College

Lajpat Rai arrived in Lahore with small amount of money in his pocket. The Government Arts College took him in as its student. He made concerted effort to stretch the money he had to go the longest distance possible. He ate to survive only. There were numerous meals he had to miss.
He studied hard, so hard that his eyes were in pain and his head felt dizzy. At last, the hard work paid and the college sanctioned Rs. 6 per month scholarship to him. Now, at least he had some money to look forward to every month. The amount was paltry but it could sustain him. He ate one meal on most of the days. There was no scope for any luxury or new clothes. He devoted all his time to studies and more studies to keep himself occupied.
Many of his classmates mistook him for miserly book worm. So, one day when they were in the mood of going on town, they tried to drag Lajpat Rai along saying, “Come on Lajpat, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. You are always bent over your books. No good for mind and health. Let us go to Anaarkali, have some fun and then eat.”
“Friends, please spare me. I have eaten my food in the morning. I don’t eat the dinner,” Lajpat revealed.
His mates laughed, “Is that a joke? What you ate in the morning was breakfast. Then, one needs to eat lunch and dinner at night. And after some time it’s going to be the dinner time. Get up and let’s go.”
“Believe me friends, I eat once a day only.”
“Why? Are you a yogi or some sadhu?”
“No, I am no yogi or sadhu. I have some other reason for eating one meal. If I tell you, you might not believe it. It is embarrassing anyway.”
The friends of Lajpat were greatly mystified. They insisted upon Lajpat revealing the secret. Lajpat had to tell them otherwise they wouldn’t leave him.
He said, “Dear friends, my father does not send me any money. He is merely a teacher. He has to support four other sons and a daughter with whatever he gets. I have to manage myself in the monthly scholarship of Rs. 6 that I get. That is the truth of the matter. You can understand my problems.”
His friends heard his story in stunned silence. They were all praise for the brave manner in which Lajpat Rai was making sacrifices to struggle through the hard times. It was heroic indeed.
Lajpat could afford only second hand books. He had no money for the luxury of the new books. And he regularly visited library for free reading and spent a lot of time there. That was the cheapest way to study and save money on the books.
The father, Master Radhakrishan learnt about the hardships his son was going through. It troubled his conscious and the parental love showed up. He suggested to his son that he could take a loan for his studies. But Lajpat Rai was not agreeable to it. The last thing he wanted was to push his father into debt trap. Lajpat didn’t want his career built on the ruins of his brothers and sisters.
One day, a classmate of his made a useful suggestion to him that he do pleadership course. That could enable him to plead cases in lower courts and earn him money he so badly needed. He still had long years of study to go through to reach his goal. He liked the idea and took the course without wasting time in 1881.
The course was to run in addition to the normal courses he was doing. Doing both the courses at a time was not easy. It demanded a lot of hard work. In his eagerness to acquire money earning degree he put a bit too much time in the pleadership course. As a result his regular art subjects suffered. It told upon his health also. He fell victim to jaundice, prone to diseases as he was by birth. But mercifully he recovered his health again in some time.
Sometimes, his friends got worried at the way he was punishing himself with hardwork. They were not surprised when he fell ill. At times, his close friends argued, “Lajpat, too much study is no good. You must find time to go out for fresh air and some recreation. Taking a stroll in the municipal park costs nothing. The health is more important than degrees.”
Lajpat would hold his ground by saying, “Friends, recreation and sight seeing is out for me. The exams are approaching fast. I must study.”
No cajoling would work on Lajpat.
He would repeat his resolve, “Please excuse me friends. I will do all things you say only after exams and the completion of my courses. There is no other way for me.”
Inspite of all the problems and hardships his devotion to studies paid off. He passed the pleadership course in 1882 but not without a price. He could not spare enough time for his regular course studies and failed in M.A. exams. Then, pleadership course got him interested in law. To build up his legal qualifications he took up lawyers’ degree course. He was doing too much too soon. It put pressure on his health. He was plagued by health problems. The lawyer degree evaded him in the years 1883 and 1884. At last, in 1885 he was able to pass the degree course examination.