NEW DELHI: India’s struggle for freedom is filled with names that inspire reverence—Bhagat Singh, Subhas Chandra Bose, Savarkar, and others. Yet, one remarkable figure who laid the foundation for revolutionary thought abroad remains largely forgotten in mainstream narratives: Shyamji Krishna Varma, the founder of India House in London and a mentor to many of India’s most fearless freedom fighters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended homage to the Indian revolutionary, lawyer, and journalist, Shymji Krishna Verma, on his birth anniversary. PM Modi posted on X, “On behalf of all citizens, respectful homage to the diligent son of Mother India, Shyamji Krishna Varma, on his birth anniversary. His courage, dedication, and spirit of service in the freedom movement will always be remembered with reverence. His saga of bravery and fearlessness is a great source of inspiration for building a developed India as well.”
सभी देशवासियों की ओर से भारत माता के कर्मठ सपूत श्यामजी कृष्ण वर्मा को उनकी जयंती पर आदरपूर्ण श्रद्धांजलि। आजादी के आंदोलन में उनके साहस, समर्पण और सेवाभाव को सदैव श्रद्धापूर्वक स्मरण किया जाएगा। उनकी वीरता और निर्भीकता की गाथा विकसित भारत के निर्माण के लिए भी एक बड़ी…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 4, 2025
Born on October 4, 1857, in Mandvi, Gujarat, Shyamji Krishna Varma was not only a freedom fighter but also a Sanskrit scholar, journalist, and barrister trained at Oxford. He was the first Indian to secure both an MA degree from Oxford and qualify as a Barrister-at-Law, earning respect even in academic circles of the West. But it was his unwavering commitment to India’s liberation from British rule that defined his life.
He was a barrister in London and was later barred from practising for being critical of the colonial government. Varma also taught Sanskrit at Oxford University.
In 1905, Shyamji Krishna Varma established India House in London, ostensibly as a hostel for Indian students. In reality, it became the nerve centre of revolutionary activity abroad. It was here that Veer Savarkar, Lala Hardayal, Madan Lal Dhingra, and Bhikaji Cama found a space to plan, write, and strategise for India’s freedom.
India House was not only about shelter; it was about intellectual and armed resistance. Shyamji instituted fellowships named after Indian icons like Guru Gobind Singh and Shivaji Maharaj, supporting young Indians who wanted to study abroad and contribute to the nationalist cause. Under his guidance, literature, weapons, and revolutionary networks flowed from Europe into India.
The British intelligence kept a close watch, and when Madan Lal Dhingra assassinated Curzon Wyllie in London in 1909, suspicion fell heavily on Shyamji. Anticipating arrest, he relocated first to Paris and then to Geneva, Switzerland, where he continued his work until his death in 1930.
What makes his story even more striking is the treatment of his legacy. While the Swiss government safeguarded his ashes for decades, in India, mainstream political discourse and history textbooks reduced his contributions to mere footnotes. Many historians aligned with Congress and Left ideologies often dismissed revolutionaries as “terrorists” or “anarchists,” relegating Shyamji Krishna Varma’s immense sacrifices to obscurity.
Even as Europe acknowledged his intellectual stature and revolutionary zeal, India seemed to move on, lionising only those leaders who sought negotiation with the British rather than complete independence.
PM Modi Brings Him Back to India
It was only in 2003 that Shyamji Krishna Varma’s legacy was restored to national consciousness. The then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi arranged to bring back his ashes from Switzerland with full state honours. His remains were enshrined at “Kranti Teerth” in Mandvi, Gujarat, a memorial dedicated to his life and ideals.
On the birth anniversary of the great freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna Varma, we reflect on Prime Minister @narendramodi’s tribute to this great revolutionary.
Shyamji Krishna Varma passed away in 1930, holding on to the hope that his ashes would one day return to a free India.… pic.twitter.com/topkFs1g32
— Modi Archive (@modiarchive) October 4, 2024
Speaking at the time, Modi emphasised that freedom was not just won by negotiation and compromise but also through the sacrifices of revolutionaries whose names were deliberately downplayed.
The neglect of Shyamji Krishna Varma raises pressing questions about the selective remembrance of India’s freedom movement. Why were leaders who collaborated with the British or demanded dominion status celebrated, while those who fought uncompromisingly for purna swaraj (complete independence) were often branded extremists?
Even Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was maligned as a fascist sympathiser, while Bhagat Singh and his comrades were reduced to romanticised footnotes. Shyamji Krishna Varma, who spent 25 years in exile, sacrificing everything for India’s freedom, faced near-erasure from official history.
Today, as India reflects on its past, Shyamji Krishna Varma’s story stands as a reminder of the forgotten architects of independence. His work with India House lit the spark of revolution that inspired Savarkar, Dhingra, and countless others to take up arms against colonial rule.
On his birth anniversary, remembering Shyamji Krishna Varma is not just about honouring one man—it is about restoring the rightful place of revolutionaries in India’s freedom struggle, acknowledging that independence was as much a product of their sacrifices as it was of negotiations in drawing rooms.
