Srila Prabhupada's father believed that with a British education his son would have a more promising career, thus in 1916 he arranged for him to attend Scottish Churches' College, then the top British college in Calcutta.
Srila Prabhupada was neither enamoured of western education or ambitious for scholastic achievement. He would sometimes confide he did not like it there and felt like leaving. When his friends would ask him why, his reason would always be:
"...something religious, something philosophical or devotional about God."
- Rupendranath Mitra (school friend)
However Srila Prabhupada was a good student and described his Scottish teachers kindly gentlemen and he took part in College activities. In the year above him was a Netaji Subash Bose, the famous Bengali freedom fighter.
Politically conscious as a young man
The College was strict in forbidding anti-government propaganda, but the students were sympathetic to the cause of home rule. "Svaraj" (independence) was considered a spiritual movement - analogous to the soul's freedom. The leaders of svaraj held that the glory of India's Sanatana Dharma could not shine forth for the world's benefit until India became free from the burden of the British rule which blasphemed and castigated the teachings of the Vedic scriptures and those who followed them.
Like most of his contemporaries, Srila Prabhupada supported svaraj. When he passed his final examinations, he supported Gandhi's call to boycott all things British and refused his diploma.