Veer Savarkar

 





Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was born on May 28, 1883 into a family of jagirdars (landlords) in the village of Bhagpur near Nasik. Vinayak was one of four children others being, Ganesh (Babarao), Mainabai and Narayan, born to Damodarpant Savarkar and Radhabai. Being descendents of a line of Sanskrit scholars, the Savarkars inculcated the love of learning into their children. Vinayak and Babarao were sent to the Shivaji School in Nasik. When Vinayak was nine years old, his mother died of cholera. Damodarpant himself looked after his children thereafter.
Vinayak's father died of plague in 1899. The burden of the family fell on Babarao's shoulders. Vinayak's patriotic spirit found an outlet through an organization called the Mitra Mela that he formed. Vinayak inducted young patriotic men like himself into the Mela. He encouraged the members of the Mela to strive for "absolute political independence for India" by whatever means necessary. In the event of an armed revolt the young crusaders toughened themselves through physical training. The Mitra Mela served the city of Nasik in many ways, especially during the plague when the group carried victims for cremation.
In March 1901, Vinayak was married to Yamunabai, daughter of Ramchandra Triambak Chiplunkar, who agreed to help with Vinayak's university education. After his matriculation examination, Vinayak enrolled in the Fergusson College in Poona in 1902.
Savarkar very soon dominated campus life. He, along with a group of students began dressing alike and using swadeshi goods only. He renamed the "Mitra Mela" as "Abhinav Bharat" and declared that "India must be independent; India must be united; India must be a republic; India must have a common language and common script." In 1905, a huge Dussehra bonfire of foreign goods was lit in Poona by Savarkar and his friends to express resentment toward the partition of Bengal. Vinayak left for London to study law in June 1906 on receiving a scholarship. The "study of law," he said "shows the vital points in the system of government, and accurate base where to strike at advantage." He vowed never to take up service under the British Government and never to accept payment from them.
Savarkar stayed at the India House in London, which was established by Pandit Shyamji, a patriot, scholar and social reformer. Savarkar founded the Free India Society which held weekly meetings and celebrated Indian festivals and anniversaries of important figures and days in the Indian freedom struggle. On May 10, 1907, scuffles broke out between Indians and Britishers at the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the 1857 martyrs organized by the Free India Society. In 1908, Savarkar completed "the History of the War of Indian Independence." The text was banned by the British even before it was published for being "revolutionary, explosive and seditious." The book was published in France and   Germany later and it did much to inspire revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Subash Chandra Bose.   In 1909, Madanlal Dhingra, follower of Savarkar, shot Sir Wyllie of the India Office after failing in his attempt on the Viceroy, Lord Curzon's life,  for the atrocities committed on Indians. Dhingra was imprisoned and a meeting of Indians in London planned to unanimously condemn his action.  At the meeting Savarkar angrily shouted, "No, not unanimously!" The meeting became unruly, Savarkar's spectacles broke and blood ran down   his face. The meeting was broken up with Surendranath Banerjea leaving in protest of the attack on Savarkar. That night Savarkar wrote to the London Times to clarify the reasons for his action. He stated that the meeting had no right to condemn Dhingra like a law court.
In India, Savarkar's elder brother led an armed movement against the Minto Morley reforms. Babarao was sentenced to transportation for life to   the Andamans jail. In protest, a youth called Kanhere shot dead the British Collector of Nasik, Mr. A.M.T. Jackson. Savarkar was implicated in  the murder of Mr. Jackson because of his contacts with the India House. Savarkar moved to Madame Cama's residence in Paris. A warrant was  issued and Savarkar was arrested on March 13, 1910. In his last letters to a close friend, he conveyed his plan to attempt to escape from   custody at Marseilles. His friend was to be waiting there with a car. The escape attempt at Marseilles failed. The car arrived too late.
Savarkar was brought to Bombay on the S.S. Morea and detained at Yeravada jail. Savarkar was tried and found guilty on the counts of   "waging war by instigation using printed matter, and providing arms... (and) for abetting the murder of Mr. Jackson (p.118, Berry)." Savarkar  was awarded 25 years imprisonment on the former charge and 25 years for the latter. A sum total of 50 years imprisonment which he was to serve at the Andamans prison. "Veer" Savarkar was only 27 years old at the time of his sentencing!
Savarkar arrived at the Andamans prison on July 4, 1911. Life for the prisoners was very harsh. Savarkar's day began at 5 a.m. chopping trees with a heavy wooden mallet and then he would be yoked to the oil mill. If prisoners talked or broke queue at mealtime, their once a year letter writing privilege was revoked. Savarkar withdrew within himself, quietly and mechanically doing the tasks presented to him. He was successful in getting permission to start a jail library. With great effort and patience he taught the illiterate convicts to read and write.
In 1920, Vithalbhai Patel demanded the release of the Savarkar brothers in the Central Legislative Assembly. Tilak and Gandhiji also appealed for Savarkars freedom. On May 2, 1921, the Savarkar brothers were brought back to India on the S.S. Maharaja.
