It was as if, in the dark of night, a distant wildfire blazed before my eyes. As though the sun, pausing just before its arrival, still hesitated to burn away the darkness of the world. Though the sun itself had not yet appeared, the birds, sensing its imminent approach, flitted here and there, perching restlessly. On both sides of the railway line, far into the distance, chickpea plants hung heavy with fruit, their weight bending the stalks. Here and there, narrow tracks leading into the fields could be seen, winding through the crops. I remarked, “Everything else is here, but surely people of today are deprived of the simple pleasure of roasted chickpeas.” Yet later, I found my assumption was wrong—I myself tasted them afterward.

My companions, too, had finished their morning ablutions and were seated comfortably. In the carriage, some people could be seen reading books, others were singing, while the rest sat quietly in their places, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Amidst that inner silence, only the rhythmic clatter of the train wheels echoed in our ears. Having completed my own ablutions, I bathed in the washroom and returned to my seat. Now, our train entered the grounds of the university.

Surrounded on all sides by fields, a beautiful three-storied building stood before us. A short distance away, a tall four-storied structure rose, enclosing a vast, square courtyard at its center, around which the buildings were arranged. Outside, the flowers bloomed in splendid array. Vishwamitra explained, “That is the agricultural college, and this is its hostel.” In the same way, other colleges appeared at intervals as we traveled on.

At last, precisely at half past six, the train arrived at the main station of Nalanda. The expanse of Nalanda is immense. Here, there are four stations, each named after the nearby college. This main station is called Nalanda, Principal.

Every train is equipped, along with other facilities, with a wireless telephone. At the previous station, Vishwamitra had once again informed the Acharya of our impending arrival. As soon as our train reached the station, the university sounded the bugle of ceremonial welcome. When we boarded at Patna, we had taken seats near the door, so as soon as the train stopped, we alighted.

On the platform, the Acharya and fifty distinguished head teachers stood waiting. As soon as I stepped down, all of them greeted me with a warm “Welcome,” and placed around my neck...

A garland of flowers was placed around my neck. Although a motorcar was waiting outside the station, I said, “There is no need for it for such a short distance; besides, it would be difficult to meet the children standing along the other route.” So we set out towards the ‘Vasubandhu’ building. On both sides of the road, rows of school students stood. These were all students from the higher classes. Each school’s students stood in a line at a designated spot. As we reached each group, the principal of that school