পৃষ্ঠা:জেবিয়ান ১৯৫৮.djvu/১৪১

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19
KAMINIKANTO: THE FIRST ASSAMESE NOVEL

for the want of Kaminikanta. She then asked whether Sarala would con- sent if her husband wished to christen her. Her husband did no unjust deed by accepting Christianity, was the reply of Sarala. If, therefore, her husband would take her, she would readily go. Hemangi then consoled her saying that she would straightway tell her husband about her distress and would ask him to tell Kaminikanta to make arrangements to take his wife soon.

 Coming home, Hemangi narrated to her husband all about Sarala's distress and grief and requested him to meet Kaminikanta and consider the matter. Leaving home, Kaminikanta had been, during that time in Simla with some missionaries. Narendra went even to Simla and met Kamini- kanta. How happy they were the two intimate friends meeting after two long years ! In course of their conversation, Kaminikanta told Narendra about the many reasons and grounds because of which he accepted Christia- nity. And all must accept it for their own salvation. Narendra was asked to think deeply about this religion and express his opinion on the following Saturday. At first though Narendra wavered at this, yet he at last con- sented After that he described Sarala's mental state of affliction for not seeing him during those two years. Kaminikanta then said that he had never forgotten Sarala even for a day and that he would write her when Narendra would come on the following Saturday.

 On the following Saturday, Kaminikanta sent a letter to Sarala. He gave in his letter the reasons for his not writing her during those two years. He thought his writing would perhaps annoy her or else she would be ill- treated by her father, but he never had forgotten her even for a day. How- ever Sarala, forsaking the vain gods and goddesses should now turn to Christ Jesus. And he would make efforts to explain about Christianity as plainly as possible and even send religious books through Narendra.

 But Kaminikanta's letter ended not in one. Every Saturday he was visited by Narendra and in each time a letter was sent to Sarala in which the glory of Christian religion was discussed. Sarala wrote too, and asked him whatever she found to be doubtful. Not that the greatness of Christianity alone was proclaimed in these letters but the anta- gonism of other religions were also found to express. The last part of the book is mostly filled up with Kairinikanta's eight and Sarala's four letters. Though Sarala was at first scrupulous about accepting Christian faith

yet she finally accepted it with great regard without doubts in Kamini-

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