Savarkar remained imprisoned in Ratnagiri Jail and then in Yeravada Jail until January 6, 1924 when he was freed under the condition that he would not leave Ratnagiri district and abstain from political activity for the next five years. While in Ratnagiri Jail, Savarkar wrote "Hindutva"  which was smuggled out and published under the pen-name "Maharatta." On his release, Savarkar founded the Ratnagiri Hindu Sabha on   January 23, 1924 which aimed to preserve India's ancient culture and work for social welfare.
Through the Sabha, Savarkar worked hard to protect minority rights. During the celebration of Hindu festivals, Savarkar visited Muslim and   Christian homes to promote good will. He encouraged intercaste marriage and assisted Dr. Ambedkar in the liberation of the untouchables. He   appealed for a wider use of Hindi as the mother tongue and suggested reforms to the Devanagiri script to facilitate printing. While in Ratnagiri he   wrote the "Hindu Padpadashashi" and "My Transportation for Life" and a collection of poems, plays and novels.
At the end of his five year confinement in Ratnagiri, Savarkar joined Tilak's Swaraj Party and founded the Hindu Mahasabha as a separate   political party. He warned of the Muslim League's designs of partitioning the nation. In 1937, Savarkar was elected President of the Hindu  Mahasabha. He toured the nation widely and delivered the simple message that followers of Vedism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism were all Hindus.
At declaration of war by Britain on Germany and the arbitrary inclusion of India in the war, Savarkar said that Britain's claim of safeguarding human freedom was simply meaningless.
Savarkar agreed to join hands with the Congress in support of Gandhiji's Quit India movement as long as the Congress did not compromise the unity of the nation to the Muslim League. "The Quit India Movement must not end in a Split India Movement!" he thundered on a BBC broadcast of his speech. 


After matriculation in 1901, he took admission in Fergusson College of Poona. He was however more interested in IndiaÂ’s freedom from British rule. The young college students in Poona were charged by the speeches by the patriots and political leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bhopatkar etc. The news papers in Poona were also actively participating in creating anti-British atmosphere in the society and appealing societyÂ’s feelings of Nationalism. Savarkar was the uncrowned leader of the youth in this movement. In 1905 he burnt the imported clothes as a token of IndiaÂ’s protest to imported clothes. In May 1904, he established an International Revolution Institute named "Abhinav Bharat". His instigating patriotic speeches and activities irritated the British Government. As a result his B.A. degree was withdrawn by the Government. In June 1906 he left for London to become Barrister. However, once in London, he united and inflamed the Indian students in England against British. He believed in use of arms against the foreign rulers and created a network of Indians in England, equipped with weapons . Although he passed Barrister Examination in England, because of his anti-government activities, he was denied the Degree.
He was the prime inspiration for the Indian students to rise against British rule. The British Government Officers were waiting for some opportunity to arrest him. He was arrested in London on 13 March 1910 on some fabricated offenses. The case against him was to be heard by the court in India. So he was to be sent to India. During his travel in a ship, as the ship neared Marseilles in France, he jumped through a porthole and swam to the port. This was on 8 July 1910. As per the plan, his colleagues were to reach there beforehand. However, they reached late and he was caught by French Police. The French Government denied him asylum.
After the case was decided in India, he was sentenced to 50 years rigorous life imprisonment in Andaman on 24 December 1910. Since 4 July 1911, he was in Andaman Jail in solitude. On 2nd May 921 he was brought to India from Andaman. Since 1921 to 1922, he was in Alipur (Bengal) and Ratnagiri (Maharashtra) Jails. On 6th January 1924, he was released from the jail on two conditions viz. a) He will not actively participate in politics and b) he will stay in Ratnagiri District. He was in house arrest at Ratnagiri.
Thereafter he spent his life in different fields of social work. He breathed his last at the age of 83, on Saturday, February 26, 1966. "Prayopveshana" , meaning fast till death, was what he observed and refused any intake of food. His death was like a true warrior. Death did not grab him, he approached death with erect head.
Reading Habits
Right from his childhood he used to like reading. Invariably found in Library, he used to read the news papers like Kesari, Kal, Dnyanprakash etc. He read "Short History of the World" in childhood. He studied History of India from Vedic time. History was his favorite subject. He had good command over Sanskrit and thoroughly read Sanskrit as well as English literature. Amongst other books, he was impressed by the biographies of Mazini, Garibaldi, Napoleon etc. He read Bible, and Holy Koran, philosophers like Spencer, Mill, Darwin, Huxlay , Emerson etc. He also studied Economics, Geology etc. He could by heart half of Ravindranath Tagore’s literature. He had also carefully studied Lenin and Trotsky.
