IT was in the fitness of things that I was born and brought up in a freedom-loving family of Midnapore. My father and uncle were active Congress workers, and my maternal uncle and aunts were members of the Congress.

I can very distinctly remember that when I was only a few years old, we lived for a few months at our maternal uncle's house at Gopinathpur, P.S. Bhagbanpur. It was in April 1930 when thousands of people assembled together by the side of a canal not far from our present residence. They prepared salt from the canal water as a measure of public protest against the Government's salt laws. A band of armed police from Bhagbanpur P. S. suddenly appeared on the scene and charged lath’s (rods) and then fired on the crowd. The people also threw stones at them. After a few casualties on both sides, the police party was hotly chased by the furious mob A number of the policemen were forced to take shelter in the Middle English School of Gopinathpur Bazar; and the rest left for Bhagbanpur PS. The mob then set fire to the school. But some kind-hearted men like Monindra Nath Maity (my maternal uncle) dragged the policemen out of the fire some of whom were heavily burnt.

Among many great sons of Midnapore, two were famous, viz., Iswarchandra Vidyasagar (Bandyo- very padhyaya) and Desapran Birendranath Sasmal. One was an educationist and a social reformer and the other was a political thinker, freedom-fighter and social reformer. Both of them contributed immensely to the mental, moral and material growth of a dependent nation. Individualism, dynamism, manliness, realism and materialistic outlook were some of the salient traits of their character. Their life and death show us how good, happy and brave really wise men can be. They went about in the streets of their native place talking to people. They talked freely to young and old, to princes and beggars and treated all with equal respect. Their words had a charming simplicity. They could discuss, excite and educate all classes of people and specially the youth eagerly listened to them. They taught men to be reasonable and to face the realities boldly.