lover of his country. On the day on which the inaugural meeting had been arranged to take place it was known that Surendranath’s then only son was seriously ill and that his life was despaired of. It was not therefore expected that he would be able to take part in the meeting. But seeing that the motion for the establishment of the Association was going to be opposed by so able an orator and debater as Kalicharan Banurji, the supporters of the idea became apprehensive
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Surendranath—Immediately after Death
of its fate and sent word to Surendranath to attend the meeting if possible, and save the situation. When the messenger arrived at Surendranath’s paternal mansion at Taltala the boy was already dead, and the house was ringing with cries of woe. The dead body of the darling of its parents had not yet been carried to the cremation ground for the last rites. It was at such a terrible moment that the patriot received the message from his friends at Albert Hall. Without hesitating for a moment he left the young mother with the dead child and his relatives, and coming to Albert Hall delivered a most impassioned speech and carrying everything before him, overcame all opposition. This produced an electrifying effect on the audience and all else who heard of it afterwards.
So the Indian Association came to be established. This is not the place to give an account of the work done by it. But it may be said without any invidious comparison that no other public association in Bengal has done so much steady work for well-nigh half a century as the Indian Association. What was done under its auspices for the amelioration of the condition of the labourers in the tea-gardens of Assam is particularly noteworthy.
Surendranath undertook long and extensive tours in and outside Bengal more than once for rousing the political consciousness of the educated classes of India and achieved a remarkable degree of success. A few other leaders there have been who have done more political spade work for their provinces than Surendranath; but there is no other leader whose political mission work covered so large a part of India as that of Surendranath in his generation. For this reason, without making any comparison, he may be rightly styled the father of Indian nationalism. Owing to the unrighteous and aggressive selfishness which has come to be associated with the word nationalism, it has acquired a bad odour. But when we use the word nationalism in connection with India, we do so without the least suggestion of encroachment on the rights of other peoples. We only want to get back our lost liberties, rights and heritage, and, above all, we want to do our duty to our country and to the world unhampered by restrictions imposed by any outside authority.
From his youth upwards Surendranath preached the ideal of an united Indian nation. The speeches and writings of no other political leader in India has harped more often and more insistently on the united India ideal.
Surendranath’s earlier addresses show that his political ideals had a spiritual basis. That is why we find him early in his career delivering speeches on the lives of Buddha,
