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 every possible way and concluded that traveling abroad would be beneficial. Moreover, I thought that visiting the land of our rulers, observing their customs and ways, and secretly learning their methods would be useful for attaining self-rule. With that in mind, I resolved to go there and study law to become a barrister.

My father was a farmer; he was uneducated—a simple, uncivilized man. I felt that if I told him about my plans, he would not grasp their significance. So, without telling him, I borrowed some money from a friend, told my family I was going to Narsapur and would return in four days, and set off.

My knowledge of the journey to England came from a chapter I had read in a book as a child, and later from my study of geography. So, I knew the route to that country. But as for what things I should take with me, or how I should conduct myself there, there was no one to tell me. I considered asking one of the English officers in Narsapur, but then thought they might laugh at my ignorance, so I abandoned that idea. Instead, relying on my natural shrewdness, I decided to take with me whatever items seemed necessary, thinking that anything else I needed could be bought on the way or after I arrived there. Thus, I resolved not to waste money unnecessarily here, but to carefully consider and decide what was truly essential.

Barrister Parvateesam

No matter how long I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with anything definite. I figured that if I started somewhere, everything else I needed would fall into place. So, as soon as I woke up, I wrote down a list of necessary items.

For brushing my teeth: ten sticks of ground tooth powder, and for scraping my tongue, a few pieces of palm leaf. A brass tumbler. After brushing, of course, comes bathing.

For that, I’d need two towels for wiping myself; after the bath, a little coconut oil in a bottle to apply to my head; a local wooden comb for combing my hair; a bit of sandalwood paste in a coconut shell for putting a dot on my forehead; a small mirror, bought for a quarter rupee, to look at my face.

Next, I had to think about clothes! For that, I thought I’d need four twill shirts; two ties; two pairs of woolen socks; one and a half pairs of boots—

Since suits were necessary there, and as it was a cold country, even after spending ten whole rupees, because the cloth was of slightly better quality, the tailor kept back a little for himself, and as a result, the two pairs of trousers and suits I got were barely enough for me. Even so, I wondered why, after going all the way to England, I should completely abandon our traditional attire. So, as far as possible, I decided to stick to our native customs. For use as a turban,