The selected writings that are being presented here came out of the pen of Acharya Satish Chandra Mukherjee, whose name is unfortunately for us but fortunately for him, not very widely known to the present generation, though eminent people like Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Sir Atul Chandra Chatterjeeheld him in the highest esteem and looked upon him as their friend, philosopher and guide. His contribution to the field of national education as well as national regeneration in the beginning of the present century when the freedom movement was first launched in Bengal has been duly recognised by serious research scholars in this field and the National Council of Education, Bengal out of which later grew up the present Jadavpur University, stands even today as a living memorial to the man who was practically the main inspiration behind its foundation.
But recognition and publicity he never sought, and shunned both like poison. That is why he quietly left the scene of his public life even while he was in the thick of it, without any regret or murmur when his spiritual guide or Guru Vijaya Krishna Goswami asked him to proceed to Varanasi to live the life of a destitute, with no source of earning or livelihood, depending solely on the mercy or favour of God, looking only to the heavens for his sustenance, which is generally known as Akas'a vetti in our ancient scriptures. For more than half a century, Satish Chandra spent his life scrupulously carrying out this vow to the very letter and spirit of it in far off Varanasi till the last breath of his life.
As he never made himself known or recognised as a nationalist and an educationist while he was in Calcutta working in this field, so also as a spiritual or saintly man he never allowed any one to find him out even in such a holy place as Varanasi, teeming with saints and spiritual men of all varieties. So much so that when Satish Chandra passed away, almost unwept and unsung, it was with great difficulty that an adequate number of people could be called and collected to carry his bier to the cremation ground Such was his self-effacement, which was his only goal in life and for which he strove with his entire being throughout his long and arduous life.
But though he hid and kept himself away from the public eye, he could not help opening himself up to a select few in whom he found a sincere aspiration to free themselves from the bondage of matter or Achit, as he was fond of calling it. Of these privileged few. one came closest to him and and he was Prof K. P. S. Malani ho was attached to the Banaras Hindu University as a teacher of Economics during this time. Though both Satish Chandra and Prof Malani lived in the very heart of it and the latter on the outskirts of it in the same city, the former in University Campus, and though also hardly a day passed without the one meeting the other, yet they started a correspondence among each other, Prof Malani putting forth his problems in writing and Satish Chandra answering to them, suggesting some solutions to remove his doubts and difficulties. Day in and day out Satish Chandra untiringly wielded his pen to help and enlighten his devoted friend, who was almost like a disciple to him in his adoration and admiration though Satish Chandra will never arrogate to himself the role of a guru or teacher and accept any one as his disciple.
This correspondence between Bara Babu, as Satish Chandra was fondly called, not for his greatness or eminence but to distinguish him from the younger Satish Guba (Chhota Babu bearing the same name, who also happened to be close to this circle-and Prof Malani continued over a long period of years and grew into volumes of priceless treasure, which the latter preserved scrupu lously, getting them typed and bound and also adding to them the copies of Barababu's letters to other friends like Shiti Kanth tha Gayatri Prasad and also great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi Dr. Rajendra Prasad and others.
Hindu (935)
Agriculture (118)
Ancient (1086)
Archaeology (753)
Architecture (563)
Art & Culture (910)
Biography (702)
Buddhist (544)
Cookery (167)
Emperor & Queen (565)
Islam (242)
Jainism (307)
Literary (896)
Mahatma Gandhi (372)
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