Vinayak Damodar Savarkar

Veer Savarkar on a stamp issued by Government of India

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (May 28, 1883-1966), (Devanagari:विनायक दामॊदर सावरकर) sometimes called "Veer Savarkar" (वीर सावरकर - Brave Savarkar), was an Indian Freedom fighter, and a Hindu nationalist leader.

Background

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was a great orator, prolific writer, a historian, a poet, a philosopher, a social worker who devoted his entire life for the cause of Indian Independence movement. He was arguable the greatest revolutionary in India's freedom struggle.

Being a descendant of a line of sanskrit scholars, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar took great interest in History, Politics, Literature and Indian culture. His book, First war of Indian independence movement: 1857, served as an inspiration for many freedom fighters including Gandhi.

Born in village of Bhagur near Nasik, he was one among the four children to the couple Damodarpant Savarkar and Radhabai. His initial education was in Shivaji School, Nasik. He lost his mother at the age of nine. Brought up by his father, he was influenced by the freedom struggle in British India and got inclined towards it. He lost his father during the plaque that hit India in 1899.

In March 1901, he was married to Yamunabai. Post marriage, in 1902, he joined Fergusson College in Pune for higher studies. In June 1906, he received a scholarship and left for London to study law.

The freedom fighter

As a student, Savarkar was involved in Swadeshi movement. He later joined joined Bal Gangadhar Tilak's Swaraj Party. When in London, he founded the Free India Society. The Society celebrated important dates on the calendar including festivals, freedom movement landmarks and was dedicated to the talks about Indian freedom which came to be highly unacceptable to the British. He said, " We must stop complaining about this British officer or that officer, this law or that law. There would be no end to that. Our movement must not be limited to being against any particular law, but it must be for acquiring the authority to make the laws itself. In other words, we want The Absolute Political Independence."

In 1908, when he wrote "The Indian War of Independence 1857", the British government immediately put a ban on it both in Britain and India. Later, it was published by Madam Cama in Holland and was smuggled to India to reach the revolutionaries working across the country against the British rule.

In 1909, Madanlal Dhingra, a keen follower of Savarkar shot Sir Wyllie, after a failed attempt on Viceroy, Lord Curzon. Savarkar stood out with a decision not to condemn the act.

When British Collector of Nasik, A.M.T. Jackson was shot by a youth, Savarkar was finally under the nets of the British. He was implicated in the murder citing his connections with the India House. In March 13, 1910, a warrant was issued and he was arrested in Paris. He hatched a plan to escape at Marseilles which failed.

He was captured and brought to Bombay (Mumbai) on S.S. Morea, and imprisoned in the Yeravada jail. He was tried and at the age on 27, he was sentenced to 50 years of imprisonment in the Andamans prison. In July 4, 1911, he was ported to the Andaman's prison.

He is believed to have appealed for clemency in 1911, and again in 1913 during Sir Reginald Craddock's visit notwithstanding the torture imposed in Andamans prison and declining health conditions.

In 1920, many prominent freedom fighters including Vithalbhai Patel, Mahatma Gandhi and Bal Gangadhar Tilak demanded the release of Savarkar and his brother in the Central Legislative Assembly.

In May 2, 1921, Savarkar was moved to Ratnagiri jail and from there to Yeravada jail. It was in Ratnagiri jail, that Savarkar wrote the book 'Hindutva'. In January 6, 1924 he was released with limitations imposed on his travel and activities.

Politics

He was the founder of the Hindu Mahasabha and worked on the way to its evolution as a separate political party.

When Britain declared war on Germany and arbitrarily included India in the war, he made a statement - "Britain's claim of safeguarding human freedom was simply meaningless".

In the post independence India, he is said to have advocated a 'militarily strong' India.

Controversies

Alleged Involvement in Gandhi assasination

In the post independence, the stand taken by Gandhi favoring the formation of Pakistan created deep divisions in the country and Savarkar expressed his dislike vehemently againt Gandhi's stand during that period. Later on when Gandhi was shot dead by Nathuram Godse, there were several allegations that Sarvarkar masterminded the assassination of Gandhi. He was alleged to have blessed Nathuram Godse who shot Gandhi, with the words “Yashasvi howun yaa” (“Come back with success”). The Government of India at the time arrested him and implicated him in the assassination case, but the Supreme Court of India later acquitted him.

On Hindutva

Some people find problems with his definition of Hindutva.

Savarkar defines a Hindu as one "who regards this land of Bharatvarsha, from the Indus to the Seas as his Father-Land as well as his Holy-Land that is the cradle land of his religion". He said: "So with the Hindus, they being the people, whose past, present and future are most closely bound with the soil of Hindusthan as Pitribhu (fatherland), as Punyabhu (holyland), they constitute the foundation, the bedrock, the reserved forces of the Indian state. Therefore even from the point of Indian nationality, must ye, O Hindus, consolidate and strengthen Hindu nationality; not to give wanton offence to any of our non-Hindu compatriots, in fact to any one in the world but in just and urgent defence of our race and land; to render it impossible for others to betray her to or subject her to unprovoked attack by any of those 'Pan-isms' that are struggling forth from continent to continent."

This is what he had to say about two-nation theory : "I have no quarrel with Mr Jinnah's two-nation theory. We, Hindus, are a nation by ourselves and it is a historical fact that Hindus and Muslims are two nations."

Literary Works

His literary works in Marathi include "Kamala", "Mazi Janmathep" ( MY LifeSentence ), and most famously "1857 - The First war of Independence" about the Sepoy Mutiny. Another very noted book is, "Kale Pani" (similar to Life Sentence), the one which reflects the treatment to Indian freedom fighters by British, by then. In order to counter the contemporary view that India's history was history of continuous defeat, he wrote a very inspirational book on history, "Saha Soneri Pane" ( Six Golden Pages ).

He wrote several books when in prison. Among those that he wrote when in Ratnagiri jail, was the book Hindutva that deals with the nationalistic approach and Hinduism. Others were "Hindu Padpadashashi" and "My Transportation for Life". At the same time, the religious war in India was on the peak. He put forward the atrocities of British and Muslims on Hindu residents in Kerala, summarized in the book, "Mopalyanche Band" (Muslims' Strike) also "Gandhi Gondhal" (Gandhi's Confusion), a political commentary on the contemporary politics by Gandhi.

He is also the author of poems like "Sagara pran talmalala", and "Jayostute", claimed to be the most moving, inspiring and patriotic work in Marathi literature by his followers and critics. "Jayostute" was written to praise the mother India.

He is credited for several popular neologisms in Hindi like Digdarshak (leader, one who points in the right direction), Shatkar, Saptahik (Weekly, as in weekly periodicals/magazines) and Sansad (Parliament).

External links

Biography - An Article on Kamat's Potpourri
Freedom fighter profile
Savarkar and Sangh : a muddled equation - An article on the relations of RSS and Savarkar.
History of Andaman Cellular Jail
¹ Allegations on Savarkar on Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Freedom Fighther - Savarkar
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
The mastermind? - Outlook article that suspect Savarkar as mastermind on Gandhi assassination. (Requires registration, may use BugMeNot)
Who was Veer Savarkar? - Rediff.com article about allegations on Savarkar.
Godse accompanied Savarkar to Shimoga in 1944 - The Hindu September 22, 2004