“O Mother, O Our
Queen! Who will dare insult you?
Countless Sons
you have to give up their very life for you!
To defend your
honor and virtue, willingly die we shall!
Slash the enemy
in battle,
And offer you a
bath of blood we shall!
-
V. D. Savarkar, Priyakar
Hindusthan (Beloved Hindustan)
Hi, Everyone! Almost
from the time he was brought to the Cellular Jail, Savarkar began petitioning
to loosen the shackles that held him within its walls. Freedom lay only beyond
its walls. But the Cellular Jail was a fortress impossible to
escape from. The only way to get out was by the permission of the authorities—either
by being allowed to work outside, or being transferred to the mainland jails,
or any which way that worked. The only way to get permission of the authorities
was to make petitions. And so Savarkar petitioned.
The need of the hour
was great, very great, indeed. Savarkar, with his incredible political acumen,
had predicted[1]
a major war involving Britain in the near future. It was the ideal opportunity
to stage a revolution. Savarkar was desperate to be free to organize this
revolution that would set his beloved India free.
But the British were
very much aware of Savarkar’s aspirations and his certain capabilities to see
them through. So much so that here is an excerpt from the report drawn up by
Craddock (upon reviewing Savarkar’s petition and after an interview with him)
which makes it clear how important it was for the British to keep Savarkar’s
wings clipped:
“In the case of Savarkar, it is
impossible to give him any liberty here at all; so important a leader is he
that the European section of the Indian anarchists will certainly organize his
escape from any jail. Even from the island it is easy to escape; just charter a
steamer and with plying money the rest is easy. For him hard labor within the
Cellular Jail is the only option.”
After this, there was
no more any hope for Savarkar that he would be allowed to work outside the
Cellular Jail. Incredibly, despite all the restrictions and the unendurable
circumstances, Savarkar had still managed to establish a spy system within and
without the jail. Secret communications were maintained with his associates in
Europe and the U. S. During WWI a German Cruiser, Emdem, was designated by the Kaiser Wilhelm II to rescue Savarkar
from the Cellular Jail. This is a documented fact. Unfortunately, it was not to
be.
Savarkar has very
frankly given details of what he did (and why) in his My Transportation for Life (http://www.scribd.com/doc/16918361/My-Transportation-for-Life-Veer-Savarkar.)
There is no need to speculate, cast aspersions, or play guessing games. It is
all there to read. And he wrote this
while still in British bondage in Ratnagiri. He wrote this when he was under
pledge to stay away from politics, when his every written and spoken word was
scrutinized, and the fear that his fifty-year sentence would be reinstated was
hanging over his neck like the Sword of Damocles.
Not only did he write
this book (he had also written Essentials
of Hindutva in 1923 while actually incarcerated!) he also carried on
clandestinely working for the freedom of his India.
When he was completely
free in 1937, he swooped upon the political scene and threw his heart and soul
into the gaining of freedom for an United India. He had developed the Hindu
Mahasabha to be a strong contestant for the Hindu seats. But the gullible Hindus
voted for the Congress instead. And India paid the price.
The
point I wish to make by recounting this is:
·
Can these be the actions of a man who
has forsaken his country? One who has switched loyalty from his beloved
motherland to that of her enslavers, the British?
·
Can these be the actions of a man who is
utterly demoralized and exposes himself by making “demeaning apologies and
abject undertakings”?
No.
It is ridiculous and
entirely contradicted by facts to claim so, but that does not prevent the anti-Savarkar
propagandists from spreading their spiteful, maligning, and virulent lies.
And while there are
undiscerning readers who will swallow blindly any tale told to them, the mud thrown
at Savarkar sticks.
·
Savarkar’s actions and his beliefs tell
the true tale, though!
In the next couple of
posts I shall show that even if that were not the case, there is still nothing
shameful about Savarkar’s petitions.
Anurupa
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