Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work/Chapter 35
CHAPTER XXXV.
DEPARTURE FROM THE WORLD.
After the submission of his Note on the Age of Consent Bill, he went back again to Chandernagore, where he was comparatively better, if it might be called so, up to the middle of April, when he was able to take even rice for two days. But, unfortunately, by the end of the month, his illness again took a bad turn, which made his eldest daughter, Hemlata, who had accompanied him, return to Calcutta and perform the rites of penances for the absolution of her dear father's sins according to the Sastras at an expense of nearly 800 rupees. But this was of no avail. By the second week of June, he had suddenly a pain in his side regions. Nothing could relieve him of the pain. He then came back to Calcutta in company with his grandson, Jatis Chandra. Here he placed himself for a few days under Electro-Homeopathic treatment, which also failed to give him relief. He now resolved to give up opium, which he had been eating for some time past in medicinal doses for his Dysentery. He said,—'Opium requires the drinking of milk; but milk I cannot digest, and therefore I have given it up. Without milk, opium is injurious; it rather brings on costiveness. I should like to take such medicines, as would help me to give up the habit without discomfort.' His Allopathic medical attendants, Babus Hira Lal Ghosh and Amulya Charan Basu, were afraid of danger in his giving up the opium all at once. But some others were of different opinion, and Abdul Latif, a Mussulman Hakim, was called in, who gave the required medicines. When he had taken these medicines for two days, his illness grew worse. The pain aggravated; drowsiness came on; hiccup made its appearance. Every one was now alarmed. Nearly a month passed in this state. By the end of the second week of July, Messrs Birch and M'Connel, two renowned European medical officers, were called, in. They suspected Cancer in the abdomen. They thought the case hopeless, and refused to take charge of the patient. For a few days more, he remained under the treatment of Hira Lal and Amulya Charan. But there was no relief. Some times the symptoms—hiccup, costiveness, pain—showed signs of improvement, but that was only for a short duration; they again set in with redoubled force. This state of things continued up to the 14th July. On the next day, Dr. Salzer, the best Homeopathist, was called in. For the first few days, Dr. Salzer's Homeopathic treatment seemed to give the patient a little relief. Previously, his bowels had to be moved by the application of enema, but they now had a free motion. Dr. Salzer suspected Ulcer. He said,—'The jaundice, which has set in, may lessen in a short time. If it should not so lessen, the patient may die in seven days; and even if it should lessen, still there is very little chance of the life being prolonged for more than a month.' For diet, ass's milk was prescribed. Even this milk he could not assimilate. His vitality began to decline day by day. The hiccup increased and decreased by turns. He could not bear the rattling of carriages. To prevent it, straw was spread over the adjacent streets and lanes. The Calcutta Municipality sympathised with him by interdicting their Scavenger carts passing by those streets.
On the 19th July, Dr. Mahendralal Sarkar paid the patient a visit. He was of opinion that the chronic Dysentery was the root of all. The other medical attendants used to call at regular intervals, see the patient, and then go away to their respective business; but Amulya Charan attended the sick man day and night, nursed him with great care, and watched the course of the disease with the keenest interest. Vidyasagar loved him very dearly like his own son. He also looked upon him with filial regard as if the patient was his own father. We have said, that Narayan Chandra was permitted by his father to tend him in his last days. He also attended the sick-bed with the tenderest care.
Fever, which had already set in, gradually increased day by day. The temperature rose on and on, till at last complete prostration came over the patient on the 20th July, 1891. He could no more rise from his bed. He suffered from intense pain accompanied by incessant hiccup, being apparently ameliorated at distant intervals by occasional slight reliefs. This state continued up to the 26th July.
On the 24th July, suggestions were made for a fresh will. Babu Golap Chandra Sastri, a renowned pleader of the High Court, drew up a draft of the last Testament. But Vidyasagar could not subscribe to it. He took time to think over his educational institutions, which he intended placing under a committee of management. In the meantime, the malady grew more serious, and deprived of his senses.
