Aurobindo Ghosh was an extremely meritorious student and topped most examinations he gave. Even his British teachers were in awe of the English language he used to write essays. In the following letter written to his father, Aurobindo speaks on how his examiner, the well-known Oscar Browning praised him and his papers.
Aurobindo once was very attached to his family. From Grandfather to sister, he wrote regular letters to all members of his family from faraway shores. Since he was educated in a British public school and later in the University of Cambridge where he became proficient in several European languages, Aurobindo did not know Indian languages till a certain age, which he later mastered including Sanskrit. In his letter to his grandfather he speaks of one such episode.
While in England Aurobindo Ghosh happened to meet Maharaja Sawaji Rao Gaekwad III, the ruler of the princely state of Baroda who was on a visit to England. The Maharaja then 30, had made a name for himself as an extremely progressive native ruler. Through common friends, the Maharaja came across Aurobindo and was impressed by the 20-year-old young man who had chucked one of the most coveted service of the British empire and invited him to serve in the Baroda administration. Serving under a progressive Indian ruler was far more interesting to Aurobindo than doing so under the British crown. So Aurobindo set sail from England to Baroda. The following letter written to his beloved sister is a testimony of his stint at Baroda
(Source: Autobiographies and other Writings by Aurobindo Ghosh)
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