My Reminiscences · Chapter
XXVI: Loken Palit explained
The narrator recalls his friendship with Loken Palit, a younger class fellow at University College.
What happens
The narrator recalls his friendship with Loken Palit, a younger class fellow at University College. Despite the age gap, their bond was strong, marked by shared laughter, literary discussions, and a collaborative exploration of Bengali orthography. Loken's spirited nature and intellectual keenness enriched the narrator's literary pursuits, and their friendship continued to flourish even after Loken joined the Indian Civil Service.
Themes in this chapter
Friendship and Collaboration
The chapter highlights the deep intellectual and emotional bond between the narrator and Loken, emphasizing how friendship fueled literary and creative endeavors.
Literary Development and Self-Expression
The narrator and Loken engaged in literary discussions and orthographic analysis, contributing to the narrator's growth as a writer.
Characters to notice
- Narrator
Reflects on his friendship with Loken Palit during their college days and beyond.
- Loken Palit
The narrator's younger class fellow and close friend, known for his high spirits and intellectual keenness.
- Mrs. Scott
One of the Scott girls whom the narrator attempted to teach Bengali, leading to discussions on orthography.
Key passages
“Lacking the weight of years the boy is always anxious to keep up the dignity of seniority. But this did not raise any barrier in my mind in the case of the boy Loken, for I could not feel that he was in any way my junior.”
Younger boys often try to assert their seniority, but with Loken, the narrator never felt a need to do so because he saw Loken as an equal.
The narrator reflects on how age differences typically create barriers, but his friendship with Loken transcended that.
“I made clear to her how laughable would have been the waywardness of English spelling but for the tragic compulsion we were under to cram it for our examinations.”
The narrator explained that English spelling is erratic, but students are forced to memorize it for exams, which makes it a serious burden.
This comment arises during a discussion on Bengali orthography with one of the Scott girls.
“Loken’s boisterous delight in literature was as the wind in the sails of my literary adventure.”
Loken's enthusiastic love for literature propelled the narrator's own creative journey forward.
The narrator credits Loken's exuberance as a key motivator for his literary pursuits.