द ब्यूटीफुल ट्री: १८वीं सदी में भारत की स्वदेशी गुरुकुल शिक्षा (धर्मपाल)

that I am altogether unable to accept your conclusions with regard to the history of literacy in Bengal during the past 100 years, of which there remains a good deal to be said. This is only a preliminary reply to your letter; I hope to be able to write shortly again, both to Mr Gandhi and yourself. Yours sincerely, Sd/- P.J. Hartog . . . 20 March 1939 Dear Mr Gandhi, You will, I think, remember that when you were in England for the Round Table Conference, now more than seven years ago, we had a friendly discussion on the subject of literacy in India, which arose out of a statement made by yourself at the Royal Institute of International Affairs to the effect that literacy had diminished in British India in the last fifty or hundred years. You will perhaps also remember that I had an interview with you on the subject at your rooms in Knightsbridge in December 1931, and that you willingly undertook publicly to retract your statement if you were convinced that there was no basis for it in fact; and that you very kindly wrote to me about it later when you were in Yervada Gaol. The file of correspondence of which I enclose a copy will show you exactly how the matter rested after your last letter of 15 February 1932 and my reply of 9 March following. I had to put the subject aside, owing to other and urgent demands on my time, but I have recently concluded an investigation of the authorities to which you and Professor Shah referred me and have published the results in three memoranda included, in the book entitled Some Aspects of Indian Education, Past and Present, of which I enclose a copy for your acceptance. You will see that in the Preface I have referred not only to our controversy but to your Wardha scheme, in which I take the deepest interest. If you will read through the Memoranda, I have little doubt that you will find that a close analysis of the facts reveals no evidence to support the statement which you made at the Royal Institute of International Affairs on October 20, 1931, and that you will therefore feel justified now in withdrawing that statement. As you implied in your letter of 15 February 1932 we are both concerned only with ascertaining the truth, and, I 380