Pal was conscious of the interdependence between society and the individual, and looked at his attempt as a reflection of the contemporary social history beginning with the period immediately after the first war of independence of 1857. His memoirs reflect the impressions of a young perceptive mind of a transitional period of modern Indian evolution from the societal concerns of the early nationalists to the political ones as articulated and consolidated by the efforts of Surendranath Banerjee, Ananda Mohan Bose and their associates. He was a believer in the positive intervention that the British made in India, reflecting the mood of the Indian nationalists from Rammohan to Gandhi. He recounts other important developments like the rise of Dayananda’s Arya Samaj and the beginning of the Muslim response of Indian nationalism under Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, which also coincided with the early years of the Indian National Congress. The tone of the entire memoirs reflects a sense of moderation very similar to the early liberal outlook of the 19 century India. This, however, received a severe jolt with the proposal to partition Bengal in 1903 and Pal reincarnated as an extremist. The memoirs unfortunately end before the manifestation of this shift but definitely remind us as to how major upheavals transform and fundamentally change political theorizing and perceptions.
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