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Page:The Poetical Works of Ram Sharma.djvu/20

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xvii


command 6 copies Were sent to Queen Victoria as he was sure that “Her Majesty would be glad to read such a beautiful expression of loyalty by a Hindoo poet’’. But while intensely loyal he never hesitated to criticise the measures of Government which appeared to him unfair. He was extremely jealous of the rights and liberties of the people. He denounced the Press Act, the Municipalities Bill, the Age of Consent Act, the abolition of the Jury system, and the Partition of Bengal.

It is not knowm, when our poet’s father left his ancestral family dwelling-house at 46, Pathuriaghata Street, now owned by Babu Bhupendra Krishna Ghose, but it must have been before 1868, for we know that his father purchased No. 110, Beniatollah Street and Jived in it till his death in that year. On his father’s death, the burden of the whole family, consisting of his wife and children and those of his brother, fell upon him. All through his life he remained joint with his brother as the pater jamilias. He made no difference between his children and his brother’s and his affection was equally divided between them. He bore all the family expenses including the marriage of 14 girls, 7 his own daughters and the remainder his brother’s. Besides these he had a large number of dependents. Be it said to the credit of his brother’s children, that they on their part too, looked upon bim as their second father. On his slender means was laid