THEISTIC DIRECTORY - Bangal- 7

“They (the Baranagar Brahmas) had several such meetings during the year at Baranagar, Bon-Hugli and Uttarpara, the three places being contiguous to one another. It is high­ly gratifying to observe the interest evinced by the ladies of some of the families not actually attached to the Brahma Samaj, for such prayer meetings. The eagerness with which they received the tidings of Brahma Dharma, was really very hopeful.”

We cull the following from the Annual Report of 1884:— “Several working men are members of this Samaj and Baranagar being a flourishing manufacturing town several Night Schools have been established for the spread of mass educa­tion in different localities. Here, as in other places, the working classes generally have immoral habits, but efforts are being made by our much esteemed friend Babu Sasipads Banerjee to elevate their moral status. His efforts have not been without  result, some of them have joined the Brahma Samaj.” The same year (1881) three monthly leaflets (2000, each) were issued for free distribution.

Two special services are mentioned to have been held during the year at the time of the Durgapuja and the Christmas holidays, and a boat excursion to the Konnagar Brahma Samaj is said to have been made. The Baranagar Sankirtan party formed chiefly of the members  of the Working Mens’ Club, joined the excursion. We are glad that the Mandir scandal of the Baranagar Brahma Samaj was afterwards removed and that there was no occasion for raising a separate building for the Samaj, Babu Sashipada Bannerji could persuade the proprietor of the land to make over the land by a deed of conveyance and on the 16th March 1887 a regular trust deed was executed and registered. Thus after several years of struggle, peace was established in the Baranagar Brahma Samaj.

Since the year last mentioned, the work of the Baranagar Brahma Samaj has gone on, quietly and steadily. The principal change in the life of the Samaj has been the removal of Babu Sasipada Banerjee and his family to Calcutta and the absence of close participation on his part in its activities. Family bereavements, succeeding one another with rather an unusual quickness and the growing infirmities of age have made it impossible for him to work as energeti­cally during the last few years in connection with the Samaj as he was enabled to do during the earlier years of its exis­tence. But his love for his native place and the early scene of his activities is as warm as ever, and even now he joins in the Samaj movements and gives advice and encouragement to its present workers. Lately he has placed the Baranagar Institute, now called the Sasipada Institute, in charge of a committee and made a handsome donation to its funds. He has also placed the Working Men's movement on a permanent footing by financing its funds and ensuring the regular holding of meetings and the delivery of lectures on Universal Religion in connection with it. In the mean­time a young and energetic Brahma nearly related to Mr. Banerjee, has enthusiastically taken up tho Samaj work and iscarrying it on with zoal steadiness. Babu Basanta Kumar Chowdhry, M.A., B.L., a native of the village is now the moving spirit of the Samaj, and leads the little band of Brahmas who are keeping up the renovated religious life of the village. There is a Sankirtan party in connection with the Samaj, con­sisting of a number of working men, among others, who go about the neighbouring villages, singing the holy name of God, and to whose Sankirtan procession a special day is set apart in the programme of the Maghostuv celebrated by the Sadharan Brahma Samaj, in Calcutta. May the Lord keep up and foster the zeal of this new band of workers and esta­blish His Kingdom firmly in the village on which His bles­sings have been so bountifully showered.