Vinayak Damodar Savarkar is a martyr revolutionary who has undergone life imprisonment twice alone. His entire life is a symbol of endurance and resilience in the face of countless struggles. One struggle was for the revival of the nation’s culture and tradition. The second struggle was for freedom from the British. And the third struggle was to endure the ridicule of his own brethren.
If India is defeated by invaders and becomes enslaved, it will not be due to the power of foreigners, but rather due to the lack of cooperation and determination of its own people. Savarkar Ji endured both these things throughout his life. His struggle was not for power, not for politics, but for the dignity of the Indian nation and the awakening of Hindu society. His and his family’s entire life remained dedicated to establishing the identity of India.
He was born in Bhagur village in the Pune district of the Maharashtra province on May 28 1883. His mother’s name was Radhabai and his father’s name was Damodar Pant Savarkar. He had two brothers. One was Ganesh Damodar Savarkar and the other was Narayan Damodar Savarkar. Ganesh was older than him, and Narayan was younger. He had a sister named Nainabai. When Vinayak was only nine years old, the plague epidemic took his mother away. Seven years later, in 1899, due to the same epidemic, his father also departed for heaven. Elder brother Ganesh took over the responsibility of taking care of the family. During this time of sorrow and hardship, the personality of elder brother Ganesh Savarkar deeply influenced Vinayak. He felt that just as his elder brother was not only standing on his own feet but also taking care of the family, why shouldn’t he also stand on his own feet and serve society.
Some personalities are not ordinary; they come into the world with an extra energy of nature. Such unique personalities learn from every event around them and strive to educate society. Vinayak Savarkar was rich in such extraordinary talent. He began contemplating in various directions simultaneously. The epidemic not only took away his parents but also claimed the lives of millions of people in the country. This included the exploitation by British soldiers. The Indian society was enduring both these disasters. Vinayak Ji resolved to awaken Indian society from these two calamities. He formed a group of youths along with his studies and initiated the work of awakening society’s culture. Along with this, he passed the high school examination from Shivaji High School, Nasik, in 1901. He had a keen interest in studying, and alongside his studies, he also engaged in writing. He had a remarkable skill in writing comments and poems on contemporary subjects. He started organising “friendship gatherings”. In these gatherings, discussions were held on the nation and culture, and also on how much of a crisis Mother India was facing and how that crisis would be resolved. Through these gatherings, the sense of nationalism started to become strong among the youth. At the age of seventeen, he got married. His wife’s name was Yamuna Devi. Father-in-law Ramchandra Ji took the responsibility of Savarkar Ji’s higher education. In 1902, he reached Fergusson College, Pune, to pursue his Bachelor of Arts degree. Over time, Vinayak Ji was blessed with two children, a son named Vishwas Savarkar and a daughter named Prabhat Savarkar, who later became Chiploonkar.
In Pune, he established an organisation in 1904 named “Abhinav Bharat.” It was a revolutionary organisation that was later banned by the British. After the partition of Bengal in 1905, this organisation burnt foreign clothes in Pune and surrounding areas. Vinayak Savarkar and the activists of Abhinav Bharat travelled around, delivering patriotic speeches filled with fervour. This entire team received blessings from Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Through Tilak’s efforts, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar received a scholarship. His articles were published in a magazine named “Indian Socialist” and were also printed in Yugantar in Kolkata.
After completing his college education, he went to London to study law. There, he read descriptions in museums detailing how the uprising of 1857 began and how the British suppressed it. After reading these accounts, Savarkar organised the first Indian Independence Day celebration on May 10, 1907, at India House in London and in his fervent speech, with evidence, established the struggle of 1857 as India’s first war of independence. Along with this, he also wrote a book titled “The Indian War of Independence,” which was completed in June 1908. However, there were problems with its printing. Many efforts were made for this. Ultimately, the book was published from Holland and copies were sent to France. In the book, Savarkar portrayed the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny as the first fight for freedom against the British government. This is one of those rare books in the world that faced censorship before its publication.
In May 1909, he passed the Bar-at-Law examination from London, but he was not given permission to practice law. The reason for this was that Savarkar had refused to take the oath of allegiance to the British Crown.
Activities at India House
After enrolling in Gray’s Inn Law College in London, Savarkar began residing at India House. India House had become the centre of political activities at that time, led by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. While staying there, Savarkar increased contact with all those who secretly supported the Indian independence movement.
