Page:Ramtanu Lahiri, Brahman and Reformer - A History of the Renaissance in Bengal.djvu/161

 by him against slavery, both in England and America, have immortalised him.

Young Bengal gave him a hearty welcome. Ram Gopal Ghosh, Tarachand Chakravartti, and others of the new school, became in a short time his admirers. They often called meetings to be addressed by him. At length he delivered a series of lectures in a house in Calcutta, called Fauzdari Balakhana. The audience was charmed by his eloquence, the like of which they had never heard before. As a result of these lectures the “Bengal Indian Society” was established, on 20th April 1843, after the “British Indian Society” in England. The educated Bengalis were delighted, and Ramtanu Lahiri was behind them — we say behind, because, though equally fervent with his friends in such matters, he was too modest to come forward. It was through this modesty that he always remained silent unless his opinions were directly asked. We give here what Ram Gopal Ghosh writes in His diary showing his friend’s taciturn nature: “20th November 1839. In the evening Tarachand, Kalachand, Peari, Ramtanu, Ramchandra, and Haramohan, were here to make arrangements for conducting Gyananameshum. It appeared, from what the two latter said, that it was a losing concern. This they never before gave me to understand, which they should have done before calling the meeting. Everybody spoke freely on the subject with the exception of Tanu, who was silent.”

Though Ramtanu was associated in every movement his friends undertook, he loved not to obtrude upon them his individual opinions, unless he was especially called upon to do so. But his sympathies were always enlisted in their favour, and he heartily felt as they felt.

Another incident worthy of notice happened this year. Babu Debendranath Tagore publicly joined the Brahmo