On Sunday, the 27th July, the condition of the patient became most alarming. The temperature rose on and on; drowsiness and stupor set in with redoubled force; difficulty of breathing was observed at short intervals. Kaviraj Brajendra Kumar Sen, a well-known native physician of Calcutta (since deceased), who was attending and watching the patient for the last few days; became hopeless. Kviraj Bijay Ratna Sen, another reputed physician, was called in. He saw the patient for the first time. His opinion was, he said, that the internal state of the sufferer was not so bad as it appeared outwardly. But alas! Oh cruel destiny! The disease became worse and worse. On the next day, Monday, the patient was in a state of insensibility. With the disease increased also its concomitant agonies. But the sufferer bore with them patiently. His face was as placid and calm as ever. He never gave expression to his internal physical pains. So long that he had not lost his consciousness, he would not allow any one else to remove his evacuations, and if ever anybody tried to do it, he showed signs of displeasure. His tender heart was easily moved at the distress of others, but he never gave expression to even his own excruciating pains; he put up with them with calm fortitude.
On one occasion, he had gone to a Bookseller's, accompanied by his younger grandson (daughter's son), Jatis Chandra. Quite unexpectedly, a long, heavy iron bar fell upon one of his feet. The pain was intense, and would have disabled every other man; but he preserved a stoic silence, and returned home in his palanquin. When Jatis Chandra asked his dear grandpapa, if he felt any pain in the part affected, he smiled, and only said,—'Don't speak of pain; if the accident had occurred to any of you, surely your cries of agony would have resounded through the whole neighbourhood, and there would have been no reckoning how many doctors would have to be called in.' He had once got a very painful carbuncle when he was at Karmatar. He came first of all to Burdwan for treatment, but finding no relief there, he was at last obliged to come down to Calcutta. In a few days, the abscess suppurated and required surgical operation. On the day of performance, he was engaged in conversing with Dina Nath Mallik of Farsibagan respecting the partition of their ancestral property. In the meantime, doctor Chandra Mohan Ghosh, the surgeon in attendance, had opened the carbuncle, evacuated all the accumulated pus and poisoned blood, and dressed the wound. The patient gave not the slightest utterance to his pain; not a muscle of his face moved. When the conversation was over, Dina Nath requested the doctor to do the needful, but he was quite surprised to hear that the abscess had already been operated upon and dressed, and that it was in reality a carbuncle. Such was the uncommon fortitude Vidyasagar possessed. Even in the agonised death-bed, he displayed the same extraordinary fortitude.
The whole of Tuesday, the 29th July, 1891, was a prolonged period of intense anxiety and fearful suspense. Every hope was extinct. The patient lay in the room, where hung his mother's portrait. He had been laid down with his head on the north side, while his mother's picture was hanging on the eastern wall. He was quite speechless and evidently insensible; but, by what enchantment God knows, the dying man in an instant turned himself with his head to the west, exactly facing the likeness of his beloved mother. He then gazed intently at the portrait, and shed an incessant torrent of tears.
All hopes were gone. Every moment was anticipated to be the last. The son, daughters, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, friends, relations, dependents, all watched the movements of the face with close attention. But it was as calm and tranquil as ever; no expression of internal agonies was visible in it; the countenance was very placid. The morning, noon, afternoon passed in this state of utter suspense, In the evening, the hard breathings which had already begun, became feebler and feebler, till it was almost inaudible. The pulse, which had already begun to fall down, sank and sank and sank, till it was almost imperceptible. The numerous doctors and Kavirajes came in and went out every few minutes, talking in inaudible whispers, with sad despondence depicted in their faces. The great crowd of relatives, friends, and visitors awaited the fatal issue with mournful silence. The thin and feeble wick of the pale, flickering light of life of the ever-merciful, great man was fast dying out. At last, the last symptoms of early dissolution of the body set in; the difficult breathing became more and more rattling and impeded; the pulse quite imperceptible. At 11 P. M. in the night, the breathing could be felt only in the navel. This last struggle continued for upwards of three hours, relaxing every moment, till 2-18 A. M. following, when his last breath was drawn. Not a moan escaped his lips, not a muscle of his feature moved. The friends and relations, particularly the female portion, were frantic with grief. They struck their breasts and foreheads with their fists, loudly bemoaning their fate, and filling the whole neighbourhood with pitiful lamentations, which no body had the heart to prevent. Thus ended the worldly life of the great man, who had struggled manfully with adverse circumstances from his very early years to the last days of his existence.