Page:Twelve men of Bengal in the nineteenth century (1910).djvu/255

Rh of their great traditions. One of Darpa Narayan Tagore's most successful ventures had been the purchase at auction of part of the immense estates of the Raja of Rajshahi, extending in area to some 249 square miles. His son Gopi Mohan inherited his father's business instincts and added to the splendid estate he inherited by yet further purchases in Rajshahi, Dinajpur and Jessore. His wealth increased so rapidly under his able management that he was regarded as one of the richest men in Bengal, and it was said of him that he never sat down without a lac of rupees beside him, his jewelled paridan and hookah alone being worth that sum. He worthily maintained the public-spirited traditions of his family, being a liberal patron of the arts and of all branches of learning. Like so many members of his family he was a learned Sanskrit scholar and devoted to music. One of his six sons was the famous Prasanna Kumar Tagore. Educated at Mr. Sherbourne's well-known school in Calcutta and later at the Hindu College, losses in business induced him to get himself enrolled as a Pleader. To a profound knowledge of Law, he united strong common sense and a keen sagacity that quickly secured him the first position at the Bar. By his dignity, ability and character he did much to raise the legal profession in public estimation and so great was his practice that he is said to have made an income of over twenty thousand pounds a year. He played a leading part in founding the