, and he used to narrate the following incidents:—

Once when on a visit to Mr Derozio in company with Dakhinaranjan and Ram Gopal, he was asked by them to drink a cup of tea with them. Request and even urgent solicitation failing, Dakhinaranjan attempted to use force; but Ramtanu’s reply was, “I am a Kulin Brahman’s son; how can I join you? If you actually use force, I will so cry out as to bring the whole house, nay, the whole neighbourhood, here.”

A similar incident happened a few days afterwards; and in it Ramtanu showed less repugnance to the reforming proclivities of his associates. The Rev. Mr Hough of Howrah had an “At Home” one evening for the English-speaking youth of Calcutta and its neighbourhood. Nearly all the advanced students of the Hindu College were there. Dakhinaranjan asked Miss Hough to offer Ramtanu a glass of sherry; and to persuade him to drink it, said in his ear, “It is a custom in English society, never to refuse any food or drink proffered by a lady; so take a sip of it, if you cannot drink it all.” And Ramtanu touched the glass with his lips, though very reluctantly.

Such offers of wine were often made to the educated young men of the time; and drinking in parties became a fashion with them. It was regarded as one of the chief indications of the superiority of a young Bengali to old-fashioned Hindu prejudices, and one of the chief characteristics of an enlightened mind. Raja Rammohan Roy recommended the use of wine. It was his daily custom to eat food prepared and cooked in accordance with Hindu prejudices in the morning, and in the evening to regale