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15

The Struggle for Recognition

Simultolla's attractions—tragic death of Dr. Suresh Chunder Sircar: 'grievous hurt' by British soldiers—Lord Curzon's policy: Local Self-government in danger—Congress at Lucknow: making India known in England—my Congress tour in the Punjab: inter-racial concord: Kali Prosanna Roy—officialdom and the movement—exclusion of Indians from higher appointments—W. C. Bonnerjea.

In January, 1898, my house at Simultolla was completed and I began to take that annual rest (and this was for some time repeated twice a year) to which I attribute much of the health and vigour that I possess at a time of life when so few in India are fit for work. Simultolla is a health resort, 217 miles from Howrah on the Chord line. In 1894, when my son, then a boy of about eight months, was ill, Rai Kedarnath Chatterjee Bahadur, a well-known medical practitioner at Serampore, recommended for him a change to Simultolla. I took his advice and came to the place with the boy and the other members of my family.

At that time there was in the station only one house, which belonged to Babu Sarat Chandra Mitter, who very kindly placed it at my disposal. My brother, who was suffering from malarious fever, accompanied us. The house was insufficient for our accommodation, and we had to remove to Allahabad. I was charmed with the beauty of the scenery and was benefited by the salubrity of the climate. I made up my mind to be on the look-out to secure if possible a site whereon to build a house and make it an annual resort for rest and change.

Nothing in England had impressed me so much as the annual migrations during the summer to the seaside towns and the European Continent; and, while yet a mere youth, I wrote to my father in 1868 noticing this feature of English life and complaining of its absence among our people. Madhupur had not then become a health resort; and our people during the great Durga Puja vacation stayed at home, celebrating the Pujas and enjoying the festivities, but neglecting the golden opportunity that the holidays presented for rest and change. Later on a change to Madhupur and Baidyanath, and sometimes to Darjeeling, grew to be popular, and I had the proud satisfaction of strengthening the popular feeling

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