Prabhupāda: Yes. Gandhi was attempted to be killed in South Africa.
Brahmānanda: Oh.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. One time he was crossing the street and the mob beaten him so severely, he could have died. One Englishman saved him. Was attempted to be killed. After this incidence, when Gandhi returned to India, he became leader automatically. Yes.
One Dr. Kalidas Nama . . .
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Kalidas?
Prabhupāda: Dr. Kalidas Nama. Did you hear his name?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Only just now.
Prabhupāda: He was our professor. So he was explaining the different ages of archaeologist, anthropology.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: This is in philosophy, Śrīla Prabhupāda? In philosophy?
Prabhupāda: No, history.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Oh, history.
Prabhupāda: In my higher class, I had history. So he was teaching us history.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: What is the standard of Calcutta University, Śrīla Prabhupāda, at the time when Śrīla Prabhupāda was in the University? How was the . . .
Prabhupāda: Oh, it was nice. Very nice students were coming out.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: The moral standard was very good?
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. We respected our professors like our father. The relationship between the student and the professors was very good. I had one Scottish professor, Dr. W. S. Urquhart. He was my nice friend. He was professor of philosophy, psychology. Later on he became vice-chancellor.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Calcutta?
Prabhupāda: Calcutta, yes. He was very perfect gentleman. Kind-hearted. Sometimes (chuckles) we joked. We were taking this, what is called, peanuts. So the professor was passing. So some of our friends remarked, (Bengali). So he thought that professor did not know Bengali. So immediately he turned: (Bengali).
So we became very much ashamed. Yes. So all the professors from foreign countries, they were instructed to learn Bengali language, local language. That was the system. All officers, big officers, educate . . .
(aside) Good morning.
. . . good educationists, they were to learn the local language. And they used to learn Bengali. Especially in Calcutta. There was one professor, Mr. Scrimgeour. He was professor of literature, English literature. So while teaching our English literature, he was giving parallel passage from Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. Yes. "Your Bankim-babu says like this." He used to say like that.