In London, he met Lala Hardayal, who was overseeing India House at that time. On July 1, 1909, revolutionary Madan Lal Dhingra shot and killed Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie. Upon this event, Savarkar wrote an article in The Times of London, for which an arrest warrant was issued. When he arrived in London from Paris on May 10, 1910, he was arrested. However, on July 8, 1910, while being taken to India on the ship SS Morea, he managed to escape through the sewers of Seaview Hall. He swam across the English Channel but was eventually apprehended
On December 24, 1910, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Then, on January 31, 1911, he was sentenced to life imprisonment again. Thus, Savarkar was given two consecutive life sentences, which was the first and unique event in world history.
However, Savarkar had dedicated himself to the motherland, so he accepted these punishments. Over time, amidst strict security, he was sent back to India. Under the Nashik Conspiracy Case, related to the assassination of Jackson, the collector of Nashik district, he was sent to Cellular Jail on the punishment of transportation to the Andaman Islands on April 7, 1911. The cruel and torturous collector of Nashik was involved with his brother in this. The entire family was implicated, and arrests were made. Here, freedom fighters endured harsh torture.
Prisoners were made to work like oxen in the oil mill, extracting oil from mustard and coconut, etc. Additionally, they had to clear the jungle areas around the jail and flatten marshy land and hilly terrain. If they stopped working, they faced severe punishment and were beaten with whips and rods. Despite all this, they were not given enough food to eat. Savarkar endured all of this. He remained in this jail in Port Blair from July 4, 1911, to May 21, 1921.
Mercy Petition
In 1919, on the advice of Vallabhbhai Patel and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, he filed a mercy petition. Ultimately, upon the condition of not breaking British law or inciting rebellion, he was released. Savarkar knew that it was better to serve the nation by staying on the ground than to end his life in jail. He was familiar with the fleeting nature of life and wanted to make the most of every opportunity to work. Tilak had sent a message that if he stayed outside of jail, he could do what he wanted, which was not possible while imprisoned in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
In 1921, upon his release, he wrote a research book on Hindutva. In 1925, he met with Dr. Hedgewar, the founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. In February 1931, through his efforts, the foundation of the Patit Pavan Mandir was laid in Bombay, which was equally open to all Hindus. On February 25, 1931, Savarkar chaired the conference on untouchability abolition held in the Bombay Presidency. In 1937, he was elected as the president of the All India Hindu Mahasabha held in Ahmedabad. He remained the president for seven years. In April 1938, he was elected as the president of the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan. In June 1941, he met with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. On October 9, 1942, along with a request for India’s independence, he informed Churchill by sending a wire. Savarkar remained in favour of India’s unity against partition throughout his life. After 1943, Savarkar started living in Mumbai. In March 1945, his brother Baburao passed away.
In April 1945, he chaired the All India Princely States Hindu Assembly. In the same year, on May 8, his daughter Prabhat got married. In April 1946, the Bombay government lifted the ban on Savarkar’s writings. In 1947, he opposed the partition of India. His argument was that India should not be partitioned, but if it had to be, it should be a complete partition, with all Hindus residing here and all Muslims residing there. His argument was so strong that many Congress leaders, including Sardar Patel, began to agree with him ideologically. This made both the British government and the Muslim League anxious. Some leaders in the Congress also turned against him. Gandhi Ji had accepted the partition, but he was in favour of it voluntarily. Gandhi Ji believed that everyone should stay in their homeland. With the preparations for partition, heavy violence erupted in Bengal and Punjab. Savarkar Ji had high hopes from Gandhi Ji. However, when India couldn’t avoid partition and heavy violence broke out, Savarkar Ji openly criticised Gandhi Ji.
On August 15, 1947, upon India’s independence, Savarkar Ji hoisted both the Indian tricolour flag and the saffron flag together. Reacting to this occasion, he said, “I am happy to achieve independence, but I am saddened by the partition of India.” He also said that the boundaries of a state are not determined by rivers, mountains, or treaties, but by the valour, patience, sacrifice, and bravery of the country’s youth. Meanwhile, Gandhi Ji was assassinated.
On February 5, 1948, Savarkar Ji was arrested under the Preventive Detention Act. However, no allegation could be proven regarding involvement in the conspiracy of Gandhi Ji’s assassination. Orders for release were given. On April 4, 1950, Pakistan’s first Prime Minister, Liaquat Ali, visited India. On the eve of his arrival in Delhi, Savarkar Ji was detained in Belgaum Jail. After Liaquat Ali’s departure, Savarkar Ji was released. In November 1957, he was the main speaker at the centenary celebration of the First Indian War of Independence of 1857 held in New Delhi.
On October 8, 1949, Pune University conferred upon him an honorary Doctor of Literature degree. On November 8, 1963, his wife Yamunabai passed away. From September 1965, he was besieged by a severe fever, after which his health began to deteriorate continuously. On February 1, 1966, he decided to fast until death, and on February 26, 1966, he bid farewell to the world in Mumbai.
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