Pioneer
He is proved to be pioneer in many fields such as -
He studied the original records available in London about IndiaÂ’s history and proposed that the "mutiny" of 1957 in India, as stamped by British, was not a mutiny but a freedom fight. While in Andaman Jail, he took lead in uniting the prisoners and made representation to the British Government against the subhuman conditions of the jail and worst treatment given to the prisoners. This persuaded the Government to improve the jail conditions and some facilities were sanctioned to the prisoners. He made history in Marathi Poetry by writing an epoch making poetry "Kamala" , in Andaman Jail. He was a gifted poet who wrote poems, which can be compared to those of Kalidas in Sanskrit. He was the pioneer to get back the converted Indians to Hindu Religion. To follow the guiding principle of "Swadeshi movement" by Lok Manya Tilak , he was the first to set ablaze imported clothes. Purification of Mother tongue He was against the influence of Urdu, English or any other languages on Marathi - his mother tongue Hence he professed for use of pure Marathi Language. To replace many conversant words adopted from languages like Urdu, Persian or English, he coined many words and brought them in use. Since Marathi originates from Sanskrit, which is a proliferate language, why should invasion of words from other languages be tolerated, he used to emphasis. The following Marathi words , which we use in day to day language are brought in by Savarkar - Prashala (High school), Aacharya (Principal), Dhani (Malak - Owner), Dinank (Tarikh - date), Upasthita (hajar - present), Nabhowani (radio), Mahapour (mayor), Vishwasta (Trustee) etc.
Realizing the importance and influence of print media, he made appropriate changes in the Devnagari script, so as to ease printing. "Savarkar script" reduced print type faces from 200 to 80.
He was the President of Hindu Mahasabha and toiled for building Hindu Nationalism.
He campaigned for incorporation of Hindus in Indian Military from 30% to 65% during British Raj.pparently this was misunderstood as helping British for fighting the Second World War. However military training was very essential for the revolution, which could be used against British Rule on opportune time. That was the purpose of this campaign. This was appreciated by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose saying that this movement facilitated supply of trained soldiers to his "Swatantra Sena".
At his instance, Madam Cama represented India in the International Socialists Conference with IndiaÂ’s flag. The participants in the conference not only saluted Indian Flag , but also agreed that they should support the freedom movement in India. After IndiaÂ’s independence, while deciding the flag of the country, SavarkarÂ’s suggestion to adopt Dharmachakra on the Sarnath Pillar (Ashok Stambh) was accepted and implemented.
Literature
Savarkar was a prolific writer and poet. His literature from the age of 11 till 70 can be divided in five parts. The first part consists of poems and ballads, mainly related to freedom movement. The second part consists of his writings while being in England. Amongst them "Joseph Mazini"- a biography of the famous Italian freedom fighter - is world famous. Another one is "Sattavanche watryantsamar" - "The freedom fight of 1857", which is a deep study of the 1857 "Mutiny" (as called by British) in India . He also wrote "Shikhancha Itihas" (History of Shikhs). He used to write in the Indian news papers called "Kal" and "Vihari" on various politics related topics. The third part is during his imprisonment in Andaman. While enduring the rigorous imprisonment, he did not get even pen and paper to write. In such adverse conditions he wrote "Kamala" - an epic on the prison walls with the help of shart thorns. The fourth part is after he was shifted to Ratnagiri under house arrest. The immortal book "Mazi Janmathep" (My life imprisonment) was written during this period. It describes the dreadful life in prison. This part also includes his "Vidnyannishtha Nibandh" (scientific essays), three dramas named "Ushshap", "Sanyasta Khadga" and "Uttarkriya" regarding imancipation of untouchables, conversion of religion and the adverse effects of extremity of "Ahinsa" on the nation, "Kale Pani" (Black water) - a novel based on his experiences in Andaman Jail and "Mala kay tyache" (What do I care?), on the background of the mutiny of Mopla- Muslims in Malbar. He wrote two books in English named "Hindutwa" and "Hindupadapadshahi" on the history of Marathas. After he was released from house arrest he became the President of Hindu Mahasabha.His presidential ddresses have been compiled in "Hindurashtra-Darshan" which throws light on his political thinking. In the fifth and the last part, after he retired from day to day political work, he wrote "Hindurashtrachya itihasateel saha soneri pane" (Six golden pages in the History of Hindu Nation) about the critical study of History of Hindus. So far the impression was that Hindus have always been losing the battle, which is not true. He has quoted the heroism of Hindus, which gives Hindus stimulus and pride of their glorious legacy. His contribution of Marathi literature is invaluable. Therefore he was selected as the President of Maharashtra Sahitya Sammelan in 1938. Nagpur University and Poona University conferred on him the Honorary D.Lit. degree on 14th August 1943 and on 8th October 1959 respectively. After IndiaÂ’s independence, he had to face the judicial inquiry for assassination of Gandhiji , since Nathuram Godse, GandhijiÂ’s assassinator was the disciple of Savarkar. No charges were proved against him.
His two very famous poems are Sagara Pran Talamalala and Jayostute.
He was a living "Sthitapradnya" as described in "Bhagwat Geeta" and used to live as per the philosophy of "Bhagwat Geeta".