In the days of Jagadishchandra Bose’s boyhood, the well educated and the well to do. ; People wee attracted by Western culture. A man was proud if he had learnt English. But Jagadishchandra Bose’s education was really remarkable; it was dye to his father. As long back as a hundred year ago, Bhagawanchandra Bose started schools in which children were taught in Bengali. Jagadishchandra also received his early education in this school. Jagadish mixed with the poor boys freely and played with them; so he gained first hand knowledge of the sufferings of poor people. He learnt much more. He learnt how the fisher folk moved on the broad rivers in their boats, how the fishing rod was cast in the flowing water, how ploughing the land and sowing seeds in it grew the crops and how the cattle were taken to graze on the distant hills. He was all ears when the fishermen and the farmers gave such accounts. He was thrilled by their adventurous life and it made him more courageous in life.

There was another interesting person in his early life. This was a servant who used to take Jagadishchandra to school every day. He had been a dacoit in the past Bhagawanchandra Bose as a judge had sent him to prison. After some time the dacoit came out of prison. But how was he to live? Bhagawanchandra Bose was a very good-natured man. So he employed him as a servant. The dacoit used to tell little Jagadishchandra. events of his past life the robberies he had committed and his cruel deeds. His adventures made a lasting impression on the boy.

Young Bose was all curiosity. He wanted to know about everything that happened around him. What is, a glow-warm? Is it fire or spark? Why does the wind blow? Why does the water flow? He was always ready with a string of questions. His father would answer as many questions as he could. But he never tried to impress upon his son that he knew everything. If he could not answer a question, he would frankly tell his son so. Thus Jagadish chandra's parents took great interest not only in his studies but also in everything that shaped his character. They narrated stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha to him. Kama of Maha- bharatha was an ideal to him. (Karna was a great hero but, more important still, very generous.) He went with his parents to see the performances of folk drama. (These were staged in open-air theatres.) They treated al-I his friends alike. Such was the environment for Jagadishchandra in his boyhood. He grew up to be ' broad- minded, patriotic, obedient to elders, affectionate towards his fellowmen. He never made any distinction between the rich and the poor; all men were equal in his eyes.