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Life was humming with energy in Santiniketan. Cultured youths from all over
the country had gathered that, to study in a different way at the newly
founded university, the Viswabharati. The teachers and the taught lived
together as in an ancient Gurukula. The students had to get up early in the
morning and be ready for work at 7 am. There were no class-rooms, and the
students were taught under the shade of the trees.
Dr. Rabindranath Tagore lived in a cottage at Santiniketan. Many
scholars including some from foreign countries had gathered round him, some
to assist him In the University and some to do research in that congenial
atmosphere under his stimulating influence. W.W. Pearson, a man as saintly
as C.F. Andrew, took up English classes. Dr.Winternitz was carrying on
research on Mahabharata.
Pandit R. Sastri joined this galaxy of scholars and did his manuscript
work with renewed enthusiasm. Dr. Tagore gave him letters of introduction
to the Zamindars in Bengal of whom there were many. In many places in what
is now East Bengal he travelled into the interior on elephant and gathered
as many manuscripts as he could from the remote village. The area round
about Santiniketan he scoured by bicycle. He would start early in the
morning and bike some 20 or 30 miles to some village, enquire and collect
the manuscripts he could get and return by the evening. In biking through
rough country, he would have bruised his knee and ankles, but to him these
bruises did not matter.
The manuscripts were so precious that any trouble was worth taking to
get them. The manuscripts would be dusted and retied almost immediately.
For Santiniketan Library itself he collected 6,000 manuscripts. Along with
the manuscript work Mr. Sastri brought out also many Publications. He
translated 'Suta Samhita' in Tamil and allowed it to be published in
another's name. To the self-effacing Pandit with a sense of mission what
mattered was the publication of the work and not the publicity of his name.
He translated in English, 'Vishnu' and 'Siva Sahasranama.' In 1925, he
brought out a second edition of 'Lalita Sahasranama.'
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