 In 1862, he and Satyendranath Tagore were the first two Indians to sail to England to prepare for and appear in the Indian Civil Service examinations.The competition was one of the stiffest, if not the stiffest, in the world at that time, but more so because any plan to cross the seas and travel to Europe was bound to meet with the strongest opposition from the Indian society.Preparations for the examination was tough, as they had to pick up many subjects not taught in India.