But that does not mean that three out of the four Indian members should come from communities belonging to Bombay, one should belong to Bengal, and none to Madras, Punjab, U. P., Assam, Burma, etc.
The Viceroy repeated the hackneyed and inexact statement that Lord Birkenhead did not announce or purport to announce decisions or conclusions; though it has been shown by many journalists in India, ourselves included, that he did say much that practically amounted to decisions.
Lord Reading also made ample use of the words co-operation, good-will, novel Constitutional experiment, generous band of friendship, the preamble to the Government of India Act, sympathy, etc. But even a gullible people like ourselves have had enough of them. In our opinion Lord Birkenhead’s speech was better, because it gave blunter and ruder expression to the real British intentions relating to India.
Sir Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar
By the death of Dr. Sir Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar India loses a great orientalist of International reputation. He was an eminent educationalist. Besides being a teacher, he prepared a series of books which have helped large numbers of students in and outside Bombay Presidency to learn Sanskrit with comparative ease.
He did not generally take part in political or semi-political movements. But when more than fifteen years ago, the disabilities a persecutions to which our countrymen in South Africa were subjected became known in India, he came out of his seclusion and presided over a great protest meeting held in Poona.
He was a great religious and social reformer. He was the venerable leader of the Prarthana Samaj movement in the Bombay Presidency. His Marathi sermons and other religious discourses are a source of edification and inspiration to their many readers. He dies full of years and honours, being over 88 at the time of his death. It is greatly to be regretted that he has had to pay the penalty of longevity in the shape of many bereavements, the latest being the death a few months ago of his son Rao Bahadur Dr. Prabhakar Bhandarkar, a ripe Marathi scholar who served the Indore State ably and long first as the Maharaja’s physician and subsequently as Minister of Education.
The following is an extract from a biographical sketch supplied by the Associated Press:
In 1868, he was appointed temporarily to the Sanskrit chair at the Elphinstone College. His method of teaching and his masterly exposition of the subject soon brought crowded classes. In 1872 the Sanskrit chair fell permanently vacant, but contrary to all expectations, Bhandarkar was super-
Sir Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar
Born—6th July, 1837. Dead—24 August 1925-seded and the professorship was given to Dr. Peterson, who was junior to him by ten years. This was a great blow to Bhandarkar but he bore it patiently and continued to work as Dr. Peterson’s assistant. In 1879, he acted for Prof. Keilhorn as professor of Sanskrit in the Deccan College, Poona, and on his retirement from service towards the close of 1881 was made a pucca professor and entered the graded service of the Bombay Education Department. He retired from Government service in 1893.
Besides serving the university as a professor and an examiner, Bhandarkar, as a member of the syndicate (1873-1882) took a leading part in regulating its affairs. After his retirement, he was appointed Vice-Chancellor.
The literary activity of Bhandarkar began with the starting of the Indian Antiquary in 1872 by James Burgess with a view to bring together the results of the researches of Oriental scholars. He was for a long time member of the Bombay branch
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