They said so. After exchanging a few more words, they took their leave.

When I reached home and pondered over all that they had said, I realized just how far-sighted my father’s advice had been. Following the method suggested by both of them, I began my new studies. I would frequently travel to Narsapur, meet with Mr. Ravanarao and other friends, and learn about new things. I was able to read many different kinds of books given to me by Mr. Ravanarao. I came to know about many topics that I had neither known nor imagined before. Whenever I had doubts, Mr. Ravanarao would clear them up for me.

Reading all these books on politics and society only increased my restlessness. When I read some books about religion, I developed a certain tolerance towards other faiths, but at the same time, a bit of anger would also arise. In Narsapur and the surrounding villages, Christian proselytizing was both rampant and, to me, quite distasteful. Their words, their teachings, and their methods of preaching were all deeply troubling. Many such small and big incidents combined to stir up unrest within me, and day by day, my mental turmoil only grew. In this way, about one or two years passed.

Four or five times, when I went to see Mr. Ravanarao, I had the chance to meet four distinguished gentlemen who had come there from Guntur. Through them, I first heard about going abroad, about studying there, and the various benefits that could come from it. I would often think about these things. Finally, one day, at Mr. Ravanarao’s house, I met a pleader. After speaking with him, and on his advice, I resolved to go to London to study law and become a barrister. From that moment, my determination only grew stronger with each passing day. At last, I made up my mind, and one fine day, I arranged for an auspicious time to set out on my journey.

[Our home is at Mogalithurru, near Narsapur. Our family name is Vemuru. My name is Parvateesam. I studied up to the fifth form at Taylor High School. For one or two years, I had to remain in the same class due to various reasons. After that, here—

The education at the local school was hardly satisfactory. The teachers themselves had no real understanding of what they were teaching. In my opinion, it was a waste of both money and time. So, I gave up my studies. Since my elders had already amassed some property, I thought it best to live comfortably and idly at home, pondering the changing times and the state of the world.

While I was thus occupied, one day a friend of mine came by and, in the course of conversation, earnestly advised me to go to England for further studies. After he left, I spent a long time thinking about the prospect of traveling to England—its advantages and disadvantages, the hardships and comforts. I reasoned with myself in