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the columns of the Prabhakar that Akshay Kumar first employed his pen in writing articles. In 1840 he was appointed a teacher in the Tattwabodhini Pathsala and published a primer of geography, the first of its kind in Bengali. He then came under the influence of the great Debendra Nath Tagore and was put in charge of the Tattwbodhini Patrika, which he edited with undiminished energy and vigour from 1843 to 1853. The Patrika was indeed a new force in the country at that time. Some of the best known philosophical books of Akshay Kumar were first published in the columns of the Patrika. His style was always forcible, pure and chaste and he was the pioneer in the art of adapting the Bengali language to the expression of scientific and philosophical terms. His contact with Devendra Nath also moulded his religious opinions to a very great extent. In 1853 the Calcutta Training School was established for the training of teachers and Askhay Kumar was appointed its first Head Master. Incessant mental labour always tells upon health in a tropical country like Bengal and Akshay Kumar's health soon broke down. He died in 1886 in his favourite villa at Bally, a few miles from Calcutta. His passion for knowledge could never be satisfied; he had converted his village there into a natural museum. The power which he has infused into the Bengali literature will enshrine his memory for all time to come.
