ARABINDA GHOSE ... stands for a new movement of ideas, and not as leader of a political organisation. But if Pal's ambition has been to impregnate the minds of the young with a new vision ; Ghose's ambition was to capture existing organisations for the spread of his ideas. Pal has been anxious to see the triumph of high ideals over petty details ; Ghose strongly felt that only through action could enthusiasm be reinforced or vision enlarged.
Thus we see that right up to the moment of his tragic retirement from public life into political exile in Pondicherry, Ghose was anxious to capture the Indian National Congress, together with other " extremist " leaders, and to change it into an institution for educating public opinion and as a training ground for political thinkers. He also felt the need for reorganising the district and provincial conferences, so that work may be continuous through out the year, that the delegates may really represent the people, and that the new spirit of self-confidence may be enthused into the masses, among whom systematic propaganda must be carried on through out the year. He felt that the intellectuals of the Congress only represented themselves, so long as the masses were not well-grounded in ideas of public rights and duties. He was convinced that the annual efforts of the Congress were ridiculously inadequate, and their suppliants' attitude only betokened moral inertia that disguises lack both of training and of vigour.
His emergence into the political arena was like a meteoric flash. We find him in 1905 resign his educational appointment in the Baroda State, to seize on the opportunities which the serious turmoil in Bengal over the partition by Lord Curzon, had freshly created. He saw his chance and felt that no sacrifice was too great when the service of the mother land demanded it. He helped in the organisation of the National Council of Education in Bengal, which provided indigenous schools, and also encouraged able and enterprising youth to proceed to Japan, America and Europe, for scientific and technical pursuits.
He was anxious to reorganise the district and provincial conferences so that these might develop into media for the stimulation of interest in public matters in ever-widening circles. He infused fresh life into journalism in Bengal. This is not the time nor the place to point out iMiscreet utterances in the papers edited by him. We only wish to point out his valuable services in arousing people from their lethargy into vigorous action.
In point of intellectual ability, powers of organisa tion and leadership, and religious earnestness, Arabinda Ghose stands in solitary splendour in political India. His simplicity, his excessive puritanism, his love of contemplation and his charming manners, enhanced ten-fold the hypnotic hold that he had on his followers and admirers. But differences of opinion with his colleagues on the nature of national education came to a head, with the result that Arabinda Ghose resigned both his professorship in Calcutta and membership of the Council. His strongly-worded articles in the Bande Matram brought him into open conflict with the Government, but he escaped with impunity. Along with his brother Barendra he was charged with complicity in the famous Manicktola bomb case.
Before Mr. Beachcrof 1, a prisoner in the dock was awaiting his trial—in handcuffs—who a few years before had established his intellectual superiority to the presidency magistrate in the classical tripos, at King's College, Cambridge. That prisoner was no other than Arabinda Ghose, the brilliant scholar that had easily floored the Indian Civil Service Examination in London, but failed to pass the riding test. After this disappointment Ghose went to Cambridge, where he won a scholarship and later took first-class honours in classics.
Mr. Beachcroft could find no incriminating evidence against Arabinda. So he was honourably acquitted. But the police would constantly shadow him, and later we find him flee into the French possessions with a view to evade a warrant of arrest issued against him.