“A picture is worth a thousand
words—that just makes it a thousand times more efficient at innuendo,
insinuation, and implication.”
-
Anurupa Cinar
Hi, Everyone! Today I
am going to give some excerpts from an affidavit submitted by Savarkar on May
18, 1948.
·
The stark words reveal the fact that
Savarkar was allowed to meet his lawyer only after three-months plus of
incarceration.
They also reveal
another concern that Savarkar had—a group photograph taken with others suspected
in being involved in the conspiracy to murder Gandhi.
For the entire
document click here:
“I, Vinayak
Damodar Savarkar, do hereby swear and state on solemn affirmation as under:-
1. That on
5th February, 1948, I was arrested, in my house “Savarkar Sadan” at Dadar,
Bombay by the Bombay Police. I am, since then, under detention in the Arthur
Road Prison, Bombay. . . .
4. . . . I
was remanded to Police custody. I was then taken to the Arthur Road Prison. The
Bombay Police repeated the remand application from time to time and they were
granted. The present remand expires on the 18th of May, 1948.
5. That on
the 11th of May, 1948, I was taken from the Arthur Road Prison, Bombay, to the
C.I.D. Office by the Bombay Police Officers. I was then made to sit in a chair
and Godse and others who are suspected to be concerned in the murder of Mahatma
Gandhi were placed by my sides. We were then all photographed in a group. I
disclaim any association with them of any of them at any time.
6. That I
apprehend that the same photograph may possibly be used to concoct evidence
against me.
7. That after
I was photographed, as stated above, I got an opportunity, for the first time
to see my advocate Mr. S.V. Deodhar on 14th May, 1948. . . . ”
How true was Savarkar’s
concern is amply proved by the fact that this particular photo (and another
taken on the first day of the trial) are used by several people on blogs, websites,
books, or any place where they would like to finger Savarkar as a conspirator
in Gandhi’s murder.
I give a typical
comment re it below:
“There is a picture of Savarkar in
that link which is very telling. All these people were accused of plotting to
kill Mahatma Gandhi.”
Really, what does the
picture actually tell? Only that Savarkar was charged in the Gandhi-murder Case.
Unfortunately, the picture cannot speak and say that he was acquitted.
Sometimes the photo is
accompanied by comments like these (or a variation thereof):
“Among those who sat in the dock he
alone seemed to be well cast for the role he was playing.”
Sometimes there is an
offending oval circling Savarkar’s face.
Yes, this picture has
been a very efficient tool in the Savarkar-bashing trend. It is very difficult
to combat an imagery produced by a picture.
Which is why I say:
“A picture is worth a thousand
words—that just makes it a thousand times more efficient at innuendo,
insinuation, and implication.”
Anurupa
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