EARLY STRUGGLES -59 



pay for the last three years in a lump sum, which was 

 promptly made over to his father's creditors. The balance 

 was gradually cleared off in the course of the next six years. 

 After the discharge of the debt, his father survived only 

 for a year, and his mother for two years more. They did 

 not live to see their son's scientific success. Many years 

 later, the people of Faridpur asked Bose to speak at the 

 fiftieth anniversary of the Exhibition and Mela founded 

 by his father. His address was on ' A Failure that was 

 Great.' It told the story of his father's efforts and 

 initiatives, and the too frequent unsuccess of his sowings. 

 Here are the concluding words : 



A failure ? Yes, but not ignoble nor altogether futile. 

 And through witnessing this struggle, the son learned to look on 

 success or failure as one, and to realise that some defeat may be 

 greater than victory. To me his life has been one of blessing, 

 and daily thanksgiving. Nevertheless everyone had said that 

 he had wrecked his life, which was meant for greater things. 

 Few realise that out of the skeletons of myriad lives have been 

 built vast continents. And it is on the wreck of a life like his, 

 and of many such lives, that will be built the greater India 

 yet to be. We do not know why it should be so ; but we do 

 know that the Earth-Mother is always calling for sacrifice. 



The memory of those whose love had filled his life has 

 thus been a lifelong inspiration. But his future struggles were 

 to be not for professional survival nor for family honour ; 

 and on his thirty-fifth birthday, November 30, 1894, he fully 

 resolved that his life henceforth was to be above all dedicated 

 to the pursuit of new knowledge. Within three months of 

 this resolve, with no laboratory to speak of, and with 

 the help of an untrained tinsmith, he was able to devise 

 and construct new apparatus for his first research on some 

 of the most difficult problems of electric radiation. Success 

 was immediate : and in the course of a year the Royal 

 Society undertook the publication of his investigations, 

 and offered help from their parliamentary grant for their 

 continuation. In recognition of the value of his